Dynamic performance and wear of ceramic aerodynamic tilting-pad journal bearings: Tested and simulated under excessive vibrations
Loading...
Date
2025-02-06
Authors
Pokorný, Jan
Návrat, Tomáš
Vajdák, Michal
Cabaj, Gabriel
Sliwková, Petra
Advisor
Referee
Mark
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier
Altmetrics
Abstract
Ceramic aerodynamic tilting-pad journal bearings are emerging as a crucial component in hydrogen-electric mobility, specifically within electric compressors that deliver compressed air to hydrogen fuel cells. These bearings provide an environmentally friendly solution by eliminating the need for oil lubrication, thus preventing contamination of the fuel cells. This study focuses on the wear performance of these bearings under extreme conditions, operated near critical bending speed with elevated vibrations surpassing assembly clearance levels. To assess performance, a custom high-speed test rig was developed, designed without coupling to ensure precise measurements and to prevent the transfer of vibrations from the electric drive to the bearing system. Detailed vibration measurements were conducted under extreme conditions across various rotational speeds, reaching up to 70000 rpm. Alongside this, a dynamic computational model of the aerodynamic bearing was created, incorporating an analysis of rotor vibrations. Experimental results were systematically compared with simulation data to validate the model’s accuracy. Key to this study is the wear assessment of the bearing pads under these demanding conditions. The findings reveal that the proposed bearings exhibit reliable performance even in highly demanding scenarios, demonstrating their robustness and potential applicability in other critical and high-stress environments.
Description
Citation
WEAR. 2025, vol. 571, issue 6, p. 1-16.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043164825001450
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043164825001450
Document type
Peer-reviewed
Document version
Published version
Date of access to the full text
Language of document
en