Bending pad thrust bearing

Abstract

A 'fixed' pad element of a thrust bearing having a plurality of such pads th each pad including at least one groove formed in the sidewalls of the leading and trailing edge portions of the bearing pad to cause the edge portions to be more deformable than the intermediate portion. Such edge portion may also have a lower resultant coefficient of thermal expansion than the intermediate portion such that the pad surface, when hydrodynamically and thermally loaded, assumes a convex surface profile to define a wedge shaped hydrodynamic lubricating film between the pad and the adjacent thrust member. Additional lubrication may be provided through a central lubrication passage connected to a pressurized oil supply. In an embodiment where there is a plurality of sidewall grooves, some of the grooves may have different depth and width dimensions and such plurality of grooves may be filled with materials having a lower coefficient of thermal expansion, greater deformability and/or greater compressibility than the material forming the body of the pad. In another embodiment, the bearing pad may be a composite laminated structure which includes one or more layers of materials having a lower coefficient of thermal expansion, greater deformability and/or greater compressibility than the body material wherein a greater thickness of such layer occurs adjacent the edge portions of the pad. When partially or substantially unfilled, such grooves may serve as cooling surfaces allowing additional cooling of the bearing pad.