Design of flexure pivot tilting pads gas bearings for high-speed oil-free microturbomachinery

This paper introduces flexure pivot tilting pad gas bearings with pad radial compliance for high-speed oil-free microturbomachinery. The pad radial compliance was for accommodation of rotor centrifugal growth at high speeds. Analytical equation for the rotor centrifugal growth based on plane stress model agreed very well with finite element method results. Parametric studies on pivot offset, preload, and tilting stiffness were performed using nonlinear orbit simulations and coast-down simulations. Higher preload and pivot offset increased both critical speeds of the rotor-bearing system and onset speeds of instability due to the increased wedge effect. Pad radial stiffness and nominal bearing clearance were very important design parameters for high-speed applications due to the physically existing rotor centrifugal growth. From the series of parametric studies, the maximum achievable rotor speed was limited by the minimum clearance at the pad pivot calculated from the rotor growth and radial deflection of pads due to hydrodynamic pressure. Pad radial stiffness also affects the rotor instability significantly. Small radial stiffness could accommodate rotor growth more effectively but deteriorated rotor instability. From parametric studies on a bearing with 28.5 mm in diameter and 33.2 mm in length, optimum pad radial stiffness and bearing clearance are 1-2 × 10⁷ N/m and 35 μm, respectively, and the maximum achievable speed appears 180 krpm. The final design with suggested optimum design variables could be also stable under relatively large destabilizing forces.