Abstract
Thrust bearing is a key component of the propulsion system of a ship. It transfers the propulsive forces from the propeller to the ship’s hull, allowing the propeller to push the ship ahead. The performance of a thrust bearing pad is critical. When the thrust bearing becomes damaged, it can cause the ship to lose power and can also affect its operational safety. For this paper, the distribution of the pressure field of a thrust pad was calculated with numerical method, applying Reynolds equation. Thrust bearing properties for loads were analyzed, given variations in outlet thickness of the pad and variations between the load and the slope of the pad. It was noticed that the distribution of pressure was uneven. As a result, increases of both the outlet thickness and the slope coefficient of the pad were able to improve load bearing capability.
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Foundation item: Supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No.50675162, the Program of Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities under Grant No.B08031 and the Key Project of Hubei Province Science & Technology Fund under Grant No.2008CAD027.
Wu Zhu-Xin was born in 1965.He is an associate professor at Wuhan University of Technology. His current research interests include marine mechanical engineering and lubrication engineering.
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Wu, Zx., Liu, Zl. Analysis of properties of thrust bearing in ship propulsion system. J. Marine. Sci. Appl. 9, 220–222 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11804-010-9054-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11804-010-9054-4