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High temperature tests to determine sliding contact effect on hydrodynamic characteristics of tilting pad journal bearings and spiral grooved thrust gas bearings
A parachute swivel mechanism (PSM) for planetary entry missions such as a Mars probe (MARSNET) or return of cometary material samples (ROSETTA mission) has been developed. The purpose of the PSM is to decouple the spin of the probe from the parachute, with low friction torque, during both the deployment and descent phases. Critical requirements are high shock loads, low friction, low temperatures, and several years of storage in the deep space environment (during the cruise phase of the probe, prior to operation). The design uses a main thrust ball bearing to cope with the load requirement and a smaller thrust ball bearing for guiding of the shaft. Except for use on the Viking and Galileo swivels, it appears that this type of bearing has very rarely been employed in space mechanisms, so that little is known of its friction behavior with dry lubrication. A slip ring assembly allows the transfer of electrical power for post-reefing of the parachute. A test program has been conducted covering the environmental conditions of Mars entry and Earth reentry. This paper describes requirement constraints, model missions of planetary entries, a bearing trade-off, analyses performed, design details, the lubrication system, and test results (friction torque versus load/spin rate). In addition, the design of the test rig is addressed.
Two types of rolling-element bearings representing radial loaded and thrust loaded bearings were used for this study. Three hundred forty (340) virtual bearing sets totaling 31400 bearings were randomly assembled and tested by Monte Carlo (random) number generation. The Monte Carlo results were compared with endurance data from 51 bearing sets comprising 5321 bearings. A simple algebraic relation was established for the upper and lower L(sub 10) life limits as function of number of bearings failed for any bearing geometry. There is a fifty percent (50 percent) probability that the resultant bearing life will be less than that calculated. The maximum and minimum variation between the bearing resultant life and the calculated life correlate with the 90-percent confidence limits for a Weibull slope of 1.5. The calculated lives for bearings using a load-life exponent p of 4 for ball bearings and 5 for roller bearings correlated with the Monte Carlo generated bearing lives and the bearing data. STLE life factors for bearing steel and processing provide a reasonable accounting for differences between bearing life data and calculated life. Variations in Weibull slope from the Monte Carlo testing and bearing data correlated. There was excellent agreement between percent of individual components failed from Monte Carlo simulation and that predicted.
It has been estimated that the noise levels in aircraft engine transmissions can be reduced by as much as 10 dB through the use of journal bearings. The potential benefits of lower noise levels include reduced wear, longer gear life and enhanced comfort for passengers and crew. Based on this concept the journal-thrust wave bearing was analyzed and its performance was evaluated. Numerical codes, developed over the past 30 years by Dr. Dimofte, were used to predict the performance of the bearing. The wave bearing is a fluid film bearing and therefore was analyzed using the Reynolds pressure equation. The formulation includes turbulent flow concepts and possesses a viscosity-temperature correction. The centrifugal growth of the bearing diameter and the deformation of the bearing under gear loads were also incorporated into the code. An experimental rig was developed to test the journal-thrust wave bearing.
The performance of 120.65-mm bore tapered roller bearings was investigated at shaft speeds up to 15,000 rpm. Temperature distribution and bearing heat generation were determined as a function of shaft speed, radial and thrust loads, lubricant flow rate, and lubricant inlet temperature. Lubricant was supplied by either jets or by a combination of holes through the cone directly to the cone-rib contact and jets at the roller small-end side. Cone-rib lubrication significantly improved high-speed tapered-roller bearing performance, yielding lower cone-face temperatures and lower power loss and allowing lower lubricant flow rates for a given speed condition. Bearing temperatures increased with increased shaft speed and decreased with increased lubricant flow rate. Bearing power loss increased with increased shaft speed and increased lubricant flow rate.
A thrust roller bearing system comprising an inner rotating member, an outer rotating member and multiple rollers coupling the inner rotating member with outer rotating member. The inner and outer rotating members include thrust lips to enable the rollers to act as thrust rollers. The rollers contact inner and outer rotating members at bearing contact points along a contact line. Consequently, the radial/tilt and thrust forces move synchronously and simultaneously to create a bearing action with no slipping.
Historically, cryogenic pumps used for propellant loading at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and other NASA Centers have a bellows mechanical seal and oil bath ball bearings, both of which can be problematic and require high maintenance. Because of the extremely low temperatures, the mechanical seals are made of special materials and design, have wearing surfaces, are subject to improper installation, and commonly are a potential leak path. The ball bearings are non-precision bearings [ABEC-1 (Annular Bearing Engineering Council)] and are lubricated using LOX compatible oil. This oil is compatible with the propellant to prevent explosions, but does not have good lubricating properties. Due to the poor lubricity, it has been a goal of the KSC cryogenics community for the last 15 years to develop a magnetically coupled pump, which would eliminate these two potential issues. A number of projects have been attempted, but none of the pumps was a success. An off-the-shelf magnetically coupled pump (typically used with corrosive fluids) was procured that has been used for hypergolic service at KSC. The KSC Cryogenics Test Lab (CTL) operated the pump in cryogenic LN2 as received to determine a baseline for modifications required. The pump bushing, bearings, and thrust rings failed, and the pump would not flow liquid (this is a typical failure mode that was experienced in the previous attempts). Using the knowledge gained over the years designing and building cryogenic pumps, the CTL determined alternative materials that would be suitable for use under the pump design conditions. The CTL procured alternative materials for the bearings (bronze, aluminum bronze, and glass filled PTFE) and machined new bearing bushings, sleeves, and thrust rings. The designed clearances among the bushings, sleeves, thrust rings, case, and case cover were altered once again using experience gained from previous cryogenic pump rebuilds and designs. The alternative material parts were assembled into the pump, and the pump was successfully operated meeting all expected operating parameters. Unique pump sub-assembly parts were designed and manufactured by the CTL using specialized materials determined to be superior for cryogenic thermal applications under the pump design conditions. This work is a proof-of-concept/proof-of-operation of the pump only. Other known internal design modifications to the pump should be accomplished for the long-term use of the pump. An upscaled version of this pump, which is under development and testing at the CTL, can be used either for current or future vehicle loading or for vehicle replenishment. Scaling of this pump can be easily accomplished.
Flexible surface thrust and journal foil bearings were fabricated, and their performance was demonstrated, both individually and jointly as a unified rotor support system. Experimental results are documented with graphs and oscilloscopic data of trajectories, waveforms, and scans of amplitude response. At speeds of 40,000 to 45,000 rpm and a mean clearance of the order of 15 to 20 micrometers (600 to 800 micrometers, the resilient, air lubricated, spiral groove thrust bearings support a load of 127 N (29 lb; 13 kgf), equivalent to 3.0 N/sq cm (4.5 lb/sq in 0.31 kgf sq cm). Journal bearings with polygonal sections provided stable and highly damped supports at speeds up to 50,000 rpm.
The motion of the ball and sliding friction in an arched outer race ball bearing under thrust loads is determined. Fatigue life evaluations were made. The analysis is applied to a 150 millimeter bore ball bearing. The results indicated that for high speed-light load applications the arched bearing has significant improvement in fatigue life over that of a conventional bearing. An arching of 0.254 mm (0.01 in.) was found to be an optimal. For an arched bearing it was also found that a considerable amount of spinning occurs at the outer race contacts.
The motion of the ball and sliding friction in an arched outer-race ball bearing under thrust load is determined. Fatigue life evaluations were made. The analysis is applied to a 150 millimeter bore ball bearing. The results indicated that for high speed-light load applications the arched bearing has significant improvement in fatigue life over that of a conventional bearing. An arching of 0.254 mm (0.01 in.) was found to be an optimal. For an arched bearing it was also found that a considerable amount of spinning occurs at the outer race contacts.
The motion of the ball and sliding friction in an arched outer-race ball bearing under thrust load is analyzed. Fatigue life evaluations were made. The analysis is applied to a 150-millimeter-bore ball bearing. The results indicated that for high-speed light-load applications the arched bearing has significant improvement in fatigue life over that of a conventional bearing. An arching of 0.254 mm (0.01 in.) was found to be optimal. Also, for an arched bearing a considerable amount of spinning occurs at the outer-race contacts.
At one time, solid lubricants were used almost entirely in aerospace applications. Today there is a pronounced trend to use them over a much broader range of applications. For example, self-lubricating polymer-based composites have displaced traditional oil-lubricated, metallic composites for many journal bearings and thrust, washers in applications as diverse as earthmoving machinery and snow blowers to aircraft applications. For moderate temperatures below 200° C, glass filament-wound epoxy bearings with PTFE lubricating liners are useful; for temperatures up to 350° C, graphite fiber reinforced polyimide bearing materials are finding applications. Molybdenum disulfide, graphite, and PTFE are the most widely known and used solid lubricants, and there is increasing interest in the relatively new solid lubricant graphite fluoride. Advanced technology engines such as the adiabatic diesel and the small, efficient gas turbine have severe lubrication and wear problems at temperatures beyond the capabilities of any of these lubricants. Here, self-lubricating ceramics and inorganic composites for use at I000° C or higher are of interest. However, perhaps the most significant new direction for solid lubricant coatings and self-lubricating composites is their steadily increasing use in dry bearings for large volume, moderate temperature applications. This can be attributed to their simplicity of use (no supporting lubricant system needed), light weight, convenience, and general cost effectiveness.
Elastohydrodynamic film thicknesses and asperity contact-time fractions were measured for a 20 mm bore ball bearing by using the capacitance and conductance techniques. The bearing was thrust loaded to 90, 445, and 778 N. The corresponding maximum stresses on the inner race were 1.28, 2.09, and 2.45 GPa. The test speed ranged from 400 to 15,000 rpm. The test bearing was mist lubricated with a MIL-L-23699A turbine oil. The temperature was 27 C. The experimental results were correlated to give the percent film (no-contact-time fraction) as a function of measured film thickness. Measurements were made for three test series that represented the test bearing in various conditions of run-in. The measurements show that the percent film changes with bearing run-in time. The experimental results agreed well with theoretical predictions based on surface trace analysis for a new bearing. For the run-in state, they agreed with previously reported experimental results. The results show that asperity contact existed at a film thickness-roughness ratio lambda of 6.0 or less for a new bearing. After run-in, no asperity contact occurred at a lambda of 3.5 or greater.
Elastohydrodynamic film thickness was measured for a 20 mm ball bearing using the capacitance technique. The bearing was thrust loaded to 90, 448, and 778 N. The corresponding maximum stresses on the inner race were 1.28, 2.09, and 2.45 GPa. Test speeds ranged from 400 to 14,000 rpm. Film thickness measurements were taken with four different lubricants: (1) synthetic paraffinic; (2) synthetic paraffinic with additives; (3) neopentylpolyol (tetra) ester; and (4) synthetic cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon traction fluid. The test bearing was mist lubricated. Test temperatures were 300, 338, and 393 K. The measured results were compared to theoretical predictions and are presented.
Elastohydrodynamic film thickness was measured for a 20-mm ball bearing using the capacitance technique. The bearing was thrust loaded to 90, 448, and 778 N. The corresponding maximum stresses on the inner race were 1.28, 2.09, and 2.45 GPa. Test speeds ranged from 400 to 14,000 rpm. Film thickness measurements were taken with four different lubricants: (a) synthetic paraffinic, (b) synthetic paraffinic with additives, (c) neopentylpolyol (tetra) ester meeting MIL-L-23699A specifications, and (d) synthetic cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon traction fluid. The test bearing was mist lubricated. Test temperatures were 300, 338, and 393 K. The measured results were compared to theoretical predictions using the formulas of Grubin, Archard and Cowking, Dowson and Higginson, and Hamrock and Dowson. There was good agreement with theory at low dimensionless speed, but the film was much smaller than theory predicts at higher speeds. This was due to kinematic starvation and inlet shear heating effects.
Elastohydrodynamic film thicknesses were measured for a 20-mm bore ball bearing using the capacitance technique. The bearing was thrust loaded to 90, 445, and 778 N (20, 100, and 175 lb). The corresponding maximum contact stress on the inner race was 1.28, 2.09, and 2.45 GPa (185 000, 303,000, and 356, 000 psi). Test speeds ranged from 400 to 15,000 rpm. Measurements were taken with four different lubricants: (1) synthetic paraffinic; (2) synthetic paraffinic with additives; (3) synthetic type II aircraft oil; and (4) synthetic cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon traction fluid. The test bearing was mist lubricated. Test temperatures were 27, 65, and 121 C (80, 150, and 250 F). The measured results for the various test parameters were compared to theoretical predictions from computer programs. Also the data were plotted on dimensionless coordinates and compared to several classical isothermal theories.
MagBear12 is a computer code that assists in the design of radial, heteropolar active magnetic bearings (AMBs). MagBear12 was developed to help in designing the system described in "Advanced Active-Magnetic-Bearing Thrust-Measurement System". Beyond this initial application, MagBear12 is expected to be useful for designing AMBs for a variety of rotating machinery. This program incorporates design rules and governing equations that are also implemented in other, proprietary design software used by AMB manufacturers. In addition, this program incorporates an advanced unpublished fringing-magnetic-field model that increases accuracy beyond that offered by the other AMB-design software.
Test evaluation of high temperature greases and solid lubricants in thrust loaded ball bearings