Optimization of the double sided spiral groove thrust bearing: A comparison to approximate analytical solutions

Reliable high performance bearings are essential in rotordynamics. As speeds and loads are continuously increased the demands on bearing technology grow simultaneously. Optimization of bearing characteristics becomes more important under these circumstances. For hydrodynamic thrust bearings, recently a special design has been presented, which is supposed to enhance the load carrying capacity by 60% compared to the best known thrust bearing type. The bearing consists of two spiral grooved surfaces and is therefore called a double sided spiral groove bearing. Early calculations of the bearing performance base on approximate analytical methods. In order to verify those results, a detailed numerical model of the bearing is presented by the authors. With the help of a particle swarm optimization method, optimal bearing parameters are determined and a comparison is drawn to other thrust bearing designs. It is shown that previously published results overestimate the performance of the double sided spiral groove bearing severly. (© 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)