Research on the Performance of Multi-Pad Journal Bearing Considering Journal Misalignment

Targeted to a fixed multi-pad journal bearing in the wind turbine (WT) main shaft, this paper establishes a numerical model using the dimensionless steady-state Reynolds equation on account of journal misalignment, in which the Reynolds equation is discretized utilizing the finite difference method and solved using the ultra-relaxation iterative method. Considering that the WT is usually subjected to a large vertical load during operation, this will lead to a large misalignment angle, which has a non-negligible impact on the performance of the journal bearing. Consequently, an analysis was conducted on the variations in oil film pressure distribution on each bearing pad and the associated changes in bearing capacity under diverse misalignment angles. Simultaneously, the influence of different pad arrangement modes is also taken into account, and the load-bearing performance of sliding bearings under different bearing arrangement modes is analyzed. The results show that only specific pads generate fluid dynamic pressure. Furthermore, the performance of the bearing is significantly affected by both journal misalignment and pad arrangement, even when eccentricity remains constant.