BEARING STRUCTURE FOR LARGE ROTATING SHAFT AND IN PARTICULAR TO SELF-ALIGNING JOURNAL-THURST BEARING AND BEARING SUPPORT

摘要

In large turbine machines, it is critical to bearing performance that the turbine rotor remain aligned with the bearing surfaces. Misalignment can occur due to high thrust loads or thermal deformation. The object of the invention is to ensure correct rotor-bearing alignment under all operating conditions. The invention is a self-aligning bearing support structure capable of accommodating angular rotor misalignments. The bearing support structure includes a bearing casing which transfers axial loads or thrusts to the bearing standard through a yoke attached to the bearing casing and to the bearing standard by pairs of axially oriented flex struts. In combination with the axially oriented flex struts a transverse flex plate supports the bearing vertical load.