Application of topological optimisation methodology to hydrodynamic thrust bearings

The bearing geometry has a big impact on the performance of a hydrodynamic thrust bearing. For this reason, shape optimisation of the bearing surface has been carried out for some time, with Lord Rayleigh's early publication dated back to 1918. There are several recent results e.g. optimal bearing geometries that maximise the load carrying capacity for hydrodynamic thrust bearings. Currently, many engineers are making an effort to include sustainability in their work, which increases the need for bearings with lower friction and higher load carrying capacity. Improving these two qualities will result in lower energy consumption and increase the lifetime of applications, which are outcomes that will contribute to a sustainable future. For this reason, there is a need to find geometries that have performance characteristics of as low coefficient of friction torque as possible. In this work, the topological optimisation method of moving asymptotes is employed to optimise bearing geometries with the objective of minimising the coefficient of friction torque. The results are both optimised bearing geometries that minimise the coefficient of friction torque and bearing geometries that maximise the load carrying capacity. The bearing geometries are of comparable aspect ratios to the ones uses in recent publications. The present article also covers minimisation of friction torque on ring bearing geometries, also known as thrust washers. The results are thrust washers with periodical geometries, where the number of periodical segments has a high impact on the geometrical outcome.

Automated summary

The geometry of hydrodynamic thrust bearings significantly impacts their performance, and optimizing the shape can increase load carrying capacity. Engineers are striving to produce more sustainable bearings, which require meeting the demand for lower friction and higher load capabilities.