AXIAL SLIDING BEARING

Abstract

The invention relates to plain thrust bearings, wherein one working surface of which is made of siliconized graphite (or other antifriction material with similar characteristics) and can be used in assemblies of electrical machines and hydraulic machines having thrust bearings of a large size (with a diameter up to 900 mm), preferably electric motors driving a main circulation pump assembly (MCPA) of reactor assemblies, for example, in nuclear power plants. The plain thrust bearing comprises interleaving bearing bands and slots on the side facing to a set of sector. The bearing disk is provided with mounting surfaces, wherein external and internal rings securing the sectors made of antifriction material through elastic elements are mounted on the mounting surfaces. The sectors are fixed to deter them from rotation relative the bearing ring by intermediate bars arranged between the sectors, wherein the bars are fixed by inserting their pins into the openings in the bearing disk. The sectors made of antifriction material are provided with steps for the external and internal rings, wherein upper parts of the sectors are provided with roundings and lower parts of the sectors are provided with slots for mutual axial fixation. A sector's lead-in edge is shaped approximately as a parabolic curve. Cooling and lubricating is carried out through interleaving channels formed by the bars, the sectors, the external and the internal rings.

Claims

1. A plain thrust bearing comprising: a body and a shaft provided with a flange, a bearing disk having circumferential projections is mounted on a bearing surface of the flange and self-aligning sliders are mounted between the body and the bearing disk in contact with the bearing disk by their working surfaces, wherein the self-aligning sliders are provided with antifriction plates, wherein the circumferential projections are made on the bearing surface of the bearing disk, antifriction segments mounted on the working surface of the bearing disk, wherein the bearing disk is provided with interleaving bearing bands and slots on a side facing to a set of sectors, wherein the bearing disk is provided with mounting surfaces along its internal and external diameters, wherein external and internal rings securing the sectors made of antifriction material through elastic elements are mounted on the mounting surfaces, the sectors are fixed to deter them from rotation in relation to the bearing ring by intermediate bars arranged between the sectors, wherein the bars are fixed by inserting their pins into the openings in the bearing disk, wherein the sectors made of antifriction material are provided with steps for the external and internal rings, wherein upper parts of the sectors are provided with roundings and lower parts of the sectors are provided with slots for mutual axial fixation, wherein a sector's lead-in edge is shaped approximately as a parabolic curve, wherein interleaving channels for cooling and lubricating are formed by the bars, the sectors, the external and the internal rings.

2. The plain thrust bearing according to claim 1, wherein the plate is secured to the collar by bolts or screws lockable to deter from self-unbolting in an intermediate space between the bearing bands.

3. The plain thrust bearing according to claim 1, wherein the sectors are made of siliconized graphite or silicon carbide.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Features, aspects and advantages are described below with reference to the drawings, which are intended to illustrate but not to limit the invention. The claimed invention in particular embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 1-8.

[0032] FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of a plain thrust bearing.

[0033] FIG. 2 depicts a plate of the plain thrust bearing (a general view).

[0034] FIG. 3 depicts channels of the plate (view B of FIG. 2).

[0035] FIG. 4 depicts the plate (a cross-sectional view taken along A-A of FIG. 2).

[0036] FIG. 5 depicts a plate sector (a general view).

[0037] FIG. 6 depicts the plate sector (a side view of FIG. 5).

[0038] FIG. 7 depicts a plate bar (a general view).

[0039] FIG. 8 depicts the plate bar (view C of FIG. 7).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0040] The plain thrust bearing of large size is embodied in a body (not shown) and is mounted on a collar of a shaft. The bearing is provided with the collar 26 moving between two sets of sliders and provided with Kingsbury's leveling lever system placed between the body and the bearing disk 1 (FIG. 4) and the plates 27 mounted on the collar (see FIG. 1). The plate 27 (FIG. 2) includes the bearing disk 1 (FIG. 4) embodied as a ring having a mounting surface along an internal diameter.

[0041] The bearing disk 1 has a surface comprising interleaving slots 2 and bearing bands 3 ensuring bearing conditions required by siliconized graphite strength conditions and, at the same time, providing with minimal area size for treatment of the mutual adjoining surface on the side facing to a set of sectors (FIG. 4).

[0042] The bearing disk 1 is provided with two bearing bands 4 (FIG. 4) on the side facing to the collar 26. The bearing bands are arranged in a zone situated closely to an equilibrium center of internal and external surfaces of the sectors made of siliconized graphite in order to reduce risk to damage the sectors and to reduce transfer of bending deformations and thermal deformations to the sectors from the collar during working functioning.

[0043] Circular grooves (steps) 5, 6 coaxial to the mounting surface of the bearing disk are made along internal and external diameters of the bearing disk 1 (FIG. 4) on the side facing to the sectors in order to center corresponding external and internal rings 7, 8. The set of the sectors 9 (FIGS. 2 and 4) made of siliconized graphite and geometrically shaped as sectors provided with working contact surfaces is mounted on the upper bearing surface of the bearing ring 1. Use of the set of the sector made of siliconized graphite ensures improvement of manufacturability of the plate of the collar for large-sized plain thrust bearing and increase of reliability and repairability during exploitation.

[0044] To prevent hydrodynamic disturbances, the lead-in edge 10 (FIGS. 2 and 5) of the sector 9 is deflected from the radial direction to the direction of rotation on the area of the sector with the bigger diameter. To ensure smooth change of direction of cooling and lubricating water flow from circumferential to radial one and vice versa in slots near inlets and outlets between the sectors, the lead-in edge 10 of the sector is shaped approximately as a parabolic curve (FIG. 3) and corresponding radial roundings 11, 12, 13, 14 (FIG. 5) are made along external and internal contour. Due to use of water as the cooling and lubricating fluid fire safety is ensured.

[0045] The sectors 9 are fixed to deter from rotation along the bearing disk 1 during working functioning with use of side surfaces of (intermediate) bars 15 (FIGS. 4 and 7). When the bar is being mounted, the pin 16 is inserted into the opening 17 in the bearing disk and stoppers 18 (FIG. 8) are inserted into the slots 19 (FIG. 6) of the sectors. This provides mutual axial fixation.

[0046] The sectors 9 are mounted along the bearing disk 1 (FIG. 4) by the external 7 and the internal 8 rings and elastic elements 20 and 21 (FIG. 4).

[0047] The sectors 9 are additionally fixed to deter from rotation along the bearing disk 1 by stopping (wedging) the sectors in relation to the external 7 and the internal 8 rings.

[0048] The fixing external 7 and internal 8 rings are secured to the disk by, particularly, the bolts 22 and the screws 23 (FIG. 4) and the stopping washers 24 and 25 (FIG. 4).

[0049] The plate 27 of the plain thrust bearing is secured to the collar 26 in the space between the bearing bands 4 (in particular case, by bolts or screws provided with stoppers deterring them from self-unbolting).

[0050] The plate is assembled by arranging the bars 15 on the bearing disk 1 and following arranging the sectors 9, the elastic elements 20, 21 and the fixing external 7 and internal 8 rings, and then they are secured to the bearing disk.

[0051] Each of the foregoing and various aspects, together with those set forth in the claims and described in connection with the embodiments of the bearing summarized above or otherwise disclosed herein including the drawings may be combined as claim limitations for a device, apparatus, system, method of manufacture, and/or use.

[0052] Although the various inventive aspects are herein disclosed in the context of certain preferred embodiments, implementations, and examples, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses of the invention and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. In addition, while a number of variations of the various aspects have been shown and described in detail, other modifications, which are within their scope will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art based upon this disclosure. It should be also understood that the scope this disclosure includes the various combinations or sub-combinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, such that the various features, modes of implementation, and aspects of the disclosed subject matter may be combined with or substituted for one another. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the present invention herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments or implementations described above.