Topology Optimization of the Misaligned Water-Lubricated Thrust Bearings

Misalignment results in uneven force on the contact surface, which not only increases friction loss but also shortens the bearing's service life, especially for water-lubricated bearings. In this study, an advanced approach is investigated to optimize the performance of the water-lubricated thrust bearings, in which the surface textures are introduced and optimized using topological optimization. By this approach, the influence of speed, misalignment angle, surface roughness, and lubrication state can be analyzed. The results demonstrate that with the increase in speed and the decrease in film thickness ratio, the topological texture's shape becomes increasingly slender. Additionally, the increase in misalignment angle results in a simpler texture. When the film thickness ratio remains unchanged, a decrease in surface roughness leads to a greater number of texture branches, resulting in a finer texture overall. When compared to the thrust bearing with the groove type texture, the thrust bearing with the optimized texture was found to have a higher load-carrying capacity, in some cases up to six times higher. The proposed approach offers valuable insights and directions for further research focused on enhancing the efficiency of texture optimization.