Sensitivity Analysis of Minimum Film Thickness on the Controllable Bearing Adjustments of a Multi-Pad Active Fluid Film Bearing Using DOE Technique

Multi-pad actively controlled fluid film bearing is capable of undergoing quasi-static pad displacements for stabilizing the journal’s equilibrium position. The bearing pads can be actively displaced using a mechatronic system from its reference configuration in the radial and tilt directions. Real time positioning of the active pad adjustments can directly modify the fluid film thickness and thereby influence the performance envelope of the bearing. Symmetrical and asymmetrical adjustments configurations of the multiple bearing elements will have varying influences over the minimum film thickness region developed over the bearing pads. In the present study, the sensitivity analysis of the minimum film thickness to the bearing element adjustment is performed using the Design of experiment technique. The greatest influence of the radial adjustments of the bearing element 1 on the minimum film thickness is observed. The influence of the interaction effect of bearing element adjustments on the minimum film thickness is minimum in comparison with the main effect; their significance is eccentricity ratio specific.