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G-E THRUST BEARINGS

G-E THRUST BEARINGS

.>:

GENERAL ~ ELECTRIC
SCHENECTADY. N.Y.

GEA-22 51

I
FOREWORD
ELECTRIC thrust bearin1:5 are t he simplest and most ,cliable
G ENElc'\L
on the Tll<'l1'ket today . They me r eadily applicable t hroughouL th" entire
range in size and speed of vertical machines. T hey are inherently accessible,
require no adjustment during ;~ssembly. or scraping t o fit the surf<~ccs under load.
and are automatically scl-aligning to equalize the pressure distribution over the
whole smiacc.
This bulletin, which <lescribes the General Electric thmsi ooaring, inclu<les an
explanation of the function that each part exercises in operation. The mo1e
important oper;~ting chnraetcristic.s arc discussed and a description of various forms
of application for different types of machine con~tructions is included, together with
a list of many of ih t: importa nt hydroelectric units equipped with these bcaring8.

C-E THRUST BEARINCS

T
the

HE General Electric thru<t hcari ng consists of a


R"r00\'ed1 rotating, s-teel plate. rigidly fastened to
eh~it by means of a thrust block, and a f(rooved,
el"cion;ny, babbittecl plate. The latter has some
flexibili ty ~\nd is supported hy n ln.rgc number of
J)r~compressed springs. During: operation. :t fil m
of o il is maintained bct\YCCn the rotating and
stationary plates. This film is thick enough to
prevent metallic contact of the surfaces, and
n..o.sults in ope:ation with a lo\\~ coefficient of
fric1..ion. It is not sensitive to ch:"ulgcs oi speed or
loading, nor is it so delicntc t hat a smalJ amount
of sludge or small particle< wi ll disntpt it. When
rot.ation is s tarted, the fil m fonns by the time hal
of t..lw distance between the $:rOovcs is t raversed .
bf::c.:nuse both t he st.at io nttry :ll'ld the rotating
grooves nre chamfered to d itCCl the o il between
lhe surfaces. The st.-'ltionnry plate :tnd it..c.;. spring
su pport are so proportioned that, as the oil film
begins to for:n, the ftcxibilitr of tne structure
inli'urc,; its a.s:,-uming a position which \\~ill produre

$:ttl pumps. create a profuse now of oil t.0 remove

the hea t fr om the bearing sutiftCc. The operation


of the General Electric t.ltru<t bc"rlng <lepentls
upon the comhin~d effects of l.hc groov~d rotating
and slationary plate:< ancl of ~he llexible support.
't'hc paragraphs following describe Lheir functions
a nd present a clear picture or their performance.

RUNNER GROOVES .-'ioo;A thrust bearing, cunsioting of a solidly supported, plain. stationary pJntr :i.ncJ a rotating

the moot cffe<:tiYc shape of film.


The hc.:l t generated in the bearing is carried
n.wny hy the oiJ. The grouvcs in t he ::;t.ationary
plate J)I'OVidc one somce- o( cool oil for lu bricatio n,
:~ nd t he grooves itt tht tunncr provide a nother.
rn ndcl itiott, c.he runner grooves, acting a!; ccntrifu-

1'11/Ji<ef ICI,.{It:

Uii iJi(

nmn.:t

bl!ar(rJfl , 6hQwing g t OOil.C$ in

()ltd fllllhJI'ItJtjl tte~u

---,

Il

G-E THRUST BEA RI NGS

plo.tc. having mdial oil gooves wlth ample chamfers


at the leading edge of the sec~ors. will support a
load. 1'his f:~ct was demonstrated an:>lytically
ahoul. t.hlrty rears ago, and many such bearings
arc in operation today. lu : :.u ch beari ngs, the o il
grooves p1ovidc an entrance fo r cool oil to ~cp:trnlc
the t.wo rubhing sur(aces. A pressure is bui lt up by
the chn micr to rorm a. film capable o f SUPJlOI'ting
lil'nlwd :unount~ of load, 'vith pcrlH\ps high fl'ic
tiona! loss. T he shorter t he length of t he scgmc1Hs.
t he more cffc<:tive is the establishing nnd m nin tc:nancc o f t he film. Also, witflio limits, t he g1rntcr
t:.hc cm.c-ring ch a mfe r , t..hc bcl.kr t.h c r1mlling
pcr formuncc, :tl though too c x tTcrnc v:llucs rnny be
dc~rimcnt.nl, hot.h at starting and while running.
llcsidl'S iorming :m entrance for fresh oil tQ the
following film. the J..r-rooves act as scavengers to

t:oke avny part of ~he bo~ oil (rom the preceding


filrn. As n :-t-sult of ccntriugal iorce. the oil in the
center of the radial groo,cs has a rcltn.ivcly high
radial velocity. This tends to scru h the hot oil
o iT the stntionary plate h ml [o rec it ou t in to t he o il
reservoir. Just in fro n t of t.hc chatllfCI'. t he oil
piles ur>as a rcsu ll o f the tangcnti:d velocity htad
and, ft.l1.hough i t also has a radial vclocil.y, l.lu:
rC~uJ t(Hll. flCtiOn is to provide (t COrlSt Hn t.. SOUI'CU O(
fmsh oil fot the film . The sc<tven~in g cfrc<:t ot' the
uil j!I'OOvc.s h~lS been observed on gkL.~s model:-; to
be bctwlC.:n Itt and 25 per cent of the oil in tlw fihtt.

STA TIO NA RY G ROOVES


\Vi~h the exception oi the p u mping by c.cna
trifug31

fo~ .

._, bc.."lring consisting of a

w~.- $IIOW~It9 <O"$/ru<li<m of

nmmt r,

ft <xibl~

p/<Jl!l, and

s~tinv

s tctiorunv
support

grOO\'l'fl

st.'ltionary plate and a plain runner :'clS in the


s.:unc way as one with a groo,cd nmner :md a plain
stationary plate. There is sim)lly less oil flow,
with less renewal oi oil; consequently, !!.1.1ch a l.>e:.ring
is ~u itable only for lO\\.,.Cr operating limil.s or raclors
of safety.
There is~ however~ a very i uq)01'l.fUl t p rotective
function of the st<l tio nn ry grooves. (f tho oil is
dirty or sludgy_
. or the bcarin~ ))ta rts to wipe, the
runner '"ill carry the foreign bod ies unlil n station~
nry groove is rco.chPd. T hey will then he dr:llOsitcd~
unless l hey :~rc too ktrgc, and l.hc ht..m ring will be
protected. to q uite a n extent., irt) fll fn ilurc. I t is
C'vidcnt th~t the closer l.hcsc ~~QI'wcs nrc placed,
without im1>..~iring other opcr:tt.in~ ch:,rnctc-ri!'ticsJ
the g.-eater the protec1ion this will nfTo1d.
The stationary plate has a radial s.>w cul ~bruugh
it to :woid any possibility of di~hing of the plate
by temperature efkets which would distort lhc
othcn\'iSC: unifor m loadin~ o the bcnring. [n SOrll('
cases, t he stationa ry plate and the rotatin~: plate
ar..:: c u t into t wo or nH)rC scclors lU fncilit~lt(
handling.

FLEXIBLE SUPPORT
The fu nction of the flcxiblu pi:Hc tm rl &priug
suppor t is to pc rml t the forrnntion of nn :l ltrrnatcly
ronvcrging and dlv~rging oil Jilm. By this means,
t ht: J)Crfo n nancc becomes far ~upt.:rior to that
obtained wit b a solid SUe,PDil ancJ m:ly be superior
to that o( pivoted scgrncnt I'JC?"tiinw-.. J'n bearings
of the two last-named type, the oil film must be

G-E TH RUST BEAR INGS


simply converging, si~cc the segments must. hnvc
suffieicn~ rigidiLy for the effective point .-upporl.
In the General Electric bcari!!g, the plate can :md
docs assume the most C<.::rlc:cni. for1n w}ich t.ht
oiJ.film conditions, side leakage cfic.-cts. amJ chang~
in vif;C()S1\.y through the fihn tend to pruUucl!.
When C-E lhmst bearings were firsL <Jcvclopcd .
the spri.l\~8 wc.rc free, \\'ith only the CU1111J1'(::Ssio n

or light lo.ding, is the stiffness of the 11latc itself,


resulting in a regular deformation 88 determined by
t..he film requirements. lf. for any reason, the lineup of the unit become~ impc:tfccl.. t.hc flexible suppon. will .autorn~ltically and continmtlly deflect to
equali7.e effe-ct-i vely the p rcs!;u n: dh;trilJution o\'er
the enti1'c bea ring.

re s ul ting f.ro m t he e ffective londing . .:\ s \::ltl itJrove-

mcnt in their design to coun teract the accondary


effects n.ssocittled with ~;o mc hydra u.l.ic cond il..io ns
of w:ttctwh<cls, each individual spring is now
pr(~comprcsscd a.ccord ing to its !H'oporl..iun of t..l1c
to tal loncl fo r whie h the hear i ng is dcsig nuc.l.
T heorctic.'\lly, a prccomprcsscd spri ng will not
deflect until the loadinl( a ttains tha t of the prccompn.-ssion . However, me..'l.surementsshow that. where
the precompression is obtained by means of a screw
in " t.ppcd washer, as illus~rated at the right, the
desirable ch:uneter istic of small amplitudes ol motion w ith ~rna11 variations in loading is obtained.
'This g ives t he 3Ssembly sufficient fic xibility so t.lmt
the pl'inciptl l force which re!'ists deformation of the
pla te . even un(Jcr adverse conditi o n~ oi nonuniforru

lmlhJidti<ll Pr iJtfl, :JIIo11dng method Qj


pr~romf,rt>#lkm

OPERATING CHARACTERISTICS
LOSSES
In c lcct.ric machi nes, b<'::t.r1n,g losse s ure rel.ntivcly

u.uimportanl, as far as machine efiiciencics a:c


conccnlcd, bccnuse of their S1nall magnitude in
comparison wit.h other losses. ConS(.~uently, th<m;.-tiu p1U"JJOSO of having accurate data on )os,<:C's is
associatc<l prim~rily with methods o! cooling or
ot.J~,V'ise di.~~ipt ing bearing losses without CXCCl'
sive lcmpcrntnre rises.
T he t.cehnical prC$iS is reple te w ith articles discussin~ c:wc ful mcasttrcnleuts and mcthocl~ oi
o1JSC;1rvat.ion 1:0 d ctcl'mlnc the losses a ccu1a.t c ly.
Thc~c lll' l..iclt'S (l i'C

significant

ill

t heir lack or uni..

futmi ty i n I'QSu l ts, simply because so mn n y w irlcly

varia iJlo fnctOI'S, StiCh as tem pera tu re, v iscosit y ,


tempc rut ui'C effects oi oil, fi nishes, a ncl lo~.. dinJ.{
oonditlons, :.l ll en ter inLo the d etermi nation . lv :my

nolhing ot' t he difficullie.s of segregating Lhrusl


be.arin~ rom guide bearing. o r other cv<:n more
im~-XJrtant, losses.
Field tests on C'Omplcted ut:it!: give fair acr-ur:-tC)'

'vhcn: ctJoling coils al'c ulilized (ox removing bearing


los.es, a nd the fl9w and c:.'if-!)l!mturc rise of wa ter
cnn be very accurat-ely dclttrmiued. nlthough losses
of heat hy direct radiation and conduction are
quite uncert-ain qu,w~itic>s. Where a guide bearing
has the oil bath common with the thrust bearing,
no satisfacwry mctlao<.l of segregation is available.
Numerous laboratory rests have bocn made t.o
dct.clrnlnc, as accura tely as possible, los.'ies on
va l'imts types o( l.h ntst bearings. O nly minor
d ili"crcncc.o; a re di~ccrnib1e, a nd t hey a re o f less
8lgniiicancc t han varitttions accon"'po.l\yin~ rnng~.s
in Jo:tding Wmperatures, a nd v iSCOkity duri n~~
OlJerat.ion .
Gl!neral E 1ectric t hru..')t bcari ngs tt..rc designed fo r
loadings oi approximately 400 lb per sq in. With
Lhis loading. the film thickness is ns huge, a nd the
coefficient o{ fr iction as small, as can be obta ined
wit.h a r:.ctor o{ saiety which will pro,idc or usu~l
operating contingencies.

G - E THR US T BEARINGS

WEAR AND NOISE AT STARTIN G


S uch progn.->.Ss ha.."' bccrl mttde in thn1stbe:tring
dcslgn and m anufac ture that a thntSt bearing is

o ne o ( t ho parls o f u rna.chi n<: whic.h 1'\:quirc.s Lh<'


Jcust attentio n during normal operation. T hen is
practiec1.1ly no wear, with t.hc: possible exception
of Uu:ti \vhlch may tlccur a i the instant. of starting
:mLl bcforo t he oil f'lm is (ol'lltcd. The wt;:u u nd er
these conditions i~ s111:1H, for one rt'..."lso n, because
o( t.hc inherent characteristic oil has or depositing
a ~l'<.:o-ISY res idue on t he surfccs, which r~.~sid uc hos
suflicic.nt st~lbllil.y to pc1sis1.. unti l a compkte ri lm is
Corn}(.."<!. This is evidenced hy the low ccefficiclll..
"i l atic fl'icdon of O.OS to 0. 10 occnsionally obs..:vc:U. Ano lhCl' c.:ason for ~mall wear lies in the
usc o f a bal>bitL \Yith minimun1 dry-wc:r rate rmcJ
minlmum tendency t.o crumble or iail under pounding. lncidcnt..ally, thi ~ bnbb it.t a lso has n ve r y low
c:hcmic.:'l l :-tCLion on <Jil , a J)I'Opcrty dcsil'~lblc since
C.'<ccssive S::li>Onifica 1ion produces c:trly iailun
o r u lubl'icnnt.
l\1any o p...:rat ing comp:..nics ha ,c: noticed . in
Uu.:ir vcrtic:ll uni ts. nft.cr a shul..~own period of anr
ex tent, that there is a distinctly audible noise at the
in:;tnnt o ( :;ton,ing. T his no ise h.as been ,ariou sly
(]{-scribed ns a grunt., Lw.ang , O l' groan . H d oes not
:tppc;.lr LO be pc...-culiar Lo t hn1st bearings of any
part1cu1ar man ufacture. R('c~usc of the apparent
ctr~tt..ic clwn~c.Lc ri st.ic o f the no ise, it hns sometime~
been Cl'fOilCOUSJ y :l.tl ributcd t.o frictional dist.rcss,
OOscn'ations on a number of m;achines show thaL.
<>vcn if the no ise energy produced w('rc o nly one
pe l' cen t of l tl(' tot:ll e nergy involvi.!d, Lhis eucrgy
would he n :ry smnll in comparison with any
tnt:rgy xquired .nt bearing fa.ilure. ny using a
sound -level m<.:tcr, it has been found th~lt Lht'
major pa l't of lbe sound gcnC:I':llly emana tcs f ro rn
>me parl of the smcture which resonates freely,
as, [vr example, a covt'r Ovt!r t.hc top of the o il housin~. The: $lnr t.in g o f rcla lhc motio n hct..wtcn
surf~1<.."<.$ initially aL rest. is an :a lternate change from
static t.o greasy frict.ion a nd then hack \.~ st:ni<',
similar to lhc paSS<Ig~: of a fiug<:r , :tt tht prOJWI'
an~lc. over :1 dull surface. \ Vhcn sufficicnl.. \'elocit.y
is :u..tainc<i between the points of mct::allic contact.
tlw s tatic rriction is climina tcd. Hence, it. may be
Sl'Cil that. Lhc $tarting o f a waw twhccJdrivcn 111lit.
consists of a series of fo1ward jumps and stops until
a n oil film i~ formed o.- for n mininntm distan("(

corresponding to o nch a.lf the d istclnCI! between


bcuring gt'OOves. Duri ng the period o f this jerky
motion. resonating J>arts arc set int.c', v-ibration.
producing the noise.

O IL-FILM THICKNESS A ND STA BILITY


The oil fil m in :t t..hrw;t hruring- is o [ n.n all cl'
nn tcly div<'rging :md conv<-rJ(in~ shnp t; , t he mini.
mum value being o( t.hc order of thousandths of
a n inch, dcpendin~ upc n such f~ctor.r> as load.
sp~:ctl. anfl oil vis<:1$il.y . T he cmvc below shv'v~
lhe variation of minim01n Jilm thickness wlLh
r<'gard t o speed for a particular machine. h is
not s lrictly a fu uct io n of spc('(l, but :tlso invo hr(!g
Lin1c in a 1ath er complicnt.cd Jl)t:l.lllWr, so tha t ,
:..t r..cro ~JX.-"(.."<1, thl' oil film requires time 1.0
become ~t~\hlishcd, or when it. is o nce t-stablisht'(),
t.imc iS requi red fo r it. to v:mi:-;h. It.. l.lwrcforc, has
:m esse ntially st.ablt.~ cha raclcristic- not rcmlily
clcstmctiblc by cfTc<:l.. o f short duration . Bt'Causc
of l.hc n.::-i<lual" o il film at. Z(:rO speed, once even n
v..:ry l(ll'~c 111achlne is st.aru.d I'Otat.in!:. i t <:nn h t1
maint.{tincd in motion by h a nd by on" or two men.

c.l)

Ccm,

,t~...nu

..,.,flott o/ Dll-f;IJft
thoiHI~

-J

I.P~nl

thkh~u

cit.'t

G- E TH RUST BEARING S
Two men can oft,CI\ r cslu1't a large mnchine and keep
it roc.,~ting by hand a(Wr it has bcon st,oppcd fo r an
insl..rmt .
i\n c cdlent illust.r,.Lion of oil-film stbilily at
iow ~pccds wn~ afforded by a sc.ric5 of accidents
which req uired n Gcncru1 Elect t ic bea ring, o f 92-in.
out~ide dia meter wlth H. norma l spcccl of S8 rvm , to
carry the weight of the rotatinx parts (nbout
1,'100.000 lb) fo r more (,han two hou rs aL 2 or a
rpm. Subsequent to this inndvcrtent operat ion, the
botuing stuiuces '''"ere cxnm incd c.:arefully ancl no
distre.c;s whntsocvcr wa.s di...;ccrniblc.

MOTION OF FLEXIBLY SUPPORTED


PLATE DURING OPERATION
The ac<.ion o f the suotio:~ary plate under all
of starting nnd operation has been
rn,l ~thcmati<:::.dly analyzed, a.nd thoroug h s t.ttd ins
by moans o f :m osclllo~raph ha ve Cdmp1ctcly con
linned the results. The oil film iK l hickcst :o~ t he
entering edge, causing a sligh t ri<:J>res~ion of the
plate, which (akes the fo rm of waves or ripples. o~wh
folrowing a. n.ta.ting oil g roove. T htse waves a re
cont.inuous, even over the plate At. the radial saw
cu t.. al:.bough o f somewhat- difft~cnt m agnitude.
The oscillog1'flln Uelo\v shows the motion of the
COJ~dition~

'

flr:xibh; pJate d uring operatiOI'I at norm ~l SJ>eed .


( :--Jot.e: 'l'he sma ll hig h-f,.cqucncy ripples shown
c\rc unfiltered harmonics of the testing circuit, and
are presen t in the rc<..-ord with the machine sl2nd
ing stilL) T he :;prings (or this test 'i.VCrC' prec.o m
prossed to t he equivalent of L!J t..imes t ho tes t load.
Th~ m o1..ion is essentially t he s.nm e wi ~h rree 0 1'
slightly pr~comprcsscd springs.
Of t he 1'tHmy thrus t bearings on the m nrkct, the
Goner::tl Rlcctric bea r ing i:; the only one ":hich auto ..
ma tica ll y relieves the hig11 loCMl press u1~ \vhich
might. occur as a result of inaccuracies of workmanship. :\lg("' 1 it adjusts itself fr.11 m isalignment co nditions which m1gh~ occur in instalkt.tio ns. T he
thrust bluck in t ht bearing (o r which Lcsts arc
shown was 0.0015 in. hig-l:er on one side than on thr
Other . This introduced an irregularity in t he deflecLlon chnr~n~tcristics d uring rotntio11, t h<: plate as ..
suming a posi tio n inclined sligh tly L9 the hori~onta.l
:os seen on the oociiiC)I:Tam. I n spite of the ec<:cntricity, the -.va..vcR :tre esscn(iA.lly equ:l l in a rea
!'rom one position to t he o ther, sho \ving complete,
Qutoma tic equalization of local pn.:ssures.
Oscillogrnms taktn during starting show that
1.he oil film is buil t up by the time a rotor gr oove
has moved the distn nco ot half n. S<:grncnL.

G - E THRUST BEARINGS

TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION
BEARIN G ARRANGEMENT
1. \Vit h the convcn t ionnJ bearing a rrangcmt!nt,
in usc for Ulany years on vcd.ical machines, the
t.hn1st bearing i~ loca.tcrl at t.hc top oi the machine
with u pper and !QWct' guido, or slcady, betlring;s.
This provic.Lcs maximum ben ring acccssibilil)r $incc
~he continuous he:tring plates can he lifted out after
removing exciters or othrr equipmen t mounted
alJo,c t.ho bearing.
In t he s.m;_tHcr sizes the u pper guide bearing is of
the "combined" type acting on the collar of the
l.hrust 1waring. Thh; rcsui Ls in a sol foiling ~uidc
bearing which pumps lts ow n oil. Th~J illustrn1io ns
on l..his J>af!C show t.his type o i constn1ction. In t.hc
illuSll';>li\ln below, tbc o il suprly to the guide IJ<ar
ings is l.hrough ~uit.ablc g rooves in th-.; habbit.t.. The
t.'vo 1Jlust.rulions nt the right show :m a~rangc
mcnt wherein ihc intake is through p:u...c:..1:ges in lhc
Lhtnst collar. These lean to spiral ~;rooves in t.hc
journal ~Ul'(occ. T his construc t io n gives ver y posit ivc action at !ow shalL speeds. \Vit.h either arrangement., the lowe r 1-:uidc bc:1ring is scp:uately Oill><l.
usuaJiy by mc('l ns o [ tl geared pu m p.
ln lnrg..,r s izes. whtrc ,:u l i:d-~rrn upJxr brackets
on: n:-quirl---d in ord<.:r to support the." ,ery lwa,y
loo.ldS c ucourlt<'J'Cd, iL is pr<:fcrabl<.: to em ploy a

Stiolf41 fli.r.w of co'"W""" up''" tv/4.0Jtd UttuJI b"tilt~

j.;tpanH (' uppe r j..'l.1iclc bea.rin!{. loca t e-d a t. Lbc ctu(cl'


o( tl1e radinl :~.nns, while t.hc thrust be:~.ring is
located in a s hr~llow bOliSiug abovC' t.hc bl'rckct.
The illusl.ratiorl on page f) j.;]~ows a s<:ction:-d view
of such a machine. The gcnc.~rntor has a unit oiling
system. Oil is supplied to both guide bearings by
:1 pu mp gt>a rcd t.o Lhc genc:mto r ~hnrt..
The ~uide bearings are (urnjshcd in Lwo or more
sections when nrxc~rirr A-sscmhly. The eomhinetl bcurings may be removed by 1aising them ou t
o f their $C'tlls. removing t~ht-; joint holts . a nd wi t h
drawins: ~he segments bori?.ontally . Af~er rcmovui o f
t.hc oil pnns. the !'Cparat~ l,'1.tidcs cau be lowered,
:Jplit, and c:1 rricd o ut horizontally without disLmbing oLh<r parts of lhe unit.
2. In recent years. a num~r of nHtchinc.."S of
t.hc o\c rhung t.ypc have hc."{\n b tUit. c hiefly t o pcr

G-E THRU ST BEARINGS

10

G - E THR UST BEAR ING S

~,

\);; I

,
I

'

. I
- !

~~

II

'"

''

'

G- E THRUS T BE ARI NGS


m it a saving in st.ntio n hco.:.~droonL I n these mac hines, the t h rus t heA ring .:.:tnd a K'tid c l.>enring are
placed immedia tely below t he r~)tor, and the u pper
Ji::uidc bea.ring i1: mnitL<.d. Alit~nnH..nt, therefore .
depends upon both gCilei"Ator ~\tide and waterwheel
guide be-.uings.

Some cha.ract<:risl.ics of t.1:is type o( con~t1'\tct.ion

arc as Io11ows:
a . It is lim ltod to mod e rate or low spccd.s.
b. Station hcadrnom may h0 lowc1 i( genera tor
lift is limi ti ng f(;aturc .
c. 'f'he generator price: is ~ligh tl y lower.
d. Stator and rotor arc mere acc~ihlc.
c. Location of the thrust bearing below tlte
ro tor invol \'<'~ io\pccial 'prob:em~ in p rov1diug
for accessibility of the thrust hC1<11'ing, p;_;,rticularly in Hmull machines. [n l.hrt l;~ rgc1
sizes, the bcurings can usually ho maflc
li.COO~siblu w it hou t di:;turbing t.ho rnajor
1>art.s.
f. The oiling system is somewhat simplified.
g. ~erators of this type cannot be tested in
th e field with the water wheel di.<eo nncctcd.
h. The ,gc.n<t'O.lOr in here n tly has less mecha nical
st:tbility d\\ring l.ransien t el4!Ctric O J' hydm ulic

clist\\rbances.
\~' here an a.pprccinblc sa ving in stn1.i011 COSl can
be made by t h<- reduction in hca drocm, and where

11

t ho s peed is suit ?.bl<:, th i$ r.ons(.ruction is just.1G,1b lc.


Other udvantag<~-- n rc . in w.~ncral, o f a minor ll~I Cltl'\~.
Eit her u. combined guirl c t\ nd lhrust bcad11{(, or
scpannc guide and thrusl. bearings , ca n be used.
dcp<:nding on size a nd o ther characteristics.
The illustrations on this and the page opposite
show il -J 7,000k,a unit employing a combined
guide oud thru:;t bearing-. 'l'he housing is integra!
whh t he brack et . T he,: thrust-bearing pJates arc
in ha lves and can b.;: t~d<'.:ll ou t sidewise through
t he covcrod open ings. T he guid e bearing is ra ised
out o ( it.s scat by hJd ra u lic jack s, t he halves arc
unbolted, and m oved o u l on c:trriages running on
the wp of the main girden;.
3. "'lore recent1y, in order to obtain grc.."'lC:T
mcciHlnic:al stabiHty thn n ca.n be had with the
ovcrhtm g constntction, n. t.hird type o l mnchinc

hns hccn devised. This consis ts o( a ben ring


similar to th<: ovcl'fltulg, ex<.:t:pt thnt
:m uppe r ~ltide be~lring i!ii e mployed. Tht! sa.vh'lg
in hc:.clroom over the conventional machine with
a thrust hearing above and two guide bearings is
almos~ :B gT("<lt as can be realized wi\b \be overhung
~H-r:tngcmcn l.

unit.; y(t. it has the inherent mcchani<.:a1 stability


or the c:onvc:ntional mu<.:hin c nncf Ca ll be test;Cd
ind(twndcntly of the wutcrwhce1.
T hi$: type oi nwchinc is fi nd ing inc reasing
acci.ptflllC<". particula r ly in importa.rn slut.ions
whtr< c:ontlnuity o ( 01:><:rnlion ls paramO\Wl.

12

G-E THRU ST BE AR I NGS

It is rcn lizc.:d that t his typ t} has no ad va nt..tgc~


over the co nv~n\.lona.l ar,rngemcnl unless the

bear ing f~nd operates in Lhc same o il hrt t h. Th0


u p pc.r j.t\tid c: bea1ing b t\S its own scliconta inccl

K:duood headroom c.an be conv<rlec.J into a s.."tving

oiling sys1.(m, \vhich c m 1>loys a gea rOO oil pum p.

in station cosl or unless an outdoor or semioutdoor

T he illustration on page 13 shows the same


bearing :u-rangcment, except tha t th~ u J)p<.:r guide
b~a.ring i:O:. I11::ule ~cl f-Oilcd Without the USC Of N p u.mp ,
by lllCflOi; o f a ~leevc o n t he ~haft. 'l'hc. u:;c o f a
se pa n tt c.: hase o r sup port {o1 t he thnHst bt!R.r ing
penn i ts 1 he coupling to pass through lhc bracket.,
an6 allows the thrust collar to be :ISSCil'lbk:d permanently on t he sbait in t he facto ry .

inst..:'l.llation ls CQnlempl:t tc<l. In Lhe latter ct\SC.


t hC1'C are somu ndvanla gc~s in tw.v ing Lhc t hru s t
b<.:a r ing loent(!d be.neath the tntor so th~tt bca1'ing
disassembly crm be carried nut wi thout disl..utbing

the outdoor housing_


This const.nction is shown below, where the
lower gulde tx~"ri ng is combined with ~be thru~t

!
I

G- E THR UST BEAR INGS

"

'

13

.
>

'9~

r~

$'f(fiQfl()f 11/~W ~{/tr7fl !! ICI{I[f!JtcJte.rl g.:nr.:rji /Dr '"ilh Co mbfi'IO'd g 11fdt


bciMu th o: rf'lir~r end 4~(f-~ili"fl Uft/ht7 g uidt> bc-ari11,-s

r.:nd (Jlut Jl

b~IITi11U

G-E THRUST BEAR I NGS

14
O ILING SYSTEMS

Barlicr prtLctice cmploy<:d st.ntion oiling syst~ms


in wh ic h all oil wa..~ circ u lntet.l l.hro\tgh ,:.~ st.a1.i01l
(il tc r a nd back lO the bCi-H'ing:::.. (tL sta l io n:; ..vhcrc

tho muubcr of unils w~1S hwgc. l.hc piping required


wn.s quile complicated, and a. u nit. oiling syst-em wus
cJevcloped a.s au lmp1ovcment. This providcrl a

:-n1nll filter {or each machine, aml t.he oil was


circulnted through the filter and back to the
hcnrinl(~, usualJy by means of ~tlaJ'drivcn pump$:.
I ~ has been found tha t contirtuous !iltcriag of oil
ir.z unn.cccssmr , a nd the oilin ~ system is now
fur ther sin1J)lifled by operating t hntst bca1'!ngs1
nncl guide bearings ot t he c..:u nlJiHcLl type \VhCI'C
u~, in a seli~nt<l;ncd oil bath. lu gcncrnl,

..!' '
;

,'

. ...

..

i
I

tl

!it:cmfll vi~1c of Jlmull illuhtwltt!ddliVt'~ g.;nurfor utitl roml'l(llcd 11/l(Jcr gu;d~: qnd th rttd l)Nuim~ uMIII~(/oiUng
lt>U:rr <TUfd~ f}fi!titl(l

G- E THRUST BEARINGS
scpnra tc g uid e hearings employ [ I gt-nred pwnp
wh ich pump~ (til past ;-, sigh t:... n O\\ ' indicator nnd
lO lhe top of the bearing.
In some ca..cw.og~ separate guide bearings h nvc
fx-e n made ~1-oi ling withou t. the u se of a gc:a rcd
pump by ml'athi of a slee.ve c>n t he shaft. This
results in n n arT~\Ilg'cJn en t sirnila r to llwt of t.he,.,
combined g uide bcouin g whkh p umps it.s ()WU
oil. The illusl.l'atinn on page ll shO\"\"S a machin{
wlth a combinL'CI upt)C.r guide ancl th.rust bearing
nnd a self...oiling low-.:r J,'l.tide Jx..:uing.
Bccauso of the heavy londs CfiiTi(:d o n tht
t hrust bearinf!S o( ver tic:)] gtncrn to r.s, it is vcry
<:SSf:l1t.i<l l th:1 t un ly h igh .. grad < Ju hricat.i ng o il be
m:cd. Oil shou ld he p urclmscd dircct1y Crom oil
manufaCt.Ut'\''1"!-i O( recognized Stnn<ling who will
assume the uponsibility for tlw !<t'lcction of tlw
bt."'St oil for tlw ~rvi <X.
EXJ>er icnct has shown Lhnt, in gcnc m l, thr
viscoslty of t he oil at a tompern hii'C of I OU 1"
~~:-; (!ctcrmiru.:cl hy the Saybolt.. v iscosimeter. shou lcl
not be less Lh:m :lOO seconds, u r much rnorc t huu
:100 scconds.

15

ba th. Tho standa rd coolc-:rs .rc desig ned to rntin(uin


lhe requil-ed oil-hath tcmpcr~u:.ure whe n ~upp licd
\\:ith wnccr nt. a tcmpcml.urc of 25 C ancl at t.hc
rate spcrificd by their mannfact.nrer for C.'lCh C.'\sc.
T rouble with the bearing surfact>s is generally
.accomJ)rlnic d b y a. quick 1isc in oil t<:nt))Crnture
over t.h:H e ncoun tered un(kr normal o portu..ing
conditions.
In some inst.nlltttio nN, w:1Lcr pres~urc is T\Ot
available tor t.he bearing housing without special
pumps. In these cases. til<' oil is cooled by ptunl>ing
it. throu~h nn external cookr. T he ptHl"'ps nrc
driven rlircctly from t iH' gcncratur shaft 0 1 by
separat e- mot.ors . ;.uH.l t lw <~wlcrs arc o f ei t he r t he
air o r wat<r type, dcpcndin~ upon !ocal cond itio ns.
?v(otor-drhen pumps arc. ordinarily Jurnishcd ln
duJ>Iicat.t"'. :.nd t.hc two unit..~ usuaJiy havt' diiTrrcm
J>OWCf S.\I))J)Jie~.

BEARING COOLING
~rn:.Jl t.hru:-.1: hcMlngs u'H-Y he l'un air-coolud.
hut the la rg<;l o 1ws require oLhl' l' m ca11s fo1 cmoving- hc~-,L from Lhc oil ~n d housi n~. The simpl~sl.
nnd most common way to kt"cl) the oil <X>QI i~ hy
th<' cireu la.t.ion d( water t.hrou~o:h coolers in lh<-" oil

Wof~r-coo tori/~ ;::c::NZic:t

--

oil

G- E THRUST BEAR ING S

16

INSTALLATION OF GENERAL ELECTRIC THRUST BEARINGS


The simplicity of the bcnriu~ which con,.ists
of only three princip.~l p:ut.<: a statiouary plntc, a
rotating pla lc, nnd a set o f sprif1KS together with
the inh~ren ll y u niform loaclin~ obtained with the
spring support., makes the Gcnc l'al E1cclrit t hrust.
bearing the sim plest and Cfui ck csl. t o in!=\t:-tll or

disassemble.

FACTORY FINISH AND PROTECTION


DURING SHIPMENT
The bc.11'in~ su rface o r thll' I'Ot;Hing pJnt..c is cn r<.. ~
fu lly ground n.ml )Jolishcd aL tlw factory t.o obt rtin
a true and ~moo1..h ::s.ttrf;tcc. Th<' station.:ry l>."lh

bitted plate is machined to :. uniform thicktll'~'


Accause o f t hu flexibility nf t his plate :md it<
Sf11"i ng suppOI'l., t he Gcncr;)l l~lcctric t hn1st. lxaring
c~m be p u t in S~l'vi cc wit hout fi tting o r scrapill~.
All st<:cl or irou IJearin,:: su l"faccs are shipp<..tl
from the f;wt.Ory with :l prowctivc coat in}: to
prevent n1st. The rotating plate is packt'<i in :t
special mann~r t.o prevent. t.h~ prot<.-ctin: co: tin$!
fro m rubbinJ.: ofi am1 the poli!-'lwd bearing: surfatc.:
fro m be ing *~rattched.

ASSEMBLY OF THE BEARING


The prottNin' coating on the hc.o_tring !-turfac-.
is c.asily dissolv"d by benzol. ~:t.solinc. or kcrosem.
nn~.L rcuwv<.:d \'.'it,h t he usc: uf cku n rag~ (uot tOUOJt
was:a) alld wuod s<:r:ttwrs .
Udorc a:=-~wmhl y, a ll p;nL...'\ o ( t h t..! bear ing fHHl
t.he bearing housi ng !'hould h r im:.pc..'Ct \..-d to insun.
:bsolute (ret'<lom fro:n dirt. lint. or oth('r forci~n
matter. 1\cxt. the bracket should be lined 111> and
leveled. Ii a. h\':tl'ing hasc ring is u sed. t.h is shoukl
t hen bt> OrOuJ.:"h t. lnto position nnd lim:d up by dow(l
p ins. Nt>xt, Lhc: :o;prings ~houlc1 h< usscJnbln l on t iH.:
base or lloor oft lw hou~ing. T he habbit.tcd swtio n ..
ary plate shouhl th<n be pbD.-d on the sprin~s :mri
dowels which line u1> a.nd hold the plate to prc,cnt
turning. Before. a~mbfing the rotating pl:llC.
the rubbing s urfacts o f hot.h plates should b<.
inspected to be sure t hat Llwy n rc free fro m
scratch es. The n, t he Sl.at io nary p late should be
CQvered with J,:rc.:;t.sc or J'lf(f(rahly wit h a thick
mixture of hc~t\y lubric-.a tin~ oil and fin( flake.

f,'T".tphitc. \Vhc n the nmncr plat-e is 10\\'l."''Cd, it


may easily be rotated to line up \Yith the vcTiical
dowels in t he t hrust collnr.
On t h e overhung type o f gene rator wlu: rc the
thn1st b<.::1ring is loca ted below the rot,.ur, the
stationary and 1ow ting J>lntcs are m~utc iu halves
to make p<l""ihlc their assembly and dis:sscmbly
"ithout disturbing the rotor. The bc:tring partS
a rc assc;t11hlcd in t h e o rder dcscribecl a h ovc, b t.tl,
instead of being lowered OVCI' t he \ Ofl o f Lhc haft,
t h e half ph:atc~ ~h oulU b<.: C~ 1ricd h o rir.vu(ally into
t he bearing housing through l:~ rge open in~:; pro ,idcd for this purpose. Thi~ is the n rr;tngcmcnt
shown in the illustmtion on p.-.ge 11. \Vhcrc the
bearing parts arc very hc:ny. special c:arri::1gcs arc
provided ror assistance in rcmo \ing or roas,st.}mb ling
the bcarinr,.
\Vtwn:: t hl" t hrust bc:~rin~ is lo~'tt.cd above the
ro tor, in ~ml:i ting m attrial is u~cd e ither undt't' t he
base rin,:: or bet\veen the thn1~tcoll:u :md rota~ing
plate. to prevent Row through the ""'ring of
cireul~1 li11~ currents i rom t he shaft. J\flc r t he
hearing i:-:; assembled :llld p:. rtially loa(h: d, thi ~
insulat io n shoul d be ~i vun a h ig h-poUntiu l Lest. of
!>00 volts. \\' h en t h e thru:-:.t b<-aring is l..clow t h e
rotor. it 1hX"'<"1 not h <wc :my insul:ttion aga inst these
circul:ttin~: currents.
:\ s soon as t he bearillJ.: p:trls ;tnd cooling coi15: arc
asscmhlccl, t he ho using shot11CJ 1*- .fi.llcd wit.h c lc::'! n
lubr ic~n.in g oil. This protc:cts t he rnctalli( parts
fro m ru~t during the pe riod required to nni:.:h t he
asstmbJy o( the J{CitCr:ttOr: the 1xarii1J( j~ tll('Jl
ready for !-O(r\icc wlu~ncvcr th<" gc-ncrator is n.."o.-uly
to start .

INITIAL STARTING
Jf t.lu..1-c an: cooling coil:> in the thrus1..-bc1ing

hou!'inJ,:. t urn on the water bciorc st:trting. S~trl


the lx-:iring slowly and run at one-third spet.'tl lor
ha lf an hut1r and, at first.. note the oll tcmJ~rat.un..--s
at o ne-minute interval:;. Anr injury o f t ho rubbing"
surfact}:-; wHI be lndicn.tr.d by a rapid l'ise or t he oil
tcm pcrnlurcs in t h e hous in~.
If t he hearing o prra t e!O wdJ at one-third SJ)ecU.
th(' SJK"-"'<Imay 1~ gradunllv increased to normal.

...

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