Application and Importance of Self-Aligning Bearings in Gas Turbine Machinery

Working Environment Challenges of Gas Turbine Machinery
The working environment of gas turbine machinery is extremely harsh, with internal temperatures reaching hundreds of degrees Celsius, huge pressures, and rotors rotating at extremely high speeds. Such an environment not only tests the high temperature and high pressure resistance of the material, but also places extremely high demands on the precision matching of the bearing and the shaft. Under such working conditions for a long time, even the best quality materials will inevitably undergo slight deformations. Although such deformations are small, they are enough to affect the normal operation of the gas turbine machinery bearings, and even lead to increased friction and lubrication failure, ultimately shortening the bearing life and affecting the stability and reliability of the entire system.

Working Principle and Advantages of Self-Aligning Bearings
As the name suggests, self-aligning bearings are a type of bearing that can automatically adjust its contact position and angle to adapt to the deformation of the shaft or bearing seat. Its design principle is based on the spherical contact surface between the inner and outer rings. This design allows the bearing to automatically adjust to the optimal working state when subjected to uneven loads or slight tilting of the shaft, ensuring good contact between the rolling element and the raceway. This self-adjustment capability greatly reduces stress concentration and poor lubrication caused by deformation, effectively extending the service life of the bearing.

Improve lubrication efficiency: Self-aligning bearings can maintain the best contact state, ensure uniform distribution of lubricating oil even when the shaft is slightly deformed, reduce friction and wear, and improve the overall efficiency of the system.
Enhance stability: Through automatic adjustment, self-aligning bearings can effectively absorb vibration and impact caused by shaft deformation, improve the smooth operation of equipment, and reduce downtime.
Extend service life: Optimized contact and lubrication conditions significantly reduce the wear rate of bearings, extend maintenance cycles, and reduce operating costs.
Improve equipment reliability: The application of self-aligning bearings reduces the risk of system downtime caused by bearing failures and enhances the overall reliability and safety of equipment.
Application examples in gas turbine machinery
In gas turbine machinery such as gas turbines and gas generators, self-aligning bearings are widely used in key parts of rotor support systems, compressors and turbines. For example, in the rotor system of a gas turbine, self-aligning bearings can effectively cope with the centrifugal force generated by high-speed rotation and shaft deformation caused by thermal expansion to ensure stable operation of the rotor. In the compressor part, facing the strong impact of high-pressure gas on the bearing, the self-adjustment ability of the self-aligning bearing ensures the long-term reliability of the bearing and reduces the downtime maintenance caused by bearing damage.