Recess depth optimization for rotating, annular, and circular recess hydrostatic thrust bearings

Inertial effects due to the centripetal forces may become dominant at high rotational speeds in hydrostatic thrust bearings. Although this influence has been recognized in literature, bearings are commonly optimized with respect to the minimum friction, and the dissipation function has not been taken into account in the optimization procedures. It is observed that the secondary flow caused by the inertia term gives a large contribution to the dissipation for applications with a high rotational speed. In this study, the minimum dissipation for annular and circular recess thrust bearings operating at a certain rotational speed is determined by finding the optimum film thickness in the recess. An example is given for annular recess thrust bearings.