High-Speed Fan Thrust Bearing Upgrade
Re-engineering a repeatedly failing fan thrust bearing into a higher-performance design - using FEA-led analysis, spherical offset pivots and improved heat transfer to end recurring failures.
High-Speed Fan
Re-Engineering & Upgrade
Tilting Pad Thrust
FEA-Aligned Redesign
Repeated Failures Eliminated
Overview
When an off-the-shelf thrust bearing keeps failing every 3-6 months.
A client was suffering repeated failures on a high-speed fan. More specifically, the fan thrust bearing was failing every 3-6 months, causing downtime, expensive overhauls and repeated maintenance events.
After contacting the OEM and receiving no successful options, the client asked Oiltech Bearings to help. The existing design was an off-the-shelf, non-equalising modular thrust bearing with centralised pivots. It was suitable for bi-directional rotation, even though the fan only operated in one direction, and used standard bar pivots that allowed each pad to pivot in only one plane.
Oiltech re-engineered and modelled the existing bearing first, using FEA analysis to align the model with the known performance and failure behaviour. From that baseline, Oiltech developed an upgraded thrust bearing within the same package envelope, manufactured it in house, and delivered a design that ended the cycle of repeated failures.
Project Phases
From repeated failures to a redesigned thrust bearing in the same package.
Phase 1 - Design Review & Failure Context
Understanding why the standard thrust bearing was not surviving.
Oiltech reviewed the existing bearing design and the client's operating history. The repeated 3-6 month failure pattern pointed to an inadequate safety margin in the thrust bearing rather than a one-off repair issue. The existing unit was a standard modular design with centralised bar pivots and non-equalising pad support.
Phase 2 - Re-Engineering & FEA Alignment
Building a model that reflected the known bearing behaviour.
The thrust bearing was re-engineered and modelled so Oiltech could run FEA analysis against the existing design. This established a reliable baseline before any upgrade work began, ensuring the design changes were measured against the bearing's known operating limitations.
Phase 3 - Design Upgrade
Improving alignment, oil film temperature and thermal transfer within the same envelope.
The upgraded design used spherical pivots to allow more optimum pad alignment in two planes, replacing the standard bar pivot arrangement. The pivot position was moved from centralised to offset for one-direction rotation, reducing oil temperatures at the same load. The pad backing material was upgraded from steel to copper-chrome-zirconium to improve heat transfer from the oil film and lower maximum bearing temperatures.
The base ring material was also selected carefully to accommodate the higher specific loads introduced by the spherical pivots.
Phase 4 - In-House Manufacture & Delivery
Turning the upgraded design into a finished bearing assembly.
The re-engineered thrust bearing was manufactured in house by Oiltech Bearings and delivered to the client. The finished assembly combined the same package constraints with a substantially improved operating margin - and the client described the parts as looking like "a work of art."
Close-up of the failed thrust pads showing severe surface damage and scoring.
New copper-chrome-zirconium backed thrust pad set manufactured for the upgraded bearing.
Side-by-side comparison of the failed bearing and upgraded thrust bearing assembly.
Detail view of the upgraded thrust bearing, showing the new pads installed in the carrier.
Completed upgraded tilting pad thrust bearing assembly ready for installation.
Design Insight
The bearing did not need a bigger package. It needed a better use of the same package.
By moving from centralised bar pivots to offset spherical pivots, and by improving pad heat transfer with copper-chrome-zirconium backing material, Oiltech reduced oil film temperature and increased oil film thickness. That thicker oil film increased the safety margin before failure, which was the practical difference between repeated breakdowns and reliable operation.
Key Outcomes
What the project delivered.
Failure Pattern Solved
Repeated 3-6 month fan thrust bearing failures were brought to an end.
FEA-Led Upgrade
Existing performance modelled first, then used as the baseline for design improvement.
Lower Oil Temperature
Offset pivots and improved pad material reduced oil film temperatures and improved film thickness.
Reduced Downtime
Improved reliability reduced overhauls, maintenance events and associated downtime costs.
Capabilities Demonstrated
Analysis-led bearing upgrade for a demanding high-speed application.
This project demonstrates Oiltech's ability to move beyond like-for-like replacement: analysing the failure mode, modelling the original design, improving the bearing geometry and manufacturing the upgraded assembly in house.