Tilting Pad Bearings

Michell Bearings manufactures journal and thrust tilting pad bearings for use in a wide range of applications.

Tilting pad bearings are a type of fluid film bearing used in rotating machinery such as turbines, compressors and generators.

Our tilting pad bearings are used in a wide variety of applications and are designed to operate in the most demanding applications.

Tilting pad bearings can be manufactured with either a white metal (babbitt), polyether ether ketone (PEEK) or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) lining, depending on which material is most suited to your application.

Tilting Pad Journal Bearings
Tilting pad journal bearings are made up of multiple curved segments, known as journal pads. Each journal pad is connected to a pivoting point where it can freely rotate of tilt. This tilting freedom allows for self-alignment of the pads, assisting lift and dynamic stability.

Our tilting pad journal bearings cover a shaft range of 40mm to 300mm in three standard length-to-diameter ratios of 0.4, 0.7 and 1.0. The standard configuration involves a steel housing which is supplied in halves. This provides seating for five journal pads, which are usually centre pivoted. The journal pads have a special bore profile to give a preload to the operating bearing.

Tilting Pad Thrust Bearings
Our tilting pad thrust bearings are manufactured with configurations to enable full rings or halves, designed specific to your application. Each bearing is built with a series of pads in a ring which are free to tilt, creating a self-sustaining hydrodynamic oil film. Various ranges of tilting pad thrust bearings are available with or without load self-equalisation levers.