Vibration control of rotating machinery using active tilting-pad bearings

An active hybrid tilting-pad bearing, together with the rotor and the hydraulic system, is modeled and simulated. The main objective of the active device is the reduction of vibration amplitude in rotating machinery. The active action is based on injecting pressurized oil into the bearing gap through orifices machined in the pads. Numerical results show an effective vibration reduction in unbalance and frequency response analyses, by applying a PI controller. The active system managed to eliminate instability phenomena (whirl), which appeared at high Sommerfeld number operational conditions.