This invention is related to development of a compact high capacity thrust and
guide bearing arrangement with integrated bearing bracket.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The vertical motors for driving cooling water pump and lift irrigation pumps are
equipped with a top thrust and guide bearing arrangement and bottom guide bearing
arrangement. The bearings are submerged in oil. The bearings work on the principle of
hydrodynamic lubrication where in load bearing oil film is developed between sliding
surfaces. Thrust and Guide bearing consists of thrust pads over carrier ring which is
mounted on the bearing bracket. A thrust collar is shrink fitted on rotor shaft and it
rests over thrust pads. Thrust collar is rotating part where as thrust pads are stationary
part. Oil film is formed between thrust collar and thrust pads. In case of rigid coupling
the complete vertical pump along with rotor weights have to be borne by the motor.
The motor is provided with a thrust and guide bearing at the top and guide bearing at
bottom. The pump thrust and rotor weights are taken by top thrust pads and carrier
ring, from where the loads are transmitted to top bracket which in turn transmits to the
stator frame and subsequently it is transmitted to the foundation. Guide pads are
provided on the circumference of thrust collar. The guide pads or guide bearing is the
stationary part. Oil film is formed between guide pads and thrust collar. The radial load
of the rotor is transmitted through the oil film to guide bearing which in turn transmits

to guide bearing support. From the guide bearing support the load is transmitted to the
bearing bracket and then to stator frame. The bearing is cooled by a nest cooler
immersed in oil.
The thrust and guide bearings for high thrust capacity are generally limited to
bearing components assembled inside an oil tank. The complete bearing assembly is
then supported on a separate top bracket and provide with a spigot location between
the two. Individual bearing assembly and separate top bracket invoke manufacturing
inaccuracies at spigot seating locations which lead to vibration problems in the motor.
To overcome this issue a compact Thrust and Guide bearing arrangement with
integrated bracket has been developed.
Prior Art:
The prior Art document US 3307057 A discloses an electric motor and bearing
support. The electric motor drive apparatus comprising, in combination, an electric
motor including a stator assembly having an axis of symmetry, a pair of axially spaced
bearing means carried by said stator assembly coaxial with said axis, a shaft turnably
mounted in said bearing means, support means, resilient stator mounting means
connecting one end of said stator assembly to said support means, said shaft projecting
with a portion thereof beyond the other end of said stator assembly, a rotor coaxially
secured to said projecting shaft portion in a region thereof adjacent to the other end of

said stator assembly and projecting into the region of said stator assembly at least
partially surrounding the same and a self-aligning bearing means carried by said
support means and turnably supporting said projecting shaft portion in a region thereof
located outwardly from said region in which said rotor is secured to said projecting
shaft portion.
The document CN 103511550 A discloses a damper for high-speed oilless
bearing rotor system. The invention discloses a damper for a high-speed oilless bearing
rotor system. An axial damper base is arranged on the two sides of a thrust disc, an
axial damper and a spring are arranged in an annular groove of the axial damper base,
one side of the axial damper abuts against the thrust disc, the other side of the axial
damper is pressed on the spring, a radial damper base is arranged on the outer side of
a radial bearing, annular grooves are formed in the axial direction of the end face of the
radial damper base side by side, one side of a radial damper is pressed on the spring,
the other side of the radial damper abuts against a shaft neck, the axial damper and
the radial damper increase damp to a thrust bearing and the radial bearing together,
and provides damp for the high-speed oilless bearing rotor system, and then system
stability is improved. The damper for the high-speed oilless bearing rotor system is
simple in structure, adjustable in performance and convenient to use.

The prior Art document CA 2861292 A1 discloses a post FBO windmilling
bumper. A bearing arrangement rotatably supports a shaft of an aircraft engine. The
bearing arrangement comprises a bearing having rolling elements disposed between
inner and outer races. The inner race is affixed to the shaft. A decoupler normally
structurally couples the outer race of the bearing to a stator structure of the engine.
The decoupler is configured to release the bearing from the stator structure when
subject to a predetermined critical load. A bumper is mounted to the stator structure
and encircles the bearing. The bumper has a radially inwardly facing surface disposed in
close proximity to a radially outer surface of the outer race of the bearing and defines
therewith a radial gap to accommodate and constrain an orbiting motion of the rotor
about the central axis of the engine after decoupling at the bearing. The bumper
further has an axially forwardly facing surface which is axially spaced by a
predetermined axial fore gap from a first flange projecting radially outwardly from a
front end portion of the outer race of the bearing. The first flange of the outer race is
axially trapped between the stator structure and the bumper. After decoupling, the
bearing is free to axially and radially move within the radial gap and the axial fore gap.
None of the Prior Art documents discloses the issue of vibration dampening of
the bearing during the rotation of motor.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The main object of the invention is to develop a compact high capacity thrust
and guide bearing arrangement with integrated bracket that takes high load and
overcomes vibration problems in the motor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Individual bearing assembly and separate top bracket invoke manufacturing
inaccuracies at spigot seating locations which lead to vibration problems in the motor.
To overcome this issue a compact Thrust and Guide bearing arrangement with
integrated bracket has been developed which is suitable for taking high axial thrust
loads. The oil tank in which the bearing components are housed is made integral with
the bracket. The oil tank is welded to four I beam assemblies. The I beam assemblies
are connected to the ribs provided inside the oil tank. A circular plate welded to the
inside ribs of the oil tank is provided on which the carrier ring and thrust pads are
seated. The I beam arrangement and the circular plate helps in carrying higher load
capacity and also help in reduce the vibration because of proper seating of carrier ring.
Because of integrated bearing bracket the spigot joint between the bearing oil tank and
top bracket is eliminated. Complete bearing assembly along with the integrated bracket
is directly mounted over the stator frame of the motor. Coil type bearing oil cooler is
provided to dissipate the heat more effectively. A special type lock nut is provided at

inlet/outlet of the cooler pipe from bracket so that chances of water ingress entering to
bearing assembly can be avoided. A special design tapered guide pad support with rib
behind each of the guide pad has provided. The construction is more rigid hence
reduces vibration of machine. The guide pad support is so designed that it provides
ease in guide pads mounting and ability to lock guide pads from top, for transportation.
Molded pad stop have been given in fixing angular position of guide pads. Insulated
retaining plates at top and bottom of guide pads are provided to restrain the vertical
movement of the pads. Cutouts are provided in the bearing bracket to access the motor
internals. The cutout perimeter is provided with a raised lip arrangement on which
covers are fixed.
Making the bearing assembly with integrated bracket reduces machining errors.
Removal of spigot location and bolting between the bearing assembly and the bracket
helps in transmitting the radial bearing load directly to the stator frame. This gives
better vibration performance of the motor. Making the bracket integral with the bearing
reduces the assembly time of the motor.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
Figure 1 Existing thrust and guide bearing assembly with separate bearing bracket
and bearing assembly bolted together.
Figure 2 Front Sectional view of New Thrust and Guide bearing arrangement with
Integrated bearing bracket with bearing assembly.

Figure 3 Top Sectional view of New Thrust and Guide bearing arrangement with
Integrated bearing bracket with bearing assembly.
Figure 4 3D sectional view of compact thrust and guide bearing.
Figure 5 3D plan view of compact thrust and guide bearing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE
INVENTION
Figure 1 indicates the existing thrust and guide bearing assembly with separate
bearing assembly and bearing bracket bolted together with spigot location. Figure 2
shows the front sectional view of New Thrust and Guide bearing arrangement with
integrated bearing bracket. Figure 3 indicates Top sectional view of New Thrust and
Guide bearing arrangement with integrated bearing bracket.
The oil tank assembly (01) in which the bearing components are housed. The oil
tank is a fabricated assembly with a bottom plate (01A), a top plate(01B) and a
cylindrical shell (01C). A central rib arrangement with 8 number of ribs (02) is welded to
the bottom of the oil tank and to the shell of the oil tank. A circular plate (03) is welded
to the central ribs of the oil tank. A circular disc is placed on bracket supporting rib to
ensure the uniform level for carrier ring (04) seating. Circular disc helps in carrying
higher load capacity and also help in reduce the vibration because of proper seating of

carrier ring. The carrier ring (4) is seated on the circular disc (3) while taking location
from a step on the circular disc. The thrust pads (05) are mounted on the carrier ring
(4). Thrust collar (06) is shrink fit on rotor shaft and rests over the top face of thrust
pads (5). The thrust collar (6) is the rotating part. A guide bearing bracket (07) is
mounted on the top plate (01B) of the oil tank and provides support to the guide pads
(08). Insulated retaining plates (09) are mounted on top and bottom of the guide
bearing bracket. The guide pad rests on the bottom insulating plate and the top
retaining plate restricts the vertical movement of the pads. The guide bearing bracket
provides the support for maintaining the required circumferential clearance between the
guide pads and thrust collar. Molded pad (10) is provided in between the guide pads for
fixing the angular position of guide pads. The guide bearing support is designed to
provide access for locking the rotor during transportation of the motor. A coil type
bearing oil cooler (11) is provided inside the bearing bracket to dissipate the heat
generated during motor running. Four number I beams (12) are connected to the oil
tank assembly by welding to the base, shell and top of oil tank. The length of the I
beam is upto the stator frame of the motor. The I beams are welded with four number
of circular plates which then form a complete integrated bracket with bearing assembly.
Cutouts made in the bracket help in accessing the motor internals. A raised Lip
arrangement (13) between the cover plate (14) and bracket cutout, is provided to
restrict the water ingress entering to the bearing assembly through cover plate.

WE CLAIM
1. A compact high capacity thrust and guide bearing arrangement with integrated
bearing bracket comprising;
an oil tank (01) which houses the bearing components made integral with
bracket (15), the said oil tank (01) comprising a fabricated assembly having a bottom
plate (01A) , a top plate (01B) and cylindrical side wall (01C);
the said oil tank (1) welded to four I beam assemblies (12) from diametrically
opposite sides at right angle to each other;
a plurality of central ribs (02) provided inside the oil tank (01) at the base are
corrected to the I-beams (12);
a circular disc (03) mounted on the bracket supporting central ribs (02) by
welding connection to ensure uniform level for carrier ring component (04) seating;
the said circular disc (03) disposed for carrying high load capacity as well as
reducing the vibration by proper seating of the carrier ring (04).
2. The compact high thrust capacity guide bearing arrangement as claimed in claim
1, wherein thrust pads (5) mounted on the carrier ring (04), the said thrust pads (5)
acting as stationary part.

3. The compact high thrust capacity guide bearing arrangement as claimed in claim
1, wherein thrust collar (6) resting over the top surface of the thrust pads (5) are shrink
fitted on rotor shaft (16) and acting as rotating part are disposed for transmitting the
radial load through plurality of specially designed tapered guide pads (08).
4. The compact high thrust capacity guide bearing arrangement as claimed in claim
1, wherein a guide bearing bracket (7) is mounted on the top plate of oil tank (01) for
providing support to the guide pads (08).
5. The compact high thrust capacity guide bearing arrangement as claimed in claim
1, wherein insulated retaining plates (9) are mounted on top and bottom of the guide
bearing bracket (7).
6. The compact high thrust capacity guide bearing arrangement as claimed in claim
1, wherein molded pads (10) are provided in between the guide pads (8) for fixing the
angular position of guide pads (8).
7. The compact high thrust capacity guide bearing arrangement as claimed in claim
1, wherein the guide pads (8) resting between the bottom insulating plate (17) and the
top retaining plates (9) are disposed for restricting the vertical movement of the pads
(8).

8. The compact high thrust capacity guide bearing arrangement as claimed in claim
1, wherein the guide bearing bracket (07) providing the support for maintaining the
required circumferential clearance between the guide pads (08) and thrust collar (06).
9. The compact high thrust capacity guide bearing arrangement as claimed in claim
1, wherein a coil type bearing oil collar (11) is provided inside the oil tank (01) for
dissipating the heat generated during motor running.
10. The compact high thrust capacity guide bearing arrangement as claimed in claim
1, wherein a raised lip arrangement (13) is disposed between cover plate (14) and
bracket cut out to restrict water ingress entering to the motor through cover plate (14).