The Rotor for the National Launch System Space Transportation Main Engine (STME) oxygen turbopump is supported by two large angular contact split inner ring ball bearings. The bearings are cooled with liquid oxygen, lubrication is provided by the Salox-M cage segements. The Salox-M provides an adherent lubricating film to the ball and races by the transfer films from ball to cage interaction. The Salox-M segements are riveted into a metallic cage shroud for structural reinforcement. The bearings are designed to carry both radial and axial loads. A two ball bearing rotor support allows startup and shutdown related transient axial loads to be handled in either direction. There is sufficient axial preload to provide radial stiffness compatible with rotordynamic requirements. These bearings are derivatives of existing cryogenic ball bearings that have been developed and successfully substantiated by hundreds of hours of cryogenic bearing rig and oxygen turbopump testing. The STME's Oxygen Turbopump's rotational speed is low, resulting in a bearing DN (bore, in mm, times speed, in rpm) that is within experience of similar bearings. As a result, this program is able to take advantage of this experience to enhance the high reliability and low cost objectives of this program.
Rotor support for the STME oxygen turbopump
Rotorunterstützung der Sauerstoff-Turbopumpe des Haupttriebwerks von Raumfahrzeugen
AIAA-Papers ; 1-6
1992
6 Seiten, 8 Bilder, 4 Tabellen
Conference paper
English
Rotor support for the STME oxygen turbopump
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