Adaptively deformable water-lubricated thrust bearings (ADWTBs) have been designed for small-scale shaftless rim driven thrusters(RDTs). ADWTBs are designed to be installed on the shroud of the thruster and functioned with a convergent water film, formed between the thrust collar and the bearing, as a consequence of the adaptive deformation of bearing pads. The Thermo-elasto-hydrodynamic (TEHD) lubrication model was established to conduct researches on the structure design. Furthermore, the influence of different structural parameters (groove depth ratio, groove width ratio, bearing thickness) of ADWTB on its lubrication performance was analyzed, and optimization designs were implemented. Moreover, multi-condition performance tests were conducted with the optimized bearing sample. The experimental results show that ADWTBs exhibit excellent load-carrying capacity and demonstrate promising engineering application value.
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