Bi-Metallic Journal Bearing Assembly for Lightweight Pump Durability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing journal bearings for fuel pumps, particularly in aircraft engines, are heavy, not durable, and costly to replace due to their solid, one-piece construction from leaded bronze, which lacks durability and requires the entire part to be discarded during inspection or overhaul.
Innovation Solution
A bi-metallic bearing assembly featuring a lightweight, 3D-printed sleeve with machined leaded bronze inserts and face plates, allowing for individual component replacement and improved durability, reducing weight and maintenance costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If solid leaded bronze material is used for the bearing, then lubricity characteristics are improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing is divided into two separate components: a lightweight sleeve and a leaded bronze insert. The sleeve provides structural support while the insert provides lubricity, allowing each component to be optimized for its specific function and enabling weight reduction while maintaining performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The bearing combines two different materials (lightweight metal for the sleeve and leaded bronze for the insert) to create a composite structure that exhibits properties superior to either material alone, achieving both weight reduction and maintained lubricity.
2Reliability
If solid leaded bronze material is used for the bearing, then lubricity characteristics are improved, but durability worsens
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the bearing into a durable sleeve and a replaceable insert, the design allows the durable sleeve to protect against cavitation while the insert maintains lubricity, and enables replacement of only the worn insert rather than the entire bearing.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameter of the bearing from uniform leaded bronze to a composite structure with different materials, where the sleeve material is selected for cavitation resistance and the insert material for lubricity, optimizing both durability and performance.
3Ease of manufacture
If solid one-piece bearing construction is used, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but replacement cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing is designed as an assembly of separate components (sleeve and insert) that can be manufactured independently and assembled. This allows the durable sleeve to be manufactured once and reused, while only the wear-prone insert needs replacement, significantly reducing maintenance costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The design allows the durable sleeve to be recovered and reused after the insert wears out. Only the insert, which is subject to wear, is discarded and replaced, maximizing material utilization and reducing replacement costs.
Data Source
AI summary
A bi-metallic bearing assembly is provided for an associated pump. The bearing assembly includes a sleeve formed of a first metal, and having at least one opening therein, and an insert formed of a different, second metal, wherein the insert is received in the sleeve opening. The sleeve is preferably formed using an additive manufacturing process. The insert and/or a separate face plate are preferably formed through a machining process, and the insert is mechanically joined to the sleeve, and the face plate is preferably mechanically joined to the sleeve and also advantageously retains the insert in the sleeve.