How to adjust the clearance when assembling pump bearings
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How can the clearance be adjusted when assembling pump bearings, and can grinding be used for this? What other methods are there? What is the typical thickness of the babbitt on the surface of pump bearings?
The poster is referring to sliding bearings; those used in pumps are thick-walled bearing shells. The adjustment of the gap in thick-walled tiles is done, firstly, by using shims: the side gap of the tiles is already set, and an appropriate top gap is achieved by adding or removing thin shims at the edges of the tiles. Secondly, the clearance is adjusted by scraping; a certain amount of margin is left during mechanical processing, and an appropriate top clearance is obtained through lapping and measuring the contact angle, with the wedge gap being created finally. Correcting the original poster: it’s not “grinding” but “scrubbing and grinding”. The thickness of the thick-walled tiles is generally between 3 and 6 millimeters for babbitt alloys.
The clearance of a sliding bearing is related to the rotational speed.
I agree with what was said on the second floor: one must be extremely careful when scraping the tiles. Do not make more than 30 scratches at a time, and be thorough while doing it