The working principle of hydraulic bearings is based on the principle of hydrostatic pressure, which utilizes a liquid (usually oil) as a lubricant to achieve bearing support and reduce friction. The following is a detailed description of their operation and characteristics:

How do hydraulic bearings work?

Structural components: hydraulic bearings by the outer sleeve and the inner sleeve of the two parts of the formation of a certain gap between the two. This gap is a liquid-filled area used to create a pressure area to support the bearing.

Liquid filling and pressure generation: Liquid (usually lubricant) is pumped into the bearing gap by an external pressure source (e.g. pressure pump). As the hydrostatic pressure of the fluid increases, the fluid creates a pressure area within the bearing gap, which supports the bearing and reduces the contact pressure between the bearing and the shaft.

Support and release bearing: As the liquid static pressure increases, a gap is formed between the bearing and the shaft, realizing the separation of the shaft and the release bearing. This release bearing reduces friction and wear, increasing the operating efficiency and life of the bearing.

Stabilized working condition: When the hydraulic bearing is subjected to external forces, the pressure of the liquid increases, thus maintaining the bearing in a stabilized working condition. This adaptive pressure regulation mechanism ensures the stability and reliability of the bearing under various working conditions.

Unique design: The hydraulic bearing also adopts a unique loop-back oil supply circuit and large oil storage space design to ensure that the bearing is always fully lubricated. At the same time, the pressure-permeable oil circuit design makes the bearings and oil reservoir intercommunicate, which is conducive to the circulation and replenishment of lubricating grease.

Noise reduction and long life: The design of hydraulic bearings also emphasizes noise reduction and long life. By reducing friction and wear, the operating noise of hydraulic bearings is significantly reduced. At the same time, due to their unique lubrication and support mechanisms, hydraulic bearings also have a very long service life of tens of thousands of hours or more.

Characteristics of hydraulic bearings:

1. Formation of fluid film: In hydraulic bearings, fluid is pumped through the bearing gap when the equipment is running. As a result of the high-pressure fluid, a continuous oil film is formed between the shaft and the bearing surface. This oil film effectively separates the shaft from the metal surface of the bearing, realizing non-contact support.

2. Establishment of pressure differential: Hydraulic bearings are designed with a special structure that establishes or regulates an internal pressure differential to ensure that the fluid can form a stable oil film between the friction surfaces. This pressure differential is achieved through a precisely controlled oil supply system, ensuring good lubrication even under heavy loads.

3. Reduced friction and wear: The presence of an oil film greatly reduces direct metal contact, lowering friction and wear, resulting in smoother equipment operation, improved efficiency and longer service life.

4. Self-adaptation: Hydraulic bearings can automatically adjust the thickness of the oil film according to changes in load, adapting to different working conditions, providing stable support and reducing vibration.

5. Efficient lubrication: Through the design of trans-pressure oil circuit, the hydraulic bearing ensures that the lubricating grease can flow freely, even in high speed or high temperature environment, it can also keep the bearing well lubricated, avoid the volatilization of grease, and ensure the long term and stable working of the bearing.

6. Material and design: the use of special materials and designs, such as powder metallurgy bearings, containing tiny cavities, pre-soaked with lubricating grease to ensure continuous lubrication during operation, while the special shaft material to enhance anti-wear.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of hydraulic bearings compared to conventional bearings:

Hydraulic bearings exhibit unique advantages and disadvantages over conventional bearings in a number of ways. The following is a detailed comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of both:

Hydraulic bearing advantages:

Good lubrication effect: hydraulic bearings use the principle of liquid flow, the formation of lubrication film inside the bearing, significantly reducing the bearing wear and noise. This lubrication makes hydraulic bearings smoother during operation and extends their service life.

Longer life: Due to their superior lubrication, hydraulic bearings typically have a long life of up to tens of thousands of hours, depending on design and manufacturing quality. This long life reduces replacement frequency and maintenance costs.

Low noise: Hydraulic bearings generate relatively little noise during operation, thanks to their good lubrication and structural design. Hydraulic bearings are an ideal choice for equipment that requires a low noise environment.

High load carrying capacity: Compared with traditional bearings, hydraulic bearings have improved load carrying capacity. Hydraulic bearings maintain good stability at high speeds and under high loads.

Fewer oil leakage problems: hydraulic bearings adopt a unique ring-type oil supply circuit design, which effectively reduces oil leakage problems and improves the reliability and safety of the system.

Disadvantages of hydraulic bearings:

Higher cost: Hydraulic bearings are relatively expensive to manufacture, mainly due to the fact that they require the use of more materials and processes to achieve the hydraulic effect. For cost-sensitive application scenarios, this may be a factor to consider.

Limited Rotation Speed and Load Carrying Capacity: Despite their improved load carrying capacity, hydraulic bearings may not perform as well as other types of bearings, such as ball bearings, in extreme high speed rotation and high load situations. Therefore, bearing selection needs to be weighed against specific application scenarios.

High lubricant dependency: The lubrication of hydraulic bearings is highly dependent on the quality and availability of the lubricant. If the lubricant is insufficient or of poor quality, it will directly affect the performance and life of the hydraulic bearing.

Conventional bearing disadvantages:

Limited load carrying capacity: under the conditions of high load and high speed, the load carrying capacity of traditional bearings is relatively weak, which is prone to frictional heat, wear and other problems.

Short life: the service life of traditional bearings is relatively short, generally can only be used for a few months or a year or so before they need to be replaced, increasing the cost of use and maintenance difficulties.

Restricted motion accuracy: In high-speed and high-precision working conditions, traditional bearings have axial error, radial deviation and other problems, which have a certain negative impact on the performance of the equipment.

Large noise and vibration: traditional bearings are often accompanied by large noise and vibration during operation, which has a great impact on the work of some machines and equipment that require precise movement.

In summary, hydraulic bearings have significant advantages in terms of lubrication effect, life, noise and load carrying capacity, but the cost is higher and more dependent on lubricant. Traditional bearings, on the other hand, have disadvantages such as limited load carrying capacity, short life, limited motion accuracy and high noise and vibration. When selecting bearings, comprehensive consideration needs to be made according to specific application scenarios and needs.

Hydraulic bearings realize the release bearing and stable work of the shaft and bearing by using the pressure of the liquid to support the bearing and reduce the contact pressure. This working principle makes hydraulic bearings widely used in high-speed, heavy-duty and high-precision equipment, and shows excellent performance and reliability.