Figure 16 Principle of operation of pivoting pad

The white metal bearing faces have a slight spherical crown which prevents the pads
from sticking to the collar when oiled. This crowning also enhances the anti-wear and
lubrication properties of the bearing.

Figure 17 Main thrust

Two stop pads are secured to the casing top for both the forward and aft sides. They:
a) prevent rotation of the thrust shoes and pads;
b) act as oil catchers and distributors;
c) form supports for the oil scraper.
The thrust block is enclosed with a cover that can be removed for inspection purposes
(Fig 17).
Thrust block designs also exist where the pads extend over the full circumference of
the collar. The oil is again delivered by a scraper of similar design to the back of the
retaining ring from where it is guided to the inner diameter of the thrust pads.

Power loss
Because there is no metal-to-metal contact, the power loss is only the internal friction in the
oil film, which is caused by the shearing of adjacent layers of oil within the film and varies
according to speed, load and viscosity of the lubricant. The friction loss generates heat.