Segments are a special type of horizontal babbitt bearings. Typical designs are sets of 3 or 4 segments, with sometimes a specific design for each segment.
Segments are reserved for difficult constraint applications, in particular in power plant turbines and generators.
Manufacturing of these segments is especially complex and always subject to a stringent quality control in the case of power plant applications.
You Industrie developed since 20 years a strong know-how in this field and is as of today, the only european company able to meet GE demands for its most critical applications (Ø900mm, weight 4000 Kg).
Segment bearings are always equiped with a cage or body maintaining together the different segments through mechanical systems of positioning and adjusting. A complete set is made of more than 100 mechanical parts : foundry parts, forged parts, nitruration-treated parts, themal treatment parts, rectified parts or specific washers for example.
You Industrie is able to supply complete systems equiped with cage and accessories, for the small and biggest dimensions.
Segment bearings bring may advantages :
- They have better rigidity than classical bearings, and therfore bring a better solution to vibration problems in machines
- The lubrication is optimized since each segment is adressed independantly. The segments can tehrefore withstand very high pressures (3.5 MPa in most critical cases)
- Segments enable also a better mangement of starting phases thanks to complex mechanical systems providing adaptable mechanical clearances.