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Centrifugal Compressor Bearings

Replacement journal & thrust bearings (tilting pad) for the gearbox and casing of IHI, Cameron, Atlas Copco, Fusheng and Hanwha oil-free centrifugal air compressors — by Turbomax Co., Ltd.

Inside the speed-increasing gearbox of a centrifugal air compressor, pinion shafts spin at tens of thousands of RPM on tilting pad journal bearings, while the bull gear carries axial forces onto a thrust bearing. These bearings are precision parts: their clearance defines how stable the rotor runs. Turbomax supplies replacement journal bearings, thrust bearings and complete bearing sets — steel-backed babbitt, manufactured to the original drawings with the correct running clearance, drop-in fit.

How worn bearings escalate

Bearing wear starts small — a little scoring, slight babbitt fatigue — but it never stops by itself. The chain reaction:

1. Clearance grows — the worn pad no longer holds the shaft at its design position;
2. Vibration rises — the rotor group starts running rough, often first at the pinion probes;
3. Gear mesh suffers — a misaligned pinion loads the bull gear teeth unevenly and accelerates tooth wear;
4. Oil temperature and metal temperature climb — in hot spots the oil can coke (carbon build-up on the pads, as we found on a TRX160 4th-shaft bearing);
5. In the worst case, pad seizure — a wiped bearing at full speed damages shaft, gears and seals in seconds.

Bearings are cheap compared with the rotor group they protect. Replacing them at every major overhaul — or whenever clearance is out of specification — is the least expensive insurance in this machine.

Typical symptoms — check your bearings if you see these

• Bearing metal temperature is higher than previous years at the same load;
• Vibration at gearbox probes keeps rising, or alarm values are approached;
• Oil analysis shows babbitt (white metal) particles;
• During overhaul: pad scoring, babbitt cracking or peeling, carbon (coke) deposits on the pads;
• Clearance measured beyond the original specification.

What Turbomax supplies

• Journal bearings (tilting pad) — for high-speed pinion shafts and low-speed shafts, steel-backed babbitt, made to original drawings;
• Thrust bearings — for the bull gear / low-speed shaft axial position, correct pad and clearance;
• Complete bearing sets — all gearbox and casing bearings for one machine in one shipment, so the overhaul has everything at hand;
• Matched gearbox parts — bull gears, pinion shafts and gears manufactured to sample or drawing when tooth wear has gone too far;
• Bearing temperature elements (RTD/TC) and mounting hardware on request.

Bearings for every series we support

Each row follows the way buyers search — compressor brand + model + bearing. Click through for the full parts list of that series.

Bearing photos — parts manufactured by Turbomax

Frequently asked questions

• Should bearings be replaced at every major overhaul? — We recommend replacing them whenever the machine is opened for a major overhaul, or at least whenever measured clearance is beyond specification. Bearings protect far more expensive parts: shafts, gears and impellers.
• Can you match the original bearing design? — Yes. We manufacture to the original drawings — pad number and angle, babbitt thickness, bore and running clearance — or reverse-engineer from a used sample.
• What causes carbon (coke) deposits on bearing pads? — Local hot spots: degraded or insufficient oil, restricted oil flow, or excessive clearance that lets the pad run hot. Coking must be cleaned or the bearing replaced, and the oil system checked.
• What do you need for a quotation? — Compressor model (e.g. IHI TRX160), shaft/station number, or photos of the used bearing with its dimensions.

How to get a quotation

Send us the compressor model and bearing position, the part number, or photos of the used bearing with its dimensions. Bearings are packed for sea or air freight worldwide.

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