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Is Edge
a Headline
Blended
Main Bearings
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Content

Introduction.................................................................................................. 5
Blended Edge Design.................................................................................... 6
Elastohydrodynamic (EHD) Simulations.......................................................... 6
Blended Edge Positions................................................................................ 7
Spare Part Bearings...................................................................................... 7
Lower Oil Groove Removal............................................................................ 7
Conclusion.................................................................................................... 7

Blended Edge Main Bearings

Introduction
The blended edge (BE) design was introduced on thin shell white metal main
bearings to better cope with crankshaft
inclinations and thereby increase its resistance towards edge fatigue failures.
The blended edge design is the corresponding thin shell feature as for the
thick shell flex-edge design in MC engines. The BE design was introduced in
2004 and has since that time successfully been used for new engines. Today,
the BE white metal bearing is featured
in the S46, S50, S60, S65, S70, S80,
K80, S90, K90 and K98 engine series.

Fig. 1: Typical fatigue damage to a white metal main bearing. The damage has in this case occurred at
the lower port side aft position. This bearing is of the plain design (i.e. no BE). The damage was detected
after 1,300 running hours

Occasionally, bearings fail without any

clear root cause, but for example indications of small imperfections of the
journal geometry could be found. In
such cases, a BE bearing could be the
solution, depending on the actual failure type. Fig. 1 shows a typical edge
orientated fatigue failure of the white
metal lining, and Fig. 2 shows the replaced blended edge bearing in good
condition after more than 7,000 running
hours.

Fig. 2: Blended edge bearing that replaced the bearing in Fig. 1. This photo was taken after more than
7,000 running hours. No traces of fatigue failures can be seen

Blended Edge Main Bearings

Blended Edge Design

The blended edge design consists of
a smooth radius that allows the main
bearing shaft to incline without risking
touching the bearing edge or causing
high oil film pressure near the edge.
The blended edge is described by two
dimensions, its length and its depth.
The actual values depend on engine
size and configuration. Fig. 3 shows an
example of a blended edge.
With a good blended edge design, the

Fig. 3: Blended edge, dimensions given in mm

high edge load can be reduced and

distributed over a larger area, thus
resulting in a decreased max. oil film

Plain bearing

Blended edge bearing

pressure and increased safety against

edge fatigue failure.

Elastohydrodynamic (EHD)
Simulations
For more than a decade, MAN Diesel
& Turbo has developed advanced software to perform evaluation of bearing
performance. With continuous investment in computer hardware, we can
now simulate all main bearings with
different parameters. This makes it
possible to optimise the main bearing
design. Figs 4 and 5 show EHD simulations of main bearings without and
with BE. With the BE design, the max.
oil film pressure is decreased by 40%,
Aft

and the minimum oil film thickness is

increased several times to a level that
provides good safety margin.

Port
Fig. 4: Max. oil film pressure. The red colour indicates high oil film pressure. The figure to the left is a
plain bearing and the figure to the right is a blended edge bearing

Blended Edge Main Bearings

Plain bearing

Blended edge bearing

Lower Oil Groove Removal

The oil groove feeds and distributes oil
into the bearing, but it also decreases
the bearing area. On engines with
high horizontal load, the combination
of blended edge and lower oil groove
causes poor fluid film conditions, see
Fig. 6. The influence of the lower oil
groove for the oil supply is marginal
and it is therefore considered better to
remove the lower oil groove to improve
the horizontal bearing load capacity.
This design change was implemented
in 2009 with good results.

Port

Aft

Fig. 5: Min. oil film thickness. The red colour indicates low oil film thickness. The figure to the left is a
plain bearing and the figure to the right is a blended edge bearing

Blended Edge Positions

Spare Part Bearings

Each main bearing in an engine is

The trade off with blended edge bear-

subjected to an individual load and in-

ings is its decreased bearing load ca-

clination orbit. The optimum blended

pacity when the inclinations are small

edge positions can only be determined

and the bearing force is very high. In

through EHD simulations. Such simula-

such positions, straight cylindrical ge-

tions have been performed on all en-

ometry bearings are the better choice,

gines, where blended edge bearings

and if blended edge bearings are spec-

are specified. For easy recognition by

ified elsewhere in the same engine, it

the crew, the blended edge bearing

must be equipped with both plain and

shells are marked BE type. When

blended edge spare parts. If an engine

the blended edge bearings were in-

is delivered with a BE spare part bear-

troduced, only a few positions were

ing only, BE bearings can be used in all

Conclusion

specified as BE. However, over time

main bearing positions.

The blended edge design provides im-

Fig. 6: Lower oil groove is highlighted with dashed

boxes

our experience of BE bearings has in-

proved distribution of edge pressure

creased, and we are today more likely

and in certain positions increases the

to use blended edge bearings in more

minimum oil film thickness by more than

positions. In a few engines, BE is even

100%. This dramatically decreases the

specified in all positions, since this has

risk of main bearing edge fatigue failure.

proven to be an improvement of the

bearing performance.

Blended Edge Main Bearings

All data provided in this document is non-binding. This data serves informational
purposes only and is especially not guaranteed in any way. Depending on the
subsequent specific individual projects, the relevant data may be subject to
changes and will be assessed and determined individually for each project. This
will depend on the particular characteristics of each individual project, especially
specific site and operational conditions. CopyrightMAN Diesel & Turbo.
5510-0113-01ppr May 2014 Printed in Denmark

MAN Diesel & Turbo

Teglholmsgade 41
2450 Copenhagen SV, Denmark
Phone +45 33 85 11 00
Fax +45 33 85 10 30
info-cph@mandieselturbo.com
www.mandieselturbo.com

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