Literature & Knowledge Center
Trusted technical guidance on Kingsbury products, technologies, and applications.
Kingsbury has organized decades of bearing expertise into catalogs, technical papers, case studies, how-to guides, and videos so you can solve real problems and make confident decisions.
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Catalogs and Product Guides
PRODUCT GUIDEA General Guide to Hydrodynamic Bearings
A guide to fluid film bearing fundamentals, common applications, and what to look for in design, operation, and troubleshooting.
PRODUCT GUIDELEG Directed Lubrication Thrust & Journal Bearings
An overview of LEG directed lubrication thrust and journal designs that reduce hot oil carryover, lower operating temperature, and cut…
PRODUCT GUIDEKingsbury Journal Bearings
An overview of tilting pad journal bearing designs, options, and application guidance focused on stability, load capacity, and misalignment tolerance.…
PRODUCT GUIDEKingCole Directed Lubrication Thrust Bearings
An overview of KingCole directed lubrication thrust bearing designs for demanding thrust loads, improved temperature margin, and efficient oil use.…
PRODUCT GUIDELow-Profile Directed Lubrication Thrust Bearings
An overview of slim, low-profile LEG thrust bearings for tight axial envelope constraints, with the performance benefits of directed lubrication.…
PRODUCT GUIDEEqualizing Thrust Bearings
An overview of equalizing thrust bearing designs that distribute axial load across pads to improve reliability and reduce localized wear.…
PRODUCT GUIDEEuropean-Type Thrust Bearings
An overview of European style thrust bearing designs and sizes, with application notes for common OEM configurations and retrofit needs.…
SERVICES GUIDERepair & Service Guide
A full range of aftermarket services for total customer support, including fluid film bearing repair, upgrades, and retrofits that help…
PRODUCT GUIDEVertical Hydro Thrust Bearings
An overview of vertical thrust bearing designs for hydro units, including load sharing, thermal performance, and system integration considerations.
PRODUCT GUIDESelf-Lubricating Thrust/Journal Combination Bearings
An overview of combination thrust and journal bearing assemblies with self-contained lubrication features for specific retrofit and package applications.
PRODUCT GUIDETilting Shoe Thrust Bearings
Features tilt pad thrust bearings engineered to meet European fluid-film bearing standards. The catalog provides bearing specifications, sizing guidance, lubrication…
Technical Articles and Case Studies
TECHNICAL PAPERThe Basics of Axial Clearance in Thrust Bearings
Getting thrust bearing end play right is the key to reliable oil film formation, proper alignment, and long-term bearing health.…
TECHNICAL PAPEREvaluation of a High‑Speed, Light‑Load Phenomenon in Tilting‑Pad Thrust Bearings
Tilting‑pad thrust bearings are normally prized for their stability, yet under very light load and high rotational speed they can…
TECHNICAL PAPERThe Effect of Shoe-Backing Material on the Thermal Performance of aTilting-Pad Thrust Bearing
Tilting‑pad thrust bearings rely on babbitted shoes that become vulnerable as temperatures rise, making heat management a key performance factor.…
TECHNICAL PAPERUnusual Conditions in High-Speed Turbomachinery Bearings
High‑speed turbomachinery bearings can behave unpredictably even under conditions that appear normal. This paper highlights four such cases—including reverse rotation…
TECHNICAL PAPERReducing Power Losses in Tilting Pad Bearings
This paper explores how shear-dependent non-Newtonian lubricants can reduce power losses in tilting pad thrust bearings while maintaining reliability. Test…
TECHNICAL PAPERA Review of Thrust Bearings Used in Rotary Air Preheaters
Author: Bruce R. FabijonasProceedings of the 22nd Tribo‑Pprime Workshop (2023) A Review of Thrust Bearings Used in Rotary Air Preheaters…
PRODUCT GUIDEComputational Analysis of the Equalization Behavior of Thrust Bearings with Regular and Modified Leveling Plates
Monitoring the behavior of fluid film bearing components is an important aspect of bearing design.
PRODUCT GUIDEThermohydrodynamic Modeling of a Tapered-Land Thrust Bearing with Validation Against Experimental Data
In this work, a computational fluid-film bearing analysis model has been utilized in order to investigate the conjugate heat transfer…
PRODUCT GUIDEFluid Film Thrust Bearing Comparison
Fluid film thrust bearings are expected to handle ever higher loads and speeds and to fit in a smaller footprint,…
PRODUCT GUIDEJournal Bearing Vibration and SSV Hash
This paper presents shaft and pad vibration data from various tilt-pad journal bearing tests that were undertaken to investigate and…
PRODUCT GUIDETest Results Comparing the Effect of Reverse Rotation on Offset Pivot Journal Bearing Pad Babbitt Temperatures
Features tilt pad thrust bearings engineered to meet European fluid-film bearing standards. The catalog provides bearing specifications, sizing guidance, lubrication…
PRODUCT GUIDEFluid Film Bearings – Selection, Troubleshooting and Repair
During every second of every day, machines all over the world are working to provide the products we demand. These…
PRODUCT GUIDEThe Effect of Lubricant Supply Temperature on Thrust Bearing Performance
This paper compares and analyzes the influence of lubricant supply temperature on the performance of a tilting-pad, equalizing, thrust bearing.
PRODUCT GUIDEEffects of High-Operating Speeds on Tilting Pad Thrust Bearing Performance
A comparison of the high-speed performance characteristics of tilting-pad, self-equalizing type thrust bearings through two independent full-scale programs.
Troubleshooting
PRODUCT GUIDEA General Guide to the Principles,Operation and Troubleshooting of Hydrodynamic Bearings
This technical catalog serves as a clear, working reference to the principles, operation, and troubleshooting of hydrodynamic bearings. It explains…
TROUBLESHOOTINGFluid Film Bearings – Selection, Troubleshooting and Repair
During every second of every day, machines all over the world are working to provide the products we demand. These…
TROUBLESHOOTINGAxial Subsychronous Vibration
Axial subsynchronous vibration (SSV) can appear suddenly in turbomachinery and reach amplitudes large enough to threaten rotor components, thrust bearings,…
TROUBLESHOOTINGNumerical and Experimental Analysis of Starvation in a Tilting Pad Journal Bearing
This paper presents experimental and computational work aimed at understanding how individual pads behave in a tilting pad journal bearing…
TROUBLESHOOTINGTroubleshooting Tilting Pad Thrust Bearings
Tilting pad thrust bearings are generally reliable, but when distress occurs, understanding the underlying cause is essential for preventing recurrence.…
PRODUCT GUIDEHow to Estimate Babbitt Bearing Temperature
To estimate the babbitt temperature at the recommended 75/75 position, the graph on this page illustrates performance comparisons of different…
PRODUCT GUIDEKingsbury Design Features in Lubrication, Setting Clearance
Since 1912, Kingsbury has gained unequaled experience in designing and manufacturing thrust bearings. This section details design features which we…
PRODUCT GUIDEPreventing Electrical Pitting Damage in Babbitted Hydrodynamic Bearings
Electrical pitting damage, caused by intermediate arcing between stationary and rotating machine components, erodes the babbitted surface of a bearing,…
PRODUCT GUIDEOverheating
Overheating damage may represent itself in many ways, such as babbitt discoloration, cracking, wiping or deformation. It may result from…
PRODUCT GUIDEEvaluating Operating Temperatures
An analysis of tilting-pad thrust bearing operating temperatures is described. The analysis includes an evaluation of various temperature locations based…
History
HistoryBold Ideas Require Bold Testing
Dr. Albert Kingsbury changed the course of heavy machinery with a bold new idea. This story follows the invention of…
HistoryDr. Albert Kingsbury
This catalog offers a detailed portrait of Albert Kingsbury, tracing the life, work, and character of the inventor whose tilting‑pad…
HistoryThe Kingsbury Bearing Centennial Celebration
This commemorative catalog traces the first ninety years of Kingsbury’s engineering legacy, from Albert Kingsbury’s original fluid film thrust bearing…
HistoryKingsbury: Celebrating 90 years of innovation.1912-2002
This commemorative catalog traces the first ninety years of Kingsbury’s engineering legacy, from Albert Kingsbury’s original fluid film thrust bearing…
HistoryThe Kingsbury Bearing at Holtwood
This catalog documents the origin and enduring impact of the first Kingsbury fluid‑film thrust bearing, installed at the Holtwood Hydroelectric…
Videos
Archives
ARCHIVESKingsbury Bearings for Turbines, Steam and Gas
This catalog details Kingsbury thrust and journal bearings designed specifically for steam and gas turbine service. It explains bearing fundamentals,…
ARCHIVESKingsbury Bearings for Centrifugal Pumps
This catalog documents Kingsbury thrust and journal bearing designs developed specifically for centrifugal pump service. It covers horizontal and vertical…
ARCHIVESThe Kingsbury Guide Book
This guide presents a comprehensive overview of Kingsbury thrust and journal bearings for industrial and marine applications. It explains the…
ARCHIVESKingsbury Bearings for Dredge Pumps & Dredge Propulsion
This catalog focuses on Kingsbury thrust and journal bearings developed for heavy‑duty dredge pump and dredge propulsion service. It explains…
ARCHIVESKingsbury Bearings for Marine Propulsion
This catalog documents Kingsbury thrust and journal bearings designed specifically for marine propulsion service. It covers bearing selection, mounting, lubrication,…
ARCHIVESSelf‑Aligning Equalized Thrust Bearings for Horizontal and Vertical Applications
This catalog documents the dimensions, load capacities, and typical mountings of Kingsbury self‑aligning equalized thrust bearings for both horizontal and…
ARCHIVESEqualizing Bearings, Horizontal & Vertical
An overview of equalizing bearing assemblies for horizontal and vertical machines, covering common configurations, design features, and selection notes.
ARCHIVESEqualizing Bearings, Marine & Industrial
An overview of equalizing bearing designs for marine and industrial duty, with hardware and lubrication considerations for real operating conditions.
