In steam turbines running at very high RPM i.e 3600 to 6000 RPM,how engineers maintain gap between rotating and stationary parts? The gap is very very small like 0.5 mm to 0.9 mm

Question

In steam turbines running at very high RPM i.e 3600 to 6000 RPM,how engineers maintain gap between rotating and stationary parts? The gap is very very small like 0.5 mm to 0.9 mm

In: Engineering

Answer 1

Bearings.

Often roller or ball bearings that allow an inner ring to rotate relative to a fixed outer ring with low friction.

A more interesting problem is between stationary and sliding parts, like the steam piston. This gap is sealed with a lubricated piston ring that’s springy and allowed to expand or compress to keep a tight seal.