Determination of the Lift-Off Speed in Foil Bearings Using Various Measurement Methods

Abstract

Abstract One of the most important parameters describing the operation of foil bearings is the speed at which—under certain load conditions—a lubricating film is created. Knowing the value of this parameter, one can determine the nature of the operation of a rotor that is supported by these bearings. The lift-off speed is usually determined during the run-up and coast down of the rotor using the measured moment of friction as a function of the rotational speed. In this article, this method has been compared with other measurement methods proposed by the authors. The first method consisted in recording the temperature of the bearing's top foil during its operation, while the second method was based on measuring the current-voltage characteristics of the electro-spindle used in the drive system. As a result of the conducted research, a simple method that allows determining the lift-off speed in foil bearings was proposed. This method can be applied to various types of high-speed machines, such as turbocompressors or microturbines.