Manufacturing and static performance of porous aerostatic bearings

Abstract

According to the common body of knowledge, aerostatic bearings invariably need narrow manufacturing tolerances to ensure maximal load capacity and high stiffness. This study experimentally investigates the manufacturing of porous material aerostatic bearings and the effect of manufacturing parameters on the performance properties of the bearings. During the study, samples were manufactured using different methods, and the geometrical and performance properties of each sample were inspected. The bearing performance measurement device developed during the study is introduced. The results present the dependence between manufacturing parameters and bearing properties under varying load and operating pressure conditions. The results clearly suggest that effect of bearing surface roughness on load capacity is small; meanwhile, surface planarity has a major impact on load capacity.