Abstract
Gas foil bearings belong to the group of slide bearings and are used in devices in which operation at high rotational speeds of the shafts are of key importance, e.g., in gas turbines. The air film developed on the surface of the bearing’s top foil allows this structural component to be separated from the shaft. This ensures a non-contact operation of the bearing. In the case of the mentioned type of bearings, their resultant operational properties are influenced by both thermal and mechanical phenomena. The current work presents a model of a gas foil bearing developed making use of the Finite Element Method. The model takes into account thermomechanical couplings which are necessary for the correct simulation of the operation of physical components of the modeled system. The paper reports the results of numerical analyzes conducted for the elaborated model as well as the relevant conclusions concerning thermomechanical couplings present in gas foil bearings. The method for the experimental identification of the temperature and strain fields in the bearing’s top foil proposed to validate the numerical model is also presented.
Highlights
The lifespan of the rotating machineries strongly depends on the technical condition and operating parameters of the used shafts’ bearings
The authors have developed a numerical model of the structural parts of the gas foil bearings (GFB) in order to characterize the selected mechanical and thermal properties of the top and bump foils in the bearing during its operation
The modificabearing’s supporting layer, the authors assumed that the above stated tion of the bump foils addressed an introduction of adequate material approach will not significantly affect the results of the analyzes on the removal in the areas of the installed thermocouples and strain gauges physical behavior of the GFB described in this paper
Summary
Most of the machines used in the industry require bearings to support shafts. It is necessary to support them to provide the capability of both carrying loads and allowing rotation. The authors have developed a numerical model of the structural parts of the GFB in order to characterize the selected mechanical and thermal properties of the top and bump foils in the bearing during its operation.
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