The effect of the arc on annular-thrust aerostatic porous bearings

Abstract

PurposeAerostatic porous bearings are important for guide rails and spindles. It is well-known that flow restrictors made of porous materials offer major advantages over conventional restrictors in such bearings, including design and manufacturing, load-carrying capacity, stiffness, damping and dynamic stability. Thus, this work numerically investigates the effect of the arc on a new combined annular-thrust aerostatic porous bearing.Design/methodology/approachThe static characteristics of an annular-thrust aerostatic porous bearing were studied using a fast finite element scheme. The pressure distribution, radial load and thrust load were analyzed as functions of the arc, permeability and eccentricity.FindingsThe results reveal that the radial load achieves maximal values at an optimal arc value between 200 and 300, and the thrust load increases monotonically with increasing arc.Originality/valueThis work developed a new combined annular-thrust aerostatic porous bearing to investigate the effect of arc on the annular-thrust aerostatic porous bearings to increase the load-carrying capacity.