Foil Bearings Research Articles

Research on Linear Actuators for Active Foil Bearings.

Active foil bearings are a kind of gas foil bearing. They contain actuators which allow for modification of the bearing sleeve size and the shape of the lubrication gap. Rotor vibrations can be actively controlled by these changes. It is possible, among other things, to reduce the starting torque, control the vibration amplitude at different speeds and improve operational safety. Prototypes of active foil bearings are being developed based on different mechanical concepts. This paper provides an analysis of the linear mechanisms that are the base, and they are crucial for such developments. In the literature, there is a lack of characteristics of these actuators tested under real operating conditions of an active foil bearing. This article aims to fill this gap. New test rigs have been developed and used to precisely investigate the possibility of using actuators in active foil bearings. Since their geometry and control methods differ, the measurement systems have been adapted accordingly. The actuators studied were piezoelectrics, shape-memory alloys (SMAs) and stepper motors. Each of them was characterized by different operating characteristics. The results obtained allow for a comparison of the actuators. This approach is especially useful for the design and analysis of active foil bearings.

Performances investigation and multi‐objective optimization of gas foil bearings in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

Performances investigation and multi‐objective optimization of gas foil bearings in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

Thermal Characterization of a Gas Foil Bearing-A Novel Method of Experimental Identification of the Temperature Field Based on Integrated Thermocouples Measurements.

Maintenance of adequate thermal properties is critical for correct operation of a gas foil bearing. In this work, the authors present the results of the experimentally conducted thermal characterization of a prototype installation of the bearing. A novel method of temperature identification, based on integrated thermocouples readings, has been employed to determine the thermal properties of the specialized sensing top foil mounted in the tested bearing. Two measurement campaigns have been subsequently completed, applying freely-suspended and two-node support configurations, to gather complementary knowledge regarding the bearing’s operation. Apart from the rotational speed and temperature field measurements, the authors have also studied the friction torque and the shaft’s journal trajectories based on its radial displacements. The temporal courses for the above-mentioned quantities have enabled inference on the effects present during run-up, run-out and stable state operation at a constant speed. As confirmed, the applied distribution of the integrated sensors allows for temperature readings on the entire outer surface of the foil, and therefore, provides useful data for the bearing characterization. The work is concluded with presentation of the recommended directions regarding future improvements of the proposed measurement technique and more comprehensive study of the bearing’s characteristics.

A Simplified Model for Numerical Investigation of Bump-Type Foil Bearings Based on Contact Nonlinearity

Abstract The paper introduces a simplified structural model for the numerical investigation of bump-type foil bearings. This analytical model is based on an efficient nonlinear contact procedure with consideration of friction, small deformations, and elasticity. The bump foil is modeled with a truss structure, while the top foil uses two-dimensional (2D) beam elements. In this present model, the normal and tangential contact forces between the bump foil and the bearing sleeve and between the foils are dealt with the penalty method. Even for a simple loading, the contact state might change between separation, stick, and slip. To avoid convergence problems caused by discontinuity, the regularized smooth friction model is used instead of the Coulomb friction model. In addition, due to contact problems that depend on time are accompanied by nonlinear evolution, the solution of the system equation using the incremental iterative method and the Newton–Raphson method is presented. The deflection of the top foil is added to the film controlled by the Reynolds equation (RE) to obtain the air pressure distribution. The theoretical predictions of the rotor push-pull tests agree well with results from the literature, which verifies the validity of the model. Using this present model, the quasi-static behaviors of the foil structure are mainly discussed, and parametric studies concerning environmental pressure and radial clearance are also conducted.

Experimental Study of Various Low-Friction Coatings for High-Temperature Gas Foil Bearings Under Cold-Start Conditions

Abstract This article presents the experimental research carried out on five different materials with which the top foils have been coated. A foil bearing with these foils was tested under different load conditions. The key operating parameters were determined, such as the moment of friction during the run-up and run-down tests as well as the temperature of the top foil. The AS20 coating, like the TiAlN coating, was intact (with the exception of several places where it was worn and where the Inconel sheet was visible) and was suitable for further use. The WC/C coating was damaged in many places, which shows that this type of coating cannot be used in combination with a journal coated with chromium oxide. The foil coated with MoS2/C had many areas where the coating was worn and also many areas where it was erased completely, so this type of coating was not durable. The use of a combination of TiAlN and MoS2/C coatings resulted in minor wear of the outer coating (made of MoS2/C) and the appearance of the inner coating, which is more resistant to abrasion. The tested materials will be used in the future to build a foil bearing resistant to operation at elevated temperatures in a gas microturbine.

Experimental Investigation of Two Switching States of an Active Foil Bearing during Start-Up

The next few years will be marked by major changes in the mobility sector in order to come closer to CO2 neutrality. Especially in the commercial vehicle sector, fuel cells can make an important contribution. In order to achieve this, the efficiency of all subcomponents of a vehicle has to be improved. This also includes the bearings in the electrical air compressors. The frequent start–stop cycles are critical, as they can lead to higher wear and thus a shorter service life. One solution is a prototype that can actively switch between a triangular profile and a round bearing shape. In this work, the two switching states are investigated experimentally. Instead of the thin bearing sleeve of the prototype, rigid sleeves are used for each switching shape. This allows the shape itself to be studied without the contribution of the stiffness of the thin bearing sleeve along with the actuators. The examination includes static load tests and run-out tests in the range of the lift-off speed. Alongside this, the difficulties of the bearing production and the improvement of the test rig used are pointed out.

A fully coupled 3D elastohydrodynamic model built with MITC element for static performance analysis of gas foil bearings

PurposeThis paper aims to present a 3D static performance analysis model for the gas foil journal bearing to provide better understanding of the gas foil journal bearing and extend the development of the calculation about the static performance.Design/methodology/approachThe foil bearing can be seen as a shell structure, and the mixed interpolation of tensorial components (MITC) element was used to build the shell model. The augmented Lagrange method was used to calculate the contact involving friction between foils and between the foil and the bearing sleeve. A displacement-controlled load scheme was used to calculate the deformation of the foils. A mapping operator was used to map the film pressure from the gas to the surface of the top foil.FindingsThis method provides high precision of calculation in the prediction of the static performance. The calculation results were compared with the experimental data, and they show good agreement. Meanwhile, the model can be applied in the prediction of the bearing performance in a broad range of working conditions.Originality/valueThis method extends the calculation of the gas foil journal bearing to a 3D scale and shows good agreement with the experimental data. Meanwhile, the present model has a good adaptability on the revolution speed and can be applied to the predictions in varied working conditions.

Influence of Ambient Pressure on Measured Stiffness and Damping of Radial Gas Foil Bearings

Abstract As gas bearings have gained popularity, they have been used in a diverse range of applications. In many cases these bearings are used in various process gases at a range of pressures. Although numerous analytical tools exist to predict the behavior of gas bearings in these environments, these tools are challenging to validate. The current work describes a test loop that is capable of measuring rotordynamic force coefficients in a hermetically sealed environment. To the author's knowledge, this capability is the first of its kind. To illustrate operation of the test rig, an industrial 3-lobe gas-foil bearing was installed in the test fixture, and operated at pressures from 0.5 to 3.5 bara at speeds ranging from 25 to 65 krpm. The tests show that dynamic coefficients increase with speed and pressure; however, a slight reduction in coefficients were observed at the highest speed under ambient conditions. In addition, subambient pressure tests showed higher than ambient stiffness, but comparably low damping in comparison to the other test cases. It is believed that this is the first publication of gas foil bearing coefficients at subambient pressure.

Influence of contact friction on static characteristics of multileaf bump foil bearing

In order to reveal the influence mechanism of foil contact friction on the multi-leaf bump foil bearing performance, a deformation simulation model is established under the contact constraint of multi top foils and bump foils, and the analysis of the fluid-structure interaction is realized by combining with the Reynolds equation of compressible gas. The influence of the nonlinear variation of foil stiffness caused by contact friction on the static characteristics of the bearing under different bearing numbers is numerically analyzed. The results show: the foil stiffness increases nonlinearly with the foil deformation and presents the characteristic of circumferential non-uniformity. With the increase of the deformation of foil, the influence of friction coefficient on the foil stiffness is more significant. Within the parameters studied in this paper, the friction coefficient increases from 0 to 0.5, the bearing capacity increases first and then decreases when the bearing numbers is small; the bearing capacity increases monotonically when the bearing numbers is large, the higher the bearing numbers, the more significant the growth rate. The attitude angle increases with the increase of friction coefficient, and the bearing becomes more and more unstable. When the bearing numbers is large, we should pay more attention to the influence of friction on bearing performance. The computed model emphasizing nonlinear stiffness in this paper is close to the realities, and the results can provide guidance in the design of multi-leaf bump foil bearing.

Comparable analysis of PID controller settings in order to ensure reliable operation of active foil bearings

In comparison to the traditional solutions, active bearings offer great operating flexibility, ensure better operating conditions over a wider range of rotational speeds and are safe to use. In order to ensure optimum bearing performance a bearing control system is used that adapts different geometries during device operation. The selection of optimal controller parameters requires the use of modern optimization methods that make it possible to quickly achieve the assumed parameters. This article presents the method that has been employed to select the parameters of a proportional integral derivative (PID) controller, in which both stochastic algorithms and hybrid methods have been compared. The results show that all of the used algorithms were able to reach the global optimum but only the hybrid algorithm was repeatable in all runs within a low value of the standard deviation. The best solution will be proposed in the future to control an active foil bearing. Analysing of this paper would help to prevent failures of active foil bearing used in the designed rotating machine.

Modelling, analysis and optimization of design parameter of bump-type gas foil journal bearing

The bump-type gas foil bearing (GFB) is widely used in various high-speed oil-free turbomachinery due to its extra features such as high-speed capability without any external oil lubricant. Under the high-speed condition, the performance characteristics of GFB are majorly dependent on its design parameter. Thus, this paper briefly analyzes and optimizes the design parameters of bump-type GFB to improve its performance characteristic. The numerical simulation of bump-type GFB is performed in ANSYS software. The effect of various design parameters such as foil thickness, bump half-length, bump pitch, and bump angle on the output responses are analyzed using a response surface methodology based CCD design matrix. Here, the output responses are structural stiffness and the equivalent stress in foil bearing. To optimize it, the multi-objective GRA technique is used. These results show that the foil thickness is the most influencing and the bump angle is the least influencing design parameter. The optimal value of foil thickness, bump angle, bump half-length and bump pitch are 0.14 mm, 63.75 deg., 1.55 mm and 4.6 mm respectively. At these optimal design parameters, the deviation between the predicted regression model and the numerical results are within 3.5%. Moreover, with these optimal design parameters, the structural stiffness of foil bearings increases by 68.4% and stress distribution reduces by 44.22% compared to the general configuration of foil bearings.

Design and Key Technology of Oil-Free Centrifugal Air Compressor for Hydrogen Fuel Cell

For a 120kW hydrogen fuel cell system, a centrifugal air compressor with fixed power of 22kW fuel cell is designed. Firstly, the theoretical calculation is carried out for the aerodynamic characteristics of a ultra-high-speed permanent magnet synchronous motor, an air compressor, and an aerodynamic foil bearing. Then, a prototype is trial-produced and a related test bench is built for test verification. Finally, both the simulation and test results indicate that the designed centrifugal air compressor meets the overall requirements of the hydrogen fuel cell system, and the relevant conclusions provide both theoretical and experimental references for the subsequent series development and design of the centrifugal air compressor.

Theoretical investigation of hybrid foil-magnetic bearings on operation mode and load sharing strategy

This paper presents a theoretical investigation on operation mode and load sharing strategy of hybrid foil-magnetic bearings (HFMBs). According to the inherent characteristics of gas foil bearings (GFBs) and active magnetic bearings (AMBs), six possible work scopes are discussed to understand the operation mode of HFMBs. A numerical model coupling the calculations of the film pressure in GFBs and the magnetic forces in AMBs is conducted to predict the operation performance of HFMBs. The accuracy of the model is proved by comparing the predicted and tested friction torques. Analysis on the static and dynamic performance of HFMBs within three representative cases is conducted by varying the load sharing ratio. The dynamic supporting stiffness and operation position of HFMBs can be obviously enhanced by adjusting the operating mode and load sharing strategy. Results show that the direct stiffness and dynamic damping of HFMBs adopting hybrid mode are significantly higher than those adopting AMB or GFB independent mode.

Modeling and stability characteristics of bump-type gas foil bearing rotor systems considering stick–slip friction

Frictional energy dissipation inside the foil structure is considered as a key factor in improving the stability of the gas foil bearing (GFB) rotor system. However, the effect and mechanism of friction on the stability of bump-type GFB rotor systems have remained partially addressed. This study aims to develop a novel comprehensive model to investigate the stability and frictional dissipation mechanism of the GFB rotor system. The LuGre dynamic friction model is adopted to capture accurate stick–slip states. The model order reduction technique and simultaneous solution framework are applied to improve the computational efficiency. The effect of friction on linear and nonlinear stability is investigated based on the proposed model, and an analysis of frictional dissipation is performed to explain the mechanism. The results reveal that the dissipation capacity of the foil structure is directly governed by the stick–slip states that are affected by the friction coefficient and disturbance magnitude, so the optimal friction coefficient for nonlinear stability is higher than the one for linear stability of the GFB rotor system. A further comparison between different friction models greatly highlights the necessity of the ability of the friction model to capture accurate stick–slip states.

Development and Performance Measurements of Gas Foil Polymer Bearings with a Dual-Rotor Test Rig Driven by Permanent Magnet Electric Motor

The rotordynamic stability of journal gas foil–polymer bearings (GFPBs) applied to a dual-rotor bearing system was investigated. The GFPB has a high damping structure, i.e., it has an additional polymer layer, and top/bump/bottom foil structures. Test GFPBs were fabricated with nitrile butadiene rubber polymer layers with a thickness of 2 mm. Static-load-deflection tests of test gas foil bearings (GFBs) and GFPBs were performed to estimate the geometric bearing clearance (200 µm). The dual-rotor rotordynamic test rig consisted of a motor rotor, test rotor, and beam-type coupling. Two journal test bearings were installed on both the drive-end and non-drive-end sides of the test rotor. Predicting and testing the natural mode characteristics of the dual rotors revealed that the relative error between them was less than 7%, indicating that the first and second natural frequencies were 15 Hz and 160 Hz, respectively, and the third natural frequency was 1835 Hz in the tests. Based on the API 612 standard, the upper limit of the rotating speed for the test rig was limited to be approximately 92 krpm with a separation margin of 26%. Rotordynamic tests were conducted to examine the stability performance of GFBs and GFPBs, where the adjusted bearing clearance was 150 µm. The test results indicate that GFPBs have better stability performance in terms of delaying and suppressing unstable vibrations than GFBs. Specifically, GFPBs showed stable synchronous and subsynchronous responses up to a maximum rotating speed of 80 krpm. As a result, GFPB is a reliable lubricating element that can be used for vibration dampening in machines operating at relatively low temperatures.

Experimental analysis of influence of double-layer bump foils on aerodynamic thrust foil bearings performance

PurposeGas thrust foil bearings (GTFBs) are used to balance the axial load of engines. However, in some working conditions of large axial force, such as the use of single impeller air compressor, the load capacity of GTFBs is still insufficient. To solve this problem, the load capacity can be improved by increasing the stiffness of bump foil. The purpose of this paper is to explore a scheme to effectively improve the performance of thrust foil bearings. In the paper, the stiffness of bump foil is improved by increasing the thickness of bump foil and using double-layer bump foil.Design/methodology/approachThe foil deformation of GTFBs supported by three different types of bump foils, the relationship between friction power consumption and external force and the difference of limited load capacity were measured by experimental method.FindingsThe variation of the foil deformation, bearing stiffness, friction power consumption with the external force at different speeds and limited load capacity are obtained. Based on experimental results, the selection scheme of bump foil thickness is obtained.Originality/valueThis paper provides a feasible method for the performance optimization of GTFBs.

Performance of textured foil journal bearing considering the influence of relative texture depth

Both foil structure and surface texturing have been widely used to improve bearing performance. However, there is little research on their combination, namely, textured gas foil bearing. This paper adopts the Reynolds equation as the pressure governing equation of bump-type foil journal bearing to study the influence of textures located on the top foil. The Newton-Raphson iterative method and the perturbation method are employed to obtain static and dynamic characteristics, respectively. Thereafter, based on three texture distribution types, further analysis about the effect of the relative texture depth and the textured portion is carried out. The results indicate that an appropriate arrangement of textures could improve the performance of gas foil bearing. For #1 texture distribution, the maximum increment of load capacity could exceed 10% when ω = 1.4 × 105 r/min, ε = 0.2.

Experimental Evaluation of Bearing Characteristics of Bump Mesh Foil Bearing

Foil bearings are a type of gas bearing consisting of a thin metal top foil supported from behind by an elastic body. Therefore, the bearing characteristics of a foil bearing are highly dependent on the support structure, and there is a need to improve the damping and lifting performance. In this study, a new support structure, bump mesh foil, was proposed to achieve both damping and lifting performance, and its elastic properties at rest and lifting properties during shaft rotation were experimentally evaluated. The experimental results showed that the damping performance of bump mesh foil bearing was improved while having enough the same lifting performance as bump foil bearing.

Experimental Study on the Effect of Top Foil Sagging on the Performance of Thrust Foil Bearing

Experimental Study on the Effect of Top Foil Sagging on the Performance of Thrust Foil Bearing

A review of thermohydrodynamic aspects of gas foil bearings

In recent times, gas foil bearings have become popular for commercial use in the aircraft and space industry, turbocompressors, turbine generators and in the more complex fields of turbochargers and turboexpanders. The gain in popularity for gas foil bearings is due to their features such as contamination-free zone, wide temperature range, higher stability and higher reliability characteristics as compared to other types of bearings. However, several challenges have come across while analysing the gas foil bearing behaviour at different working conditions. The current paper presents an overview of the work done in the past few decades for developing numerical models and listing the efforts of several researchers around the world to conduct the experimental investigation for predicting and analysing thermohydrodynamic behaviour of gas foil bearings at different operating conditions. It is expected that the current paper will help readers to thoroughly understand the hydrodynamic and thermal aspects of gas foil bearings.