Research on the Load Characteristics of Squeezed Film Gas Bearings

Abstract

In this paper, a gas microbody is proposed to address the issues related to the limited load‐carrying capacity of squeezed film gas bearings, complex mechanical structures, large overall dimensions, high manufacturing costs, and complicated installation. Initially, the gas continuity equation of squeezed film was established for modal analysis, without regard to the gas inertial force and the gas volume force which are all far less than the gas viscous force. Then the load‐carrying characteristics of squeezed film gas bearing were studied and analyzed with the fluid‐structure coupling method. The load‐carrying capacity of the squeezed film gas bearing is determined by factors such as bearing amplitude, rotor‐axial clearance, and rotor‐axial tile contact area. In conclusion, the load‐carrying capacity can be enhanced by increasing the amplitude value, reducing the clearance, and increasing the contact area. Among them, when adjusting the amplitude and clearance to improve the bearing’s load‐carrying capacity, the stability of bearing operation should be considered. When the clearance is too small, the pressure distribution of the air film will be uneven, and when the contact area is too large, the development of the air film in all directions will be asymmetrical.