• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.261-272
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• 2021

This study investigates the structural characteristics of oil-free, gas beam foil journal bearings (GBFJBs) for use in high speed motors. Mathematical modeling was carried out, and reaction force modeling for static load was performed to predict the structural characteristics of the GBFJB. Mathematical modeling and reaction force modeling for static load are performed to predict the structural characteristics of GBFJBs. The reaction force of the test bearing against static loads was measured during experiments and compared with the predicted results. The measured experimental data reveal the nonlinear stiffness characteristics of the GBFJB against varying displacement and agree well with the predictions. Dynamic load tests using an exciter allow to identify the vibration characteristics of the GBFJB. Test results show that the vibration displacement, dynamic force, and acceleration measured on the test bearing are most dominant at the applied dynamic load (synchronization) frequency. Futhermore, the test results show that the hysteresis area recorded during the dynamic tests increases with the excitation amplitude and frequency, and that the beam stick phenomena occurr at high excitation frequencies. The single degree of freedom (DOF) vibration model aids to identify the stiffness and damping coefficient of the GBFJB, which decrease as the excitation frequency increases.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.267-272
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• 2003

This paper presents a performance analysis model of corrugated bump foil bearings. The analyses for not only 1st generation bump foil journal bearings but also bump foil thrust bearings are performed. Static performances such as load capacity, attitude angle, pressure distribution, foil deflection, and film thickness are accurately estimated by using soft elasto-hydrodynamic analysis technique and finite difference numerical method. Also dynamic performances such as stiffness coefficients and damping coefficients are estimated by perturbation method. The analysis technique may be appliable to rotordynamic analysis, stability analysis, and optimized bearing design.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.190-198
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• 2019

Gas foil bearings (GFBs) enable small- to medium-sized turbomachinery to operate at ultra-high speeds in a compact design by using ambient air or process gas as a lubricant. When using air or process gas, which have lower viscosity than lubricant oil, the turbomachinery has the advantage of reduced power loss from bearing friction drag. However, GFBs may have high Reynolds number, which causes turbulent flows due to process gas with low viscosity and high density. This paper analyzes gas foil journal bearings (GFJBs) with high Reynolds numbers and studies the effects of turbulent flows on the static and dynamic performance of bearings. For comparison purposes, air and R-134a gas lubricants are applied to the GFJBs. For the air lubricant, turbulence is dominant only at rotor speeds higher than 200 krpm. At those speeds, the journal eccentricity decreases, but the film thickness, power loss, and direct stiffness and damping coefficients increase. On the other hand, the R-134a gas lubricant, which that has much higher density than air, causes dominant turbulence at rotor speeds greater than 10 krpm. The turbulent flow model predicts decreased journal eccentricity but increased film thickness and power loss when compared with the lamina flow model predictions. The vertical direct stiffness and damping coefficients are lower at speeds below 100 krpm, but higher beyond that speeds for the turbulent model. The present results indicate that turbulent flow effects should be considered for accurate performance predictions of GFJBs with high Reynolds number.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.219-227
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• 2007

The dynamic performance of air foil bearings relies on a coupling between a thin air film and an elastic foil structure. A number of successful analytical techniques to predict dynamic performance have been developed. However, the evaluation of its dynamic characteristic is still not enough because of the mechanical complexity of the foil structure and strong nonlinear behavior of friction force. This work presents a nonlinear transient analysis method to predict dynamic performance of foil bearings. In this method, time dependent Reynolds equation is used to calculate pressure distribution and a finite element method is used to model the bump foil structure. The analysis is treated with a direct implicit integration technique that can handle nonlinear problems and the stick-slip algorithm is used to consider friction force. Using this method the response to the mass unbalance excitation is investigated for various design parameters and operating conditions. The results of analysis show that foil bearing is very effective on the restriction of vibration at the resonance frequency compared to the rigid surface bearings and the effectiveness depends on the operating conditions, static load and a amount of mass unbalance. In addition, there exist optimum values of friction coefficient, bump foil stiffness and number of circumferential slit with regards to minimizing dynamic response at the resonance frequency. These optimum values are system dependent.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.245-251
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• 2004

This paper presents the effects of the bump foil stiffness on the static and dynamic performance of the foil journal bearings. Reynolds equation is used for the static and dynamic performance analyses. To consider the deflection of top foil the top foil is modeled as a elastic beam and the bump foil is modeled as a spring. So in the static performance analysis the load capacity is compared to the various bump foil stiffness and in the dynamic performance analysis the trajectory of journal center is compared to the various bump foil stiffness.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.256-262
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• 2005

The calculation of bump foil deflection is very important to predict the performance of foil bearings more accurately, because the foil bearings consist of top foil and its elastic foundation usually called bump foil. For the purpose of this, a finite element model considering 3-dimensional structure of the bump foil is developed to calculate the deflection of inter-connected bump. The results obtained from the suggested model are compared and analyzed with those from the previous proposed deflection models. In addition, load capacity of the foil bearings is analyzed by using this model.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.378-385
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• 2008

In foil bearings, the friction between bumps and their mating surfaces is the major factor which exerts great influence on the bearing performance. From this point of view, many efforts have been made to improve the understanding of the influence of the friction on the foil bearing performance by developing a number of analytical models. However, most of them did not consider the hysteretic behavior of the foil structure resulting from the friction. The present work developed the static structural model in which hysteretic behavior of the friction was considered. The foil structure was modeled using finite element method and the algorithm which determines the conditions of the contact nodes and the directions of the friction forces was used to take into account the friction. The developed model was integrated into the foil bearing prediction code to investigate the effects of the friction on the static performance of the bearing. The results of analysis show that multiple static equilibrium positions are presented for the one static load under the influence of the friction, inferring its great effects on the dynamic performance. However, the effect of friction on the minimum film thickness which determines load capacity of the bearing is negligible.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.153-159
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• 2002

This paper describes a durability characteristics of an air-lubricated bump foil journal bearing for high speed turbomachinerys at room temperature. At first, lift-off test and load capacity test were performed to understand the general characteristics of an air-lubricated bump foil Journal bearing. A 52 N weighted bump foil bearing sleeve was lilted off from a rotating Journal at about 3,000 rpm, and produced a load capacity of 500 N at an operating speed of 15,000 rpm. The next was 500 cycles lift-off test with an air-lubricated bump foil journal bearing that had a molybdenum disulfide(MoS$_2$) solid lubricant coated top foil. Data from measuring bearing torque and temperature and the observation of rubbing surfAce were included in results. Therefore the results of this work will aid in proving durability of air-lubricated bump foil journal bearings.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.212-219
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• 2001

This paper describes a durability characteristics of an air-lubricated bump foil journal bearing for high speed turbomachinerys at room temperature. At first, lift-off test and load capacity test were performed to understand the general characteristics of an air-lubricated bump foil journal bearing. A 52N weighted bump foil bearing sleeve was lifted off from a rotating journal at about 3,000rpm, and produced a load capacity of 500N at an operating speed of 15,000rpm. The next was 500 cycles lift-off test with an air-lubricated bump foil journal bearing that had a molybdenum disulfide(MoS$_2$) solid lubricant coated top foil. Data from measuring bearing torque and temperature and the observation of rubbing surface were included in results. Therefore the results of this work will aid in proving durability of air-lubricated bump foil journal bearings.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.177-185
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• 2000

The characteristics of multi-leaf feil bearing are investigated. The Foil bearing is preloaded and has several leaf foils modeled by curved beams. An analysis of the air foil bearing was performed, considering effects of foil deflection and compressible lubrication equation simultaneously. A parametric study shows that the number of foils significantly affect the static characteristics of air foil bearings and describes what the minimum film thickness means. The results include pressure profile, load capacity, dimensionless torque and minimum film thickness in the foil bearing.