• Tribology and Lubricants
• /
• v.36 no.6
• /
• pp.332-341
• /
• 2020

High-speed turbomachinery implements gas foil bearings (GFBs) due to their distinctive advantages, such as high efficiency, lesser part count, and lower weight. This paper provides the test results of the static structural stiffnesses and loss factors of bump-type foil thrust bearings with increasing preload and bearing deflection. The focus of the current work is to experimentally quantify variability in structural stiffnesses and loss factors among the four test thrust bearings with identical design values and material of the bump and top foil geometries using the same (open-source) fabrication method. A simple test setup, using a rigidly mounted non-rotating shaft and thrust disk, measures the bearing bump deflections with increasing static loads on the test bearing. The inner and outer diameters of the test bearings are 41 mm and 81 mm, respectively. The loss factor, best-representing energy dissipation in the test bearings, is estimated from the area inside the local hysteresis loop of the load versus the bearing deflection curve. The measurements show that structural stiffnesses and loss factors of the test bearings significantly rely on applied preloads and bearing deflections. Local structural stiffnesses of the test bearings increase with applied preloads but decrease with bearing deflections. Changes of loss factors are less sensitive to applied preloads and bearing deflections compared to those of structural stiffnesses. Up to 35% variability in static load structural stiffnesses is found between bearings, while up to 30% variability in loss factors is found between bearings.

• Tribology and Lubricants
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.17-23
• /
• 2024

This study analyzes the thermal effects on the performance of an air foil thrust bearing (AFTB) using COMSOL Multiphysics to approximate actual bearing behavior under real conditions. An AFTB is a sliding-thrust bearing that uses air as a lubricant to support the axial load. The AFTB consists of top and bump foils and supports the rotating disk through the hydrodynamic pressure generated by the wedge effect from the inclined surface of the top foil and the elastic deformation of the bump foils, similar to a spring. The use of air as a lubricant has some advantages such as low friction loss and less heat generation, enabling air bearings to be widely used in high-speed rotating systems. However, even in AFTB, the effects of energy loss due to viscosity at high speeds, interface frictional heat, and thermal deformation of the foil caused by temperature increase cannot be ignored. Foil deformation derived from the thermal effect influences the minimum decay in film thickness and enhances the film pressure. For these reasons, performance analyses of isothermal AFTBs have shown few discrepancies with real bearing behavior. To account for this phenomenon, a thermal-fluid-structure analysis is conducted to describe the combined mechanics. Results show that the load capacity under the thermal effect is slightly higher than that obtained from isothermal analysis. In addition, the push and pull effects on the top foil and bump foil-free edges can be simulated. The differences between the isothermal and thermal behaviors are discussed.

• 유체기계공업학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2001.11a
• /
• pp.475-481
• /
• 2001

Foil bearings have been successfully used for small high speed rotors, such as ACM(Air Cycle Machine), turbo charger, turbo compressor, high speed motor, etc. Recently advanced researches are concentrated on the high load capacity and the extreme temperature foil bearings to extend the application boundary. Some bearings are already adopted into cryogenic machines and micro gas turbines. In this paper, a foil journal bearing designed for high load capacity, which is under development, is introduced. The bearing is for the turbo refrigerator which has a rotor of 18${\~}$25 kgf rotating at 23,000${\~}$38,000 rpm. This application is well beyond conventional spectrum of foil bearings because the rotor is relatively heavy and the rotational speed is low. Therefore, the development is challenging. The foil bearing is a bump type, the size is 60mm in diameter and 50mm in length, the operating fluid is air and rotational speed is 26,000 rpm. In-house software was developed and used for bearing design. Tested maximum load capacity is 80kgf, 0.62 in terms of load capacity coefficient, and testing is being continued.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
• /
• 2008.11a
• /
• pp.99-100
• /
• 2008

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
• /
• 2004.11a
• /
• pp.677-684
• /
• 2004

This paper describes a method for identifying the dynamic characteristics of air foil bearings for high speed turbomachinerys with the LS/IV method. In fact identifying the characteristics of air foil bearings is very difficult work, and it is tried to identify it. Experiments were conducted to determine the structural dynamic and hydrodynamic characteristics of air foil bearings. Numerical predictions compare the static and dynamic force performances. The housing of the bearing on the journal was driven by the impact hammer which were used to simulate impact force acting on air foil bearings. The characteristics of air foil bearings were extracted from the frequency response function (FRF) by LS(Least Square) method and IV(Instrumental Variable) method. The experiment was tested at 0 rpm and $10000\sim16000rpm$. And the test results were introduced about the dynamic characteristics of air foil bearings, and also compared with theoritical results.

• Tribology and Lubricants
• /
• v.21 no.6
• /
• pp.283-288
• /
• 2005

This paper presents the theoretical model and analysis results to investigate the effect of Coulomb damping in the sub-structure of a foil bearing. Vertical and horizontal deflection of a bump is restricted by friction of the bump. Equivalent viscous damping of the bump foil is derived from the Coulomb friction. Dynamic equation of the bump is constituted by stiffness and damping terms. The air film is modeled by the compressible Reynolds equation. A perturbation approach and finite difference numerical method is used to determine the static and dynamic performance of the bearing from the coupled fluid-structural model. The analysis result shows that the static and dynamic performance is enhanced by the bump friction.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
• /
• 2010.05a
• /
• pp.777-778
• /
• 2010

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
• /
• 2003.11a
• /
• pp.459-464
• /
• 2003

The Roordynamic feasibility of Micro Power System supported by air foil bearings is investigated. The Micro Power System is new portable power source based on brayton cycle, which consists of compressor, turbine, generator, and combustion chamber. In this paper, the analysis of Rotordynamic characteristics of Micro Power System is performed based upon the bearing equilibrium position, Campbell diagram and stability. As a result, it is demonstrated that the air foil bearings could be adopted well to the Micro Power System. However, for more stable operation at target running speed, the damping characteristics of air foil bearing should be enhanced.

• Tribology and Lubricants
• /
• v.25 no.5
• /
• pp.292-297
• /
• 2009

Air foil thrust bearings are the critical components available on high-efficiency turbomachinery which need an ability to endure the large axial force. Air foil bearings are self-acting hydrodynamic bearings that use ambient air as their lubricant. Since the air is squeezed by the edge of compliance-surface of bearing, hydrodynamic force is generated. In this study, we measured the air film thickness and obtained the minimum film thickness experimentally. To increase the maximum load capacity, compliance of sub-structure was controlled. From numerical analyses, it is seen that, if the air film thickness is distributed more uniformly by variable compliance, the thrust bearings can take more axial load.

• Tribology and Lubricants
• /
• v.25 no.5
• /
• pp.279-284
• /
• 2009

The limiting load capacity of air foil thrust bearings at extremely high operating speeds is theoretically investigated. The limiting load capacity of a sector is shown to increase as the angular extent ${\beta}$ and the inlet film thickness $h_1$ of the bearing increase, while it decreases with an increase in the ramp ratio b and the compliance ${\alpha}$ of the bearing. But it is found that the angular extent of the bearing is not related to the total limiting load capacity of the $360^{\circ}$ thrust bearing.