On Controlling the Film Thickness in Self-Acting Foil Bearings

1970 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. 359-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Eshel
Keyword(s):  
Film Thickness ◽  
Free Path ◽  
Marked Effect ◽  
Solid Wall ◽  
Mean Free Path ◽  
Radius Of Curvature ◽  
Air Gaps ◽  
Foil Bearings ◽  
Foil Bearing ◽  
Air Film

Some factors useful in overcoming excessive air gaps in foil bearings are investigated. Since the gaps of interest are small, the foil bearing equations are modified to include the effects of the molecular mean free path. It is shown that by small corners in the solid wall, one can reduce the air film thickness considerably. A change in curvature with continuous slope has also a marked effect on the film thickness. Theoretical prediction curves allowing the calculation of the air gap as a function of corner angle, change in radius of curvature, and the molecular mean free path are presented.

A Contribution to the Thermal Modeling of Bump Type Air Foil Bearings: Analysis of the Thermal Resistance of Bump Foils

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Lehn ◽  
Marcel Mahner ◽  
Bernhard Schweizer
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Resistance ◽  
Thermal Contact ◽  
Applied Pressure ◽  
Analytical Formula ◽  
Base Plate ◽  
Air Gaps ◽  
Foil Bearings ◽  
Foil Bearing ◽  
Air Film ◽  
Good Agreement

A detailed analysis of the effective thermal resistance for the bump foil of air foil bearings (AFBs) is performed. The presented model puts emphasis on the thermal contact resistances between the bump foil and the top foil as well as between the bump foil and the base plate. It is demonstrated that most of the dissipated heat in the lubricating air film of an air foil bearing is not conducted by microcontacts in the contact regions. Instead, the air gaps close to the contact area are found to be thin enough in order to effectively conduct the heat from the top foil into the bump foil. On the basis of these findings, an analytical formula is developed for the effective thermal resistance of a half bump arc. The formula accounts for the geometry of the bump foil as well as for the surface roughness of the top foil, the bump foil, and the base plate. The predictions of the presented model are shown to be in good agreement with measurements from the literature. In particular, the model predicts the effective thermal resistance to be almost independent of the applied pressure. This is a major characteristic property that has been found by measurements but could not be reproduced by previously published models. The presented formula contributes to an accurate thermohydrodynamic (THD) modeling of AFBs.

Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication of Air-Lubricated Rollers

1996 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 623-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. B. Chang ◽  
F. W. Chambers ◽  
J. J. Shelton
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Model ◽  
Film Thickness ◽  
Free Path ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Slip Flow ◽  
Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication ◽  
Mean Free Path ◽  
Pressure Profiles ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Air Film

The lubricating air film between two rotating rollers in close contact was studied numerically. The numerical model used in this study accounts for the effects of air compressibility, material deformation, and the slip flow which occurs when the air film thickness is not much larger than the mean-free-path of the air molecules. The air film profiles and the pressure profiles for the nip region between the rollers were calculated. It was found that the calculated air film thicknesses are lower than predicted by the liquid elastohydrodynamic calculation. From this study, equations for the minimum air film thickness, the air film thickness at the center of contact, and the amount of air that passes through the nip were obtained. This study has application to the prediction of the amount of air entrained in a winding roll.

Interplay Between Thermoelectric and Thermionic Effects in Heterostructures

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taofang Zeng ◽  
Gang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Film Thickness ◽  
Free Path ◽  
Thermionic Emission ◽  
Approximate Solutions ◽  
Mean Free Path ◽  
Boltzmann Transport ◽  
Thermoelectric Effects ◽  
Double Heterojunction ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Electron Mean Free Path

Abstract When electrons sweep through a double-heterojunction structure, there exist thermionic effects at the junctions and thermoelectric effects in the film. While both thermoelectric and thermionic effects have been studied for refrigeration and power generation applications separately, their interplay in heterostructures is not understood. This paper establishes a unified model including both thermionic and thermoelectric processes based on the Boltzmann transport equation for electrons, and the nonequilibrium interaction between electrons and phonons. Approximate solutions are obtained, leading to the electron temperature and Fermi level distributions inside heterostructures and discontinuities at the interfaces as a consequence of the highly nonequilibrium transport when the film thickness is much smaller than the electron mean free path. It is found that when the film thickness is smaller than the mean free path of electrons, the transport of electrons is controlled by thermionic emission. The coexistence of thermoelectric and thermionic effects may increase the power factor when the electron mean free path is comparable to the film thickness.

Theoretical Study on Static Performance of Double-Bump Foil Bearings

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangcheng Xu ◽  
Jianhua Chu ◽  
Wenlin Luan ◽  
Guang Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Film Thickness ◽  
Thrust Bearing ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Static Characteristics ◽  
Thrust Bearings ◽  
Foil Bearings ◽  
Foil Bearing ◽  
Static Performance ◽  
Initial Clearance

Abstract In this paper, single-bump foil models with different thickness and double-bump foil models with different initial clearances are established. The structural stiffness and equivalent viscous damping of double-bump foil and single-bump foil are analyzed by finite element simulation. The results show that the double-layer bump foil has variable stiffness and the displacement of the upper bump is greater than the initial gap when the two-layer bumps contact. A model for obtaining static characteristics of aerodynamic compliant foil thrust bearing is established on the basis of the stiffness characteristics of the double-bump foil. This paper solves gas Reynolds equation, the gas film thickness equation and the foil stiffness characteristic equation via the finite element method and the finite difference method. The static characteristics of the thrust bearings including the bearing pressure distribution, the gas film thickness and the friction power consumption have been obtained. The static characteristics of two kinds of foils have been compared and analyzed, and the effect of initial clearance on the static performance of double-bump foil bearings is studied. The results show that the double-bump foil structure can effectively improve the load capacity of thrust bearing. In addition, the static performance of double-bump foil thrust bearings is between the performance of the single-bump foil bearing and the double-bump foil bearing whose foil’s clearance is zero. The smaller the initial clearance is, the easier it will be to form a stable double-bump foil supporting structure.

Link-Spring Model of Bump-Type Foil Bearings

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Feng ◽  
Shigehiko Kaneko
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Film Thickness ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Radial Clearance ◽  
Interaction Forces ◽  
Friction Forces ◽  
Foil Bearings ◽  
Foil Bearing

The field experiences of gas foil bearings (GFBs) from the 1960s prove that GFBs offer several advantages over traditional oil bearings and rolling element bearings. They have the potential to be applied in a wide spectrum of turbomachinery. Bump-type foil bearings, which are considered as the best structure for GFBs, can be simply described as a hydrodynamic bearing utilizing the ambient air as the lubricant and a smooth shell supported by a corrugated bump foil as the bearing surface. However, the performance predictions of bump-type foil bearings are difficult due to mechanical complexity of the support elastic structure, especially for the effects of four factors, elasticity of bump foil, interaction forces between bumps, friction forces at contact surfaces, and local deflection of top foil. In this investigation, an analytical model of bump-type foil bearings considering the effects of all above factors is presented. In this model, each bump of the bump strip is simplified to two rigid links and a horizontally spaced spring, whose stiffness is determined from Castigliano’ theorem. Then, interaction forces and friction forces can be coupled with the bump flexibility though the horizontal elementary spring. The local deflection of top foil is described using a Finite Element model and added to the film thickness for the pressure prediction with the Reynolds’ equation. The bump deflections of a strip with ten bumps under different load distributions are calculated with the presented model and the predictions show consistency with published results. Moreover, the predicted bearing load and film thickness of a full bump-type foil bearing using this model are very close to the experimental data. Also, radial clearance and friction force variations in the foil bearing are noted to change the stiffness of bump significantly. And the predictions from the calculation with a proper selection of radial clearance and friction coefficients show extremely good agreement with the experimental data. The assumption of minimum reachable film thickness is based on experimental data to determine the load capacity of bearing. The results demonstrate that the radial clearance of foil bearing has an optimum value for the maximum load capacity.

High Knudsen Number Molecular Rarefaction Effects in Gas-Lubricated Slider Bearings for Computer Flying Heads

1987 ◽  
Vol 109 (2) ◽  
pp. 276-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Mitsuya ◽  
T. Ohkubo
Keyword(s):  
Film Thickness ◽  
Reynolds Equation ◽  
Flow Model ◽  
Slip Flow ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Mean Free Path ◽  
Lubricating Film ◽  
Modified Reynolds Equation ◽  
Air Film ◽  
Rarefaction Effects

This paper presents a study into the gas lubrication capability of an ultra-thin 0.025 μm film (converted value for ambient air film). The experimental results obtained using subambient helium as the lubricating film are compared with the calculated results using the modified Reynolds equation considering flow slippage due to the molecular mean free path effects. This comparison confirms that the slip flow model holds true within the range of the present experiments, and that the modified Reynolds equation is applicable for designing the computer flying heads operating at such thin spacing. The reason for the excellent agreement is discussed considering the locality of rarefaction effects on the lubricating surfaces and the anisotropy of these effects between the film thickness and the slider width.

Air Film Thickness Estimation in Web Handling Processes

1999 ◽  
Vol 121 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiromu Hashimoto
Keyword(s):  
Film Thickness ◽  
Reynolds Equation ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Finite Width ◽  
Web Handling ◽  
Foil Bearing ◽  
Guide Roller ◽  
The Finite Difference Method ◽  
Air Film ◽  
The Web

In this paper, in order to estimate an air film thickness between moving web and guide roller (web spacing height), an air film thickness formula was derived based on the finite width compressible foil bearing theory. In the derivation of the air film thickness formula, the two-dimensional Reynolds equation and foil equilibrium equation were discretized by the finite difference method and solved iteratively to obtain the pressure and air film thickness distributions for various parameters. Based on the numerical results, the simplified convenience formula for the estimation of air film thickness between web and guide roller was obtained. On the other hand, the air film thickness between web and guide roller was measured by an optical sensor, and the experimental results were compared with the calculated results. Moreover, the variation of air film thickness between two layers in web winding processes was analyzed by making use of the air film thickness formula derived above. From the theoretical and experimental results obtained, the effects of air film thickness on the web transporting systems were clarified.

Effects of Film Thickness Less than Electrical Mean Free Path on Reflectivity

2011 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-266
Author(s):  
林育琼 LIN Yu-qiong ◽  
冯仕猛 FENG Shi-meng ◽  
王坤霞 WANG Kun-xia ◽  
顾俊 GU Jun ◽  
刘少军 LIU Shao-jun
Keyword(s):  
Film Thickness ◽  
Free Path ◽  
Mean Free Path

Effect of Foil Geometry on the Static Performance of Thrust Foil Bearings

2018 ◽  
Vol 140 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gen Fu ◽  
Alexandrina Untaroiu ◽  
Erik Swanson
Keyword(s):  
Film Thickness ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Optimization Technique ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Numerical Approach ◽  
Sensitivity Study ◽  
Rotating Speed ◽  
Foil Bearings ◽  
Foil Bearing

Gas foil bearings can operate in extreme conditions such as high temperature and high rotating speed, compared to traditional bearings. They also provide better damping and stability characteristics and have larger tolerance to debris and rotor misalignment. Gas foil bearings have been successfully applied to micro- and small-sized turbomachinery, such as microgas turbine and cryogenic turbo expander. In the last decades, a lot of theoretical and experimental work has been conducted to investigate the properties of gas foil bearings. However, very little work has been done to study the influence of the foil bearing pad configuration. This study proposes a robust approach to analyze the effect of the foil geometry on the performance of a six-pad thrust foil bearing. In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for a parallel six-pad thrust foil bearing is created. In order to predict the thermal property, the total energy with viscous dissipation is used. Based on this model, the geometry of the thrust foil bearing is parameterized and analyzed using the design of experiments (DOE) methodology. In this paper, the selected geometry parameters of the foil structure include minimum film thickness, inlet film thickness, the ramp extent on the inner circle, the ramp extent on the outer circle, the arc extent of the pad, and the orientation of the leading edge. The objectives in the sensitivity study are load capacity and maximal temperature. An optimal foil geometry is derived based on the results of the DOE process by using a goal-driven optimization technique to maximize the load capacity and minimize the maximal temperature. The results show that the geometry of the foil structure is a key factor for foil bearing performance. The numerical approach proposed in this study is expected to be useful from the thrust foil bearing design perspective.

scholarly journals Study on the temperature and strain fields in gas foil bearings – measurement method and numerical simulations

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 540-547
Author(s):  
Paweł Zdziebko ◽  
Adam Martowicz
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Measurement Method ◽  
The Finite Element Method ◽  
Strain Fields ◽  
Foil Bearings ◽  
Experimental Identification ◽  
Foil Bearing ◽  
Thermomechanical Couplings ◽  
Air Film ◽  
Mechanical Phenomena

Gas foil bearings belong to the group of slide bearings and are used in devices in which operation at high rotational speeds of the shafts are of key importance, e.g., in gas turbines. The air film developed on the surface of the bearing’s top foil allows this structural component to be separated from the shaft. This ensures a non-contact operation of the bearing. In the case of the mentioned type of bearings, their resultant operational properties are influenced by both thermal and mechanical phenomena. The current work presents a model of a gas foil bearing developed making use of the Finite Element Method. The model takes into account thermomechanical couplings which are necessary for the correct simulation of the operation of physical components of the modeled system. The paper reports the results of numerical analyzes conducted for the elaborated model as well as the relevant conclusions concerning thermomechanical couplings present in gas foil bearings. The method for the experimental identification of the temperature and strain fields in the bearing’s top foil proposed to validate the numerical model is also presented.

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