Design of Three-Pad Hybrid Air Foil Bearing and Experimental Investigation on Static Performance at Zero Running Speed

2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daejong Kim ◽  
Donghyun Lee
Keyword(s):  
Parametric Design ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Hydrodynamic Pressure ◽  
Preliminary Test ◽  
Linear Perturbation ◽  
Static Stiffness ◽  
Running Speed ◽  
Foil Bearings ◽  
Foil Bearing ◽  
Static Performance

Air foil bearings (AFBs) have been explored for various micro- to midsized turbomachinery for decades, and many successful applications of the AFBs to small turbomachinery were also reported. As machine size increases, however, one of the critical technical challenges of AFBs is a wear on the top foil and rotor during starts/stops due to relatively heavy rotor weight compared with the size of the bearing. The wear on the foil increases with greater loading during starts/stops as a function of the coating performance. The hybrid air foil bearing (HAFB), which combines hydrodynamic pressure with hydrostatic lift, can help to minimize/eliminate the wear problem during the start/stops. This paper reports design and preliminary test results of hydrodynamically preloaded three-pad HAFB aimed for midsized airborne turbomachinery applications. Designed HAFB was manufactured and comprehensive parametric design simulations were performed using time-domain orbit simulations and frequency-domain linear perturbation analyses to predict performances of manufactured bearing. Static stiffness was measured at zero running speed to investigate the load capacity of hydrostatic operation when rotor is at stationary. The measured static stiffness showed good agreement with predictions.

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.

Foil Gas Bearing With Compression Springs: Analyses and Experiments

2007 ◽  
Vol 129 (3) ◽  
pp. 628-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ju-ho Song ◽  
Daejong Kim
Keyword(s):  
Loss Factor ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Underlying Structure ◽  
Equivalent Viscous Damping ◽  
Foil Bearings ◽  
Foil Bearing ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Structural Loss ◽  
Compression Springs ◽  
Gas Bearing

A new foil gas bearing with spring bumps was constructed, analyzed, and tested. The new foil gas bearing uses a series of compression springs as compliant underlying structures instead of corrugated bump foils. Experiments on the stiffness of the spring bumps show an excellent agreement with an analytical model developed for the spring bumps. Load capacity, structural stiffness, and equivalent viscous damping (and structural loss factor) were measured to demonstrate the feasibility of the new foil bearing. Orbit and coast-down simulations using the calculated stiffness and measured structural loss factor indicate that the damping of underlying structure can suppress the maximum peak at the critical speed very effectively but not the onset of hydrodynamic rotor-bearing instability. However, the damping plays an important role in suppressing the subsynchronous vibrations under limit cycles. The observation is believed to be true with any air foil bearings with different types of elastic foundations.

Static Performance of a Hydrostatic Thrust Foil Bearing for Large Scale Oil-Free Turbomachines

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nguyen LaTray ◽  
Daejong Kim ◽  
Myongsok Song
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Outer Diameter ◽  
Frictional Loss ◽  
Foil Bearing ◽  
Foundation Model ◽  
Static Performance ◽  
High Load Capacity

Abstract This work presents a novel design of a hydrostatic thrust foil bearing (HSTFB) with an outer diameter of 154mm along with simulation and test results up to specific load capacity of 223kPa (32.3psi). The HSTFB incorporates a high pressure air/gas injection to the thrust foil bearing with a uniform clearance. This bearing has high load capacity, low power loss, and no friction/wear during startup and shutdown. In addition, the HSTFB allows for bidirectional operation. The paper also presents an advanced simulation model which adopts the exact locations of a tangentially arranged bumps to a cylindrical two-dimensional plate model of the top foil. This method predicts top foil deflection with better accuracy than the traditional independent elastic foundation model which distributes the bump locations over the nodal points in the cylindrical coordinates, and with less computational resource than the finite element method applied to the entire bump/top foils. The presented HSTFB, was designed for Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) generators, but its performance was predicted and measured using air in this paper. The bearing static performance is compared analytically against the rigid counterpart, and presented at different supply pressures, speeds, and minimum film thicknesses. Experimental verification is conducted at 10, 15 and 20krpm. The measured load capacity and frictional loss agree well with the prediction. The measured film thickness also agrees with the prediction after the structural deflection of the thrust runner disc is compensated. Overall, the novel HSTFB demonstrates an excellent static performance and shows good potential for adoption to the intended ORC generators and other large oil-free turbomachines.

Rotordynamics Performance of Hybrid Foil Bearing Under Forced Vibration Input

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daejong Kim ◽  
Brian Nicholson ◽  
Lewis Rosado ◽  
Garry Givan
Keyword(s):  
Impulse Response ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Supply System ◽  
Forced Response ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Lateral Acceleration ◽  
Foil Bearings ◽  
Foil Bearing ◽  
Gas Supply

Foil bearings are one type of hydrodynamic air/gas bearings but with a compliant bearing surface supported by structural material that provides stiffness and damping to the bearing. The hybrid foil bearing (HFB) in this paper is a combination of a traditional hydrodynamic foil bearing with externally-pressurized air/gas supply system to enhance load capacity during the start and to improve thermal stability of the bearing. The HFB is more suitable for relatively large and heavy rotors where rotor weight is comparable to the load capacity of the bearing at full speed and extra air/gas supply system is not a major added cost. With 4,448N∼22,240N thrust class turbine aircraft engines in mind, the test rotor is supported by HFB in one end and duplex rolling element bearings in the other end. This paper presents experimental work on HFB with diameter of 102mm performed at the US Air force Research Laboratory. Experimental works include: measurement of impulse response of the bearing to the external load corresponding to rotor’s lateral acceleration of 5.55g, forced response to external subsynchronous excitation, and high speed imbalance response. A non-linear rotordynamic simulation model was also applied to predict the impulse response and forced subsynchronous response. The simulation results agree well with experimental results. Based on the experimental results and subsequent simulations, an improved HFB design is also suggested for higher impulse load capability up to 10g and rotordynamics stability up to 30,000rpm under subsynchronous excitation.

Influence of geometric parameters on the bump foil bearing performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 234 (7) ◽  
pp. 1017-1026
Author(s):  
Sadanand Kulkarni ◽  
Soumendu Jana
Keyword(s):  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
High Speed ◽  
System Development ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Radial Clearance ◽  
Load Carrying Capacity ◽  
Foil Bearings ◽  
Foil Bearing ◽  
Load Carrying ◽  
Lift Off

High-speed rotating system development has drawn considerable attention of the researchers, in the recent past. Foil bearings are one of the major contenders for such applications, particularly for high speed and low load rotating systems. In foil bearings, process fluid or air is used as the working medium and no additional lubricant is required. It is known from the published literature that the load capacity of foil bearings depend on the operating speed, viscosity of the medium, clearance, and stiffness of the foil apart from the geometric dimensions of the bearing. In case of foil bearing with given dimensions, clearance governs the magnitude of pressure developed, whereas stiffness dictates the change in radial clearance under the generated pressure. This article deals with the effect of stiffness, clearance, and its interaction on the bump foil bearings load-carrying capacity. For this study, four sets of foil bearings of the same geometry with two levels of stiffness and clearance values are fabricated. Experiments are carried out following two factor-two level factorial design approach under constant load and in each case, the lift-off speed is measured. The experimental output is analyzed using statistical techniques to evaluate the influence of parameters under consideration. The results indicate that clearance has the maximum influence on the lift-off speed/ load-carrying capacity, followed by interaction effect and stiffness. A regression model is developed based on the experimental values and model is validated using error analysis technique.

Investigation of Structural Conformity in a Three-Pad Adaptive Air Foil Bearing With Regard to Active Control of Radial Clearance

2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Sadri ◽  
Henning Schlums ◽  
Michael Sinapius
Keyword(s):  
Shape Control ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Radial Clearance ◽  
Foil Bearings ◽  
Compliant Structure ◽  
Foil Bearing ◽  
Points Of View ◽  
Lift Off ◽  
Structural Conformity

Abstract Various solutions for the design of oil-free bearings are discussed in the literature. Adding hydrodynamic preload to the foil bearings by profiling the inner bore of the bearing is one of the most frequently investigated methods for improving the bearing stability and damping character of the entire system. However, this approach leads to a reduced load capacity and thus to an increased lift-off speed of the foil bearings. Observations of this kind lead to the presentation of various solutions for active bearing contour adjustment, which benefits from different profiles of the lubricant film. Most of these concepts use piezoelectric stack actuators to generate the required alternating force, although the influence of the stiffness of adaptive elements on bearing performance is not fully discussed in the literature. The focus of this study is on the investigation of structural conformity, i.e., the harmonization of stiffness with respect to the requirements for shape control and load capacity of an adaptive air foil bearing (AAFB). The result may be a basis for the consideration of additional degrees of freedom in any concept with shape control as the main design framework in interaction between the lubricant and compliant structure in an air foil bearing from both static and dynamic points of view.

Hybrid Air Foil Bearings With External Pressurization

Tribology ◽  
2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daejong Kim ◽  
Soonkuk Park
Keyword(s):  
Load Capacity ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Steel Tube ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Drag Torque ◽  
Foil Bearings ◽  
Foil Bearing ◽  
Hybrid Operation ◽  
Lift Off

Foil bearings are widely used for oil-free microturbomachinery. One of the critical technical issues related to reliability of the foil bearings is a coating wear on the top foil and rotor during start/stops. Especially for heavily loaded foil bearings, large start torque requires a large drive motor. Bearing cooling is also mandatory for certain applications because the foil bearings can generate significant amount of heat depending on operating conditions. Usually axial flow is used through the space between the top foil and bearing sleeve. In this paper, a hybrid air foil bearing with external pressurization is introduced. A flexible steel tube is attached to the backside of the top foil with orifice holes, and externally pressurized air is directly supplied to the bearing clearance to lift off the rotor before rotor spins. The hybrid operation eliminates the coating wear during start/stop cycles, reduces drag torque during starts, and eliminates axial flow cooling. The hybrid foil gas bearing was constructed using a multiple compression springs to demonstrate a feasibility of the concept. A simple analytical model to calculate top foil deflection under hydrostatic pressurization has been developed. Predictions via orbit simulations indicate the hybrid air foil bearings can have much higher critical speed and onset speed of instability than hydrodynamic counter part. Measured load capacity was slightly higher than hydrodynamic bearing even under smaller amount of air flow. In addition, the hybrid operation was very effective for bearing cooling even if the cooling flow rate was lower than hydrodynamic counterpart. The measured very small drag torque during the start/stop demonstrates the hybrid foil bearing can have near-infinite life time without wear of the bearing and rotor surface. The experimental studies show high potential of the hybrid air foil bearings for various oil-free turbomachinery, especially for heavily loaded high temperature applications.

scholarly journals The Dynamic Characteristics of a Turborotor Simulator Supported on Gas-Lubricated Foil Bearings—Part 2: Operation With Heating and Thermal Gradients

1970 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 650-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Licht
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Characteristics ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Temperature Gradients ◽  
Thermal Gradients ◽  
Foil Bearings ◽  
Foil Bearing ◽  
Geometrical Imperfections ◽  
The Stability

A high-speed rotor, supported by gas-lubricated foil bearings, is free from self-excited whirl and displays no loss of load capacity when vibrated at frequency equal half the rotational speed [1]. It is demonstrated here that in addition to tolerance of geometrical imperfections, misalignment, and foreign particles [3, 4], the foil bearing performs well at elevated temperatures and accommodates appreciable temperature gradients. The foil bearing is endowed with superior wipe-wear characteristics, and the flexibility of the foil accounts not only for the stability of the foil bearing but also for its forgiveness with respect to distortion, contamination, and contact.

scholarly journals Compliant Foil Journal Bearing Performance at Alternate Pressures and Temperatures

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Bruckner ◽  
Bernadette J. Puleo
Keyword(s):  
Journal Bearing ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Ambient Pressure ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Test Program ◽  
Foil Bearings ◽  
Current Test ◽  
Foil Bearing ◽  
Development Risk ◽  
Highly Loaded

An experimental test program has been conducted to determine the highly loaded performance of current generation gas foil bearings at alternate pressures and temperature. Typically foil bearing performance has been reported at temperatures relevant to turbomachinery applications but only at an ambient pressure of one atmosphere. This dearth of data at alternate pressures has motivated the current test program. Two facilities were used in the test program, the ambient pressure rig and the high pressure rig. The test program utilized a 35 mm diameter by 27 mm long foil journal bearing having an uncoated Inconel X-750 top foil running against a shaft with a PS304 coated journal. Load capacity tests were conducted at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, and 21 krpm at temperatures from 25°C to 500°C and at pressures from 0.1 to 2.5 atmospheres. Results show an increase in load capacity with increased ambient pressure and a reduction in load capacity with increased ambient temperature. Below one-half atmosphere of ambient pressure a dramatic loss of load capacity is experienced. Additional lightly loaded foil bearing performance in nitrogen at 25°C and up to 48 atmospheres of ambient pressure has also been reported. In the lightly loaded region of operation the power loss increases for increasing pressure at a fixed load. Knowledge of foil bearing performance at operating conditions found within potential machine applications will reduce program development risk of future foil bearing supported turbomachines.

A Novel Weldless Foils-Case Attachment for Gas Foil Bearings

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo H. Di Liscia ◽  
Jose A. Matute ◽  
Gabriela S. Diaz ◽  
Sergio E. Diaz
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Point ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
Static Stiffness ◽  
Strain Concentration ◽  
Foil Bearings ◽  
Rotordynamic Coefficients

Gas Foil Bearings (GFB) have a wide field of applications, from air cycle machines to microturbomachinery. A GFB basically consists of a foil (top foil) that lies over a corrugated foil (bump foil) that acts as a compliant spring. The rotation of the shaft introduces the fluid into the bearing and the pressure generated into the gap between the shaft and the top foil supports the rotor. The foils are attached to the case in a fixed point; usually they are welded to the bearing case. In addition to being rather cumbersome to build, this welded union is a potential point of failure. This work presents a new proposal of foils and case union. Foils are not welded to the case; they are placed or slid into a groove which avoids the strain concentration. This also permits the replacement of any foil in case of damage and to change the bump foil to modify the load capacity or the rotordynamic coefficients if required. The proposed assembly is experimentally tested by measuring its static stiffness in different radial directions of the fixed point. Results for static stiffness are presented and discussed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document