Investigation on the static and dynamic characteristics of 3-DOF aerostatic thrust bearings with orifice restrictor

This paper studies the static and dynamic characteristics of 3-DOF aerostatic thrust bearings with orifice restrictor. The coupled perturbation Reynolds equations are solved simultaneously for the first time to obtain the dynamic stiffness and damping coefficients considering the interaction between these equations. The perturbation mass flow rate is considered in determining the numerical convergence of the solution. The developed model demonstrates the nonlinear relationship between air film thickness and pressure. The effect of air film thickness, tilt angles, rotating speed and perturbation frequency ratio on load capacity, load moments, volume flow rate, dynamic stiffness and damping coefficients are evaluated. The results from the developed model provide guidance for design of aerostatic thrust bearing with required static and dynamic performance.