Study on the performance of gas foil thrust bearings with stacked bump foils

2020 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 761-769
Author(s):  
Hongyang Hu ◽  
Ming Feng ◽  
Tianming Ren
Keyword(s):  
Peer Review ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Foil Thickness ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Static Characteristics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Deformation Equation ◽  
Static Performance ◽  
Foil Thrust Bearing ◽  
Edge Based

Purpose This paper aims to improve the load capacity of gas foil thrust bearing (GFTB) and to introduce and study a novel bearing with stacked bump foils. Design/methodology/approach For the proposed novel GFTB supported by stacked foils, some bump-type gaskets with several partial arches are inserted below the regular bump foil, and the height of each arch can be made differently. These features make the bump foil thickness and height gradually increase, which can bring enhanced support stiffness and convergent film at the trailing edge. Based on a new nonlinear bump stiffness model considering bump rounding and friction force, the finite element and finite difference method were used to solve the coupling Reynolds equation, energy equation and foil deformation equation. Finally, the structural stiffness and static characteristics of the novel GFTB were gained and compared with the traditional bearing. Findings The novel GFTB has an additional convergence effect in the parallel section, which improves the static performance of bearing. The bearing capacity, friction moment, power loss and temperature rise of the novel GFTB are all higher than those of the traditional bearing, and the static characteristics are related to the parameters of stacked bump foils. Originality/value The stacked bump foils bring a fundamental enhancement on the load capacity of GFTB. The results are expected to be helpful to bearing designers, researchers and academicians concerned. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-10-2019-0449/

Effect of misalignment and rarefaction effect on the comprehensive characteristic of MEMS gas bearing

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liangliang Li ◽  
Yonghui Xie
Keyword(s):  
Peer Review ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Rarefied Gas ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rarefaction Effect ◽  
Comprehensive Performance ◽  
Static Performance ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Gas Bearing

Purpose Owing to the development of the smaller-sized rotational machinery, the demand for the high-speed and low-resistance gas bearing increases rapidly. The research of micro gas bearing in the condition of rarefied gas state is still not satisfied. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to present a numerical investigation of the effect of misalignment and rarefaction effect on the comprehensive performance of micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) gas bearing. Design/methodology/approach The Fukui and Kaneko model is expanded to 2D solution domain to describe the flow field parameters. The finite element method is used to discretize the equation. Newton–Raphson method is used to solve the nonlinear equations for the static performance of gas bearing, and partial deviation method is adopted for the solution of dynamic equations. Findings The static and dynamic characteristics of MEMS gas bearing are calculated, and the comparison is made to study the influence of rarefaction effect and misalignment. The results show that the rarefaction effect will decrease bearing load capacity compared with traditional solution of Reynolds equation, and the misalignment will reduce the stability of bearing. The influence of misalignment on gas film thickness is also analyzed in this paper. Originality/value The investigation of this paper emerges the change regularity of comprehensive performance of MEMS gas bearing considering rarefaction effect and misalignment, which provides a reference for the actual manufacturing of MEMS gas bearing and for the safety operation of micro dynamic machinery. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-01-2020-0023/

Effect of roundness error on the performance of novel gas foil conical bearings

2020 ◽  
Vol 72 (7) ◽  
pp. 895-904
Author(s):  
Hongyang Hu ◽  
Ming Feng ◽  
Tianming Ren
Keyword(s):  
Peer Review ◽  
Dynamic Properties ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Dynamic Stiffness ◽  
Friction Torque ◽  
Roundness Error ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Stiffness Model ◽  
Static Performance ◽  
Stiffness And Damping

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the effect law of roundness error on the properties of gas foil conical bearing (GFCB), and the performance of bearings with different non-circular sleeve shapes are calculated. Design/methodology/approach For the bump-type GFCB, the nonlinear bump foil stiffness model and 1-D beam top foil stiffness model are built. On this basis, the finite element method and finite difference method are used to solve the Reynolds equation and the film thickness equation coupled, and the static and dynamic properties of GFCB are calculated. The effect law of sleeve roundness error on the static performance under different conditions is obtained. Moreover, the dynamic stiffness and damping characteristics under different errors are also studied. Findings The roundness error will decrease the load capacity and friction torque of GFCB, and increase the attitude angle. The error effect is more dramatic when there is larger eccentric, small nominal clearance, larger error value and more error lobes, and the static performance exhibits a periodic change in the circumferential direction. The roundness error can also decrease the direct stiffness and cross-coupled damping of GFCB, while the cross-coupled stiffness increases largely, which will reduce the bearing stability. Originality/value The roundness error adversely affects the static and dynamic characteristics of GFCB, which should be concerned by bearing designers, researchers and academicians. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-01-2020-0019/

Performance potential of gas foil journal bearings enhanced with micro taper-grooves on top foil

2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-306
Author(s):  
Ming Feng ◽  
Hongyang Hu ◽  
Tianming Ren
Keyword(s):  
Peer Review ◽  
Dynamic Properties ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Dynamic Pressure ◽  
Axial Direction ◽  
Journal Bearings ◽  
Local Dynamic ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Direct Stiffness

Purpose To improve the load capacity and stability of gas foil journal bearings (GFJB), this paper aims to propose a novel GFJB with taper-grooved top foil. Design/methodology/approach A modified bump stiffness model is established considering rounding and friction. By considering the variation of clearance in the circumferential and axial direction, the static and dynamic characteristics of the novel bearing are calculated using the finite difference method, and perturbation method, respectively. The bearing performance under different groove parameters is studied and compared to the traditional bearings. Findings The results show that this novel GFJB can bring multi-extra local dynamic pressure and decrease the gas end leakage, which improves the static and dynamic properties. Moreover, as the increment of groove depth, the load capacity and direct stiffness are reinforced. There is an optimal groove width to maximize the load capacity, and the taper-groove is more beneficial to the improvement of bearing performance than other groove shapes. For the novel GFJB (Ng = 6, Hg = 10µm), the load capacity and direct stiffness increase by about 6.67 and 13.5 per cent, respectively. The stability threshold speed (STS) of a rotor supported by the novel bearings is also increased. Originality/value The performance of the presented novel GFJB is enhanced immensely compared to the traditional bearings, and the results are expected to be helpful to bearing designers, researchers and academicians concerned. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-08-2019-0307.

Numerical and experimental studies on the thermal and static characteristics of multi-leaf foil thrust bearing

2021 ◽  
pp. 135065012110110
Author(s):  
Yu Guo ◽  
Yu Hou ◽  
Qi Zhao ◽  
Xionghao Ren ◽  
Shuangtao Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Thrust Bearing ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Failure Process ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Elastic Model ◽  
Static Characteristics ◽  
Bearing Load ◽  
Foil Thrust Bearing ◽  
Cooling Air

Foil bearing is considered to be a promising supporting technology in high-speed centrifugal machinery. Due to the high-speed shearing effect in the viscous lubricant film, heat generation could not be ignored. In this paper, a thermo-elastic model of the multi-leaf foil thrust bearing is proposed to predict its thermal and static characteristics. In the model, modified Reynolds equation, energy equation, and Kirchhoff equation are solved in a coupling way. The contact area between the foil and welding plate is taken into account. Besides, the effect of cooling air on the bearing temperature is investigated. The ultimate load capacity and transient overload failure process of the bearing is analyzed and discussed. The effect of rotation speed on the bearing temperature is more obvious than that of the bearing load. The bearing temperature drops obviously by introducing the cooling air, and the cooling effect is improved with the supply pressure. The transient overload failure of the bearing occurs when the bearing load exceeds the ultimate value.

Experimental analysis of influence of double-layer bump foils on aerodynamic thrust foil bearings performance

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangcheng Xu ◽  
Zeda Dong ◽  
Jianhua Chu ◽  
Haoming Wang ◽  
Yongliang Wang
Keyword(s):  
Power Consumption ◽  
Double Layer ◽  
External Force ◽  
Performance Optimization ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Foil Thickness ◽  
Selection Scheme ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Friction Power ◽  
Foil Bearings

Purpose Gas thrust foil bearings (GTFBs) are used to balance the axial load of engines. However, in some working conditions of large axial force, such as the use of single impeller air compressor, the load capacity of GTFBs is still insufficient. To solve this problem, the load capacity can be improved by increasing the stiffness of bump foil. The purpose of this paper is to explore a scheme to effectively improve the performance of thrust foil bearings. In the paper, the stiffness of bump foil is improved by increasing the thickness of bump foil and using double-layer bump foil. Design/methodology/approach The foil deformation of GTFBs supported by three different types of bump foils, the relationship between friction power consumption and external force and the difference of limited load capacity were measured by experimental method. Findings The variation of the foil deformation, bearing stiffness, friction power consumption with the external force at different speeds and limited load capacity are obtained. Based on experimental results, the selection scheme of bump foil thickness is obtained. Originality/value This paper provides a feasible method for the performance optimization of GTFBs.

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.

Study on the performance of gas foil journal bearings with bump-type shim foil

2020 ◽  
pp. 135065012096900
Author(s):  
Hongyang Hu ◽  
Ming Feng ◽  
Tianming Ren
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Stability ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Practical Interest ◽  
Journal Bearings ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Foil Thickness ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Improvement Potential ◽  
Stiffness Model ◽  
The Stability

The upscaling of turbomachinery using gas foil journal bearings (GFJBs) is limited because of their limited load capacity and dynamic stability. The improvement potential of shim foil inserted under the bump foil of such bearings is investigated in terms of better bearing performance. The arch height difference Δ hb between the shim foil and bump foil can be zero or not to attain the different effect. By considering the local hardening structural stiffness and an Initial installation clearance due to the shim foil, the static and dynamic characteristics of the novel bearing were calculated through the finite difference method (FDM) and perturbation method, respectively. In the analysis, a modified bump stiffness model considering the variable foil thickness was established, and a 2 D thick plate model was adopted for the top foil. The characteristics of novel GFJB with and without preload were compared with the traditional bearing. The results indicate that the load capacity and direct stiffness of the novel GFJB with shim foil can be increased largely, especially when there is a preload (Δ hb≠0). And the improvement is reinforced as the increment of Δ hb. Moreover, the stability threshold speed ( STS) of rotor supported by the novel GFJBs is enhanced by the preload, which means better stability. In addition, an air compressor test has also been conducted to verify the improved supporting performance of novel bearings. Based on this study it is convinced that the addition of shim foil under a GFJB's bump foil can be of practical interest in the quest of enhanced load capacity and dynamic stability. Moreover, the installation of shim foil is not affected by the working environment and could even be retrofited on the existing GFJBs.

Effect of taper error on the performance of gas foil conical bearing

2020 ◽  
Vol 72 (10) ◽  
pp. 1189-1197
Author(s):  
Hongyang Hu ◽  
Ming Feng ◽  
Tianming Ren
Keyword(s):  
Peer Review ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Dynamic Performance ◽  
Cone Angle ◽  
Nonlinear Structure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Axial Load Capacity ◽  
Stiffness Model ◽  
Direct Stiffness ◽  
Conical Bearing

Purpose This paper aims to study the bearing performance with different cone angle errors, to study the effect law of manufacturing taper error on the properties of gas foil conical bearing (GFCB). Design/methodology/approach For the GFCB supported by separated bump foil strips, a nonlinear structure stiffness model considering Coulomb friction and arch characteristics was proposed. The finite element method and finite difference method were used to solve the Reynolds equation and the film thickness equation by coupling, and the properties of the GFCB were obtained. The effect of foil and bearing structure parameters on the static and dynamic performance under different taper error cases was analyzed. Moreover, a test on the air compressor supported by GFCBs was conducted to verify the practicability. Findings The taper error has a largely adverse effect on the load capacity of GFCB. When the taper error is −0.03°, the radial load capacity Fr and axial load capacity Fz decrease by 37.5 and 58.3%, respectively. The taper error decreases the direct stiffness and cross-coupled damping of GFCB, which will weaken the bearing stability. Moreover, the performance of GFCB is closely related to the foil and bearing parameters. Originality/value The taper error adversely affects the static and dynamic characteristics of GFCB, which should be concerned by bearing designers, researchers and academicians. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-03-2020-0089/

On the characteristics of gas foil conical bearings considering misalignment

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongyang Hu ◽  
Ming Feng ◽  
Tianming Ren
Keyword(s):  
Film Thickness ◽  
Peer Review ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Dynamic Performance ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Friction Torque ◽  
Misalignment Angle ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Stiffness Model ◽  
Dynamic Performances

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the characteristics of gas foil conical bearings (GFCBs) considering the misalignment, the static and dynamic performances with different misalignment cases were studied. Design/methodology/approach A test rig on the air compressor supported by GFCBs has been developed to measure the practicability. A nonlinear bump stiffness model and one-dimensional beam top foil stiffness model were used as a basis for the calculation of static and dynamic performance. The finite element method and finite difference method are adopted to solve the Reynolds equation and the film thickness equation coupled, in which different misalignment cases were considered by changing the film thickness. Findings The supporting performance of GFCB is excellent, and the film clearance plays a critical role. The misalignment effects depend on the assembled angle and the misalignment angle. The load capacity, friction torque, temperature of GFCB decrease when the misalignment assembled angle is between 120° and 240°, while the dynamic bearing stability is improved. The static and dynamic performances show the opposite law for the other assembled angles, and the misalignment effect is more dramatic when there is a larger misalignment angle. Moreover, the bearing and running parameters largely affect the bearing performance. Originality/value The present study focuses on the static and dynamic characteristics of GFCB and investigates the effects of misalignment on the bearing performance. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-04-2020-0117

Numerical and experimental study on the static performance of externally pressurized thrust bearings lubricated with refrigerant gases

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengjun Rong ◽  
Huaqi Lian ◽  
Yulong Li
Keyword(s):  
Heat Pump ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Load Capacity ◽  
Heat Pumps ◽  
Static Stiffness ◽  
Space Applications ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Thrust Bearings ◽  
Bearing Clearance ◽  
Static Performance

Purpose Oil-free heat pumps that use the system refrigerant gases as lubricants are preferred for thermal management in future space applications. This study aims to numerically and experimentally investigate the static performance of externally pressurized thrust bearings lubricated with refrigerant gases. Design/methodology/approach The refrigerant gases R22, R410A and CO2 were chosen as the research objects, while N2 was used for comparison. Computational fluid dynamics was used to solve the full 3 D Navier–Stokes equations to determine the load capacity, static stiffness and static pressure distribution in the bearing film. The numerical results were experimentally verified. Findings The results showed that the refrigerant-gas-lubricated thrust bearings had a lower load capacity than the N2-lubricated bearings, but they presented a higher static stiffness when the bearing clearance was less than 9 µm. Compared with the N2-lubricated bearings, the optimal static stiffness of the R22- and CO2-lubricated bearings increased by more than 46% and more than 21%, respectively. The numerical and experimental results indicate that a small bearing clearance would be preferable when designing externally pressurized gas thrust bearings lubricated with the working medium of heat pump systems for space applications. Originality/value The findings of this study can serve as a basis for the further investigation of refrigerant gases as lubricants in heat pump systems, as well as for the future design of such gas bearings in heat pump systems for space applications.

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