Static and Dynamic Characterization of a Bump-Type Foil Bearing Structure

2006 ◽  
Vol 129 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sébastien Le Lez ◽  
Mihai Arghir ◽  
Jean Frene

The performance of gas foil bearings (GFBs) relies on a coupling between a thin gas film and an elastic structure with dissipative characteristics. Because of the mechanical complexity of the structure, the evaluation of its stiffness and damping is still largely inaccurate if not arbitrary. The goal of this paper is to improve the understanding of the behavior of the bump-type FB structure under static and dynamic loads. The structure was modeled with finite elements by using a commercial code. The code employed the large displacements theory and took into account the friction between the bumps and the support and between the bumps and the deformable top foil. Static simulations enabled the estimation of the static stiffness of each bump of a strip. These simulations evidence a lack of reliable analytical models that can be easily implemented in a FB prediction code. The models found in the literature tend to overestimate the foil flexibility because most of them do not consider the interactions between bumps that seem to be highly important. The transient simulations allowed the estimation of the dynamic stiffness and the damping of a single bump of the FB structure. The presence of stick slip in the structure is evidenced, and hysteretic plots are obtained. The energy dissipation due to Coulomb friction is quantified in function of materials, excitation amplitude, and frequency. Some energetic considerations allow the calculation of the equivalent viscous damping coefficient, and the results are related to experimental data found in literature. The influence of the number of bumps is also briefly addressed.

Author(s):  
Kai Feng ◽  
Xueyuan Zhao ◽  
Zhiyang Guo

With increasing need for high-speed, high-temperature, and oil-free turbomachinery, gas foil bearings (GFBs) have been considered to be the best substitutes for traditional oil-lubricated bearings. A multi-cantilever foil bearing (MCFB), a novel GFB with multi-cantilever foil strips serving as the compliant underlying structure, was designed, fabricated, and tested. A series of static and dynamic load tests were conducted to measure the structural stiffness and equivalent viscous damping of the prototype MCFB. Experiments of static load versus deflection showed that the proposed bearing has a large mechanical energy dissipation capability and a pronounced nonlinear static stiffness that can prevents overly large motion amplitude of journal. Dynamic load tests evaluated the influence of motion amplitude, loading orientation and misalignment on the dynamic stiffness and equivalent viscous damping with respect to excitation frequency. The test results demonstrated that the dynamic stiffness and damping are strongly dependent on the excitation frequency. Three motion amplitudes were applied to the bearing housing to investigate the effects of motion amplitude on the dynamic characteristics. It is noted that the bearing dynamic stiffness and damping decreases with incrementally increasing motion amplitudes. A high level of misalignment can lead to larger static and dynamic bearing stiffness as well as to larger equivalent viscous damping. With dynamic loads applied to two orientations in the bearing midplane separately, the dynamic stiffness increases rapidly and the equivalent viscous damping declines slightly. These results indicate that the loading orientation is a non-negligible factor on the dynamic characteristics of MCFBs.


2004 ◽  
Vol 129 (1) ◽  
pp. 154-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohsen Salehi ◽  
Hooshang Heshmat ◽  
James F. Walton

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation into the dynamic structural stiffness and damping characteristics of a 21.6‐cm(8.5in.)-diameter compliant surface foil journal bearing. The goal of this development was to achieve high levels of damping without the use of oil, as is used in squeeze film dampers, while maintaining a nearly constant dynamic stiffness over a range of frequencies and amplitudes of motion. In the experimental work described herein, a full compliant foil bearing was designed, fabricated, and tested. The test facility included a non-rotating journal located inside the bearing. The journal was connected to an electrodynamic shaker so that dynamic forces simulating expected operating conditions could be applied to the structurally compliant bump foil elements. Excitation test frequencies to a maximum of 400Hz at amplitudes of motion between 25.4 and 102μm were applied to the damper assembly. During testing, both compressive preload and unidirectional static loads of up to 1335 and 445N, respectively, were applied to the damper assembly. The experimental data from these tests were analyzed using both a single degree of freedom model and an energy method. These methods of data analysis are reviewed here and results are compared. Excellent agreement in results obtained from the two methods was achieved. Equivalent viscous damping coefficients as high as 1050N.s∕cm(600lbf.s∕in) were obtained at low frequencies. Dynamic stiffness was shown to be fairly constant with frequency.


Author(s):  
Mohsen Salehi ◽  
Hooshang Heshmat ◽  
James F. Walton

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation into the dynamic structural stiffness and damping characteristics of a 21.6 cm (8.5inch) diameter compliant surface foil journal bearing. The goal of this development was to achieve high levels of damping without the use of oil, as is used in squeeze film dampers, while maintaining a nearly constant dynamic stiffness over a range of frequencies and amplitudes of motion. In the experimental work described herein, a full compliant foil bearing was designed, fabricated and tested. The test facility included a non-rotating journal located inside the bearing. The journal was connected to an electrodynamic shaker so that dynamic forces simulating expected operating conditions could be applied to the structurally compliant bump foil elements. Excitation test frequencies to a maximum of 400 Hz at amplitudes of motion between 25.4μm to 102μm were applied to the damper assembly. During testing, both compressive preload and unidirectional static loads of up to 1335N and 445N, respectively, were applied to the damper assembly. The experimental data from these tests were analyzed using both a single degree of freedom model and an energy method. These methods of data analysis are reviewed here and results are compared. Excellent agreement in results obtained from the two methods was achieved. Equivalent viscous damping coefficients as high as 1050 N.s/cm (600 lbf.s/in) were obtained at low frequencies. Dynamic stiffness was shown to be fairly constant with frequency.


Author(s):  
M. J. Conlon ◽  
A. Dadouche ◽  
W. M. Dmochowski ◽  
R. Payette ◽  
J.-P. Be´dard

Oil-free foil bearing technology has advanced intermittently over the years, driven by research efforts to improve both steady-state and dynamic performance characteristics, namely: load capacity, stiffness, and damping. Bearing designs are thus classified according to “generation”, with first-generation bearings being the most primitive. This paper presents an experimental evaluation of a first- and a second-generation foil bearing, and aims to provide the high-fidelity data necessary for proper validation of theoretical predictive models of foil bearing performance. The aforementioned test bearings were fabricated in-house, and are both 70mm in diameter with an aspect ratio of 1; bearing manufacturing details are provided. The work makes use of a facility dedicated to measuring both the steady-state and dynamic properties of foil bearings under a variety of controlled operating conditions. The bearing under test is placed at the midspan of a horizontal, simply-supported, stepped shaft which rotates at up to 60krpm. Static and dynamic loads of up to 3500N and 450N (respectively) can be applied by means of a pneumatic cylinder and two electrodynamic shakers. The bearings’ structural (static) stiffnesses are highly nonlinear, and this affects the accuracy of the dynamic coefficient determination. Both dynamic stiffness and damping are found to vary nonlinearly with excitation frequency, and are over-predicted by a structural experimental evaluation — the film plays an important role in bearing dynamics. The second-generation bearing is found to have a higher load capacity, dynamic stiffness, and damping than the first-generation bearing.


1993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter L. Meacham ◽  
R. M. Fred Klaass ◽  
Ron Dayton ◽  
Ed Durkin

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-Bin Shangguan ◽  
Xiang-Kun Zeng

Experimental and modeling techniques for belt longitudinal static stiffness, longitudinal dynamic stiffness and damping coefficient, bending stiffness, and friction coefficient between a pulley and a belt are presented. Two methods for measuring longitudinal dynamic stiffness and damping coefficient of a belt are used, and the experimental results are compared. Experimental results show that the longitudinal dynamic stiffness of a belt is dependent on belt length, pretension, excitation amplitude and excitation frequency, and the damping coefficient of a belt is dependent on excitation frequency. Two models are presented to model the dependence of longitudinal dynamic stiffness and damping coefficient of a belt on belt length, pretension, excitation amplitude and excitation frequency. The proposed model is validated by comparing the estimated dynamic stiffness and damping with the experiment data. Also, the measurements of belt bending stiffness are carried out and the influences of the belt length on the belt bending stiffness are investigated. One test rig for measuring friction coefficient between a pulley and a belt are designed and fabricated, and the friction coefficient between the groove side belt with the groove side pulley, and the flat side belt with a flat pulley is measured with the test rig. The influences of wrap angle between pulley and belt, pretension of belt and rotational speed of the pulley on the friction coefficient are measured and analyzed. Taking an engine front end accessory drive system (FEAD) as the research example for the accessory drive system, experimental methods and the static and dynamic characteristics for the FEAD with seven pulleys, a tensioner, and a serpentine belt are presented.


2012 ◽  
Vol 226-228 ◽  
pp. 877-880
Author(s):  
Shu Wei Wang ◽  
Yan Yun Luo ◽  
Li Li ◽  
Yan Liu

This paper studies the dynamic property of rubber absorber in rail fastening by electro-hydraulic testing machine. Two different types of rail fastening are tested. In one fastening the rubber component is in compressed condition (RCRF). While in another the rubber is in sheared (RSRF). A nonlinear dynamic model of rubber absorber in rail fastening is proposed. The model parameters are obtained by the least square method. The accuracy of the obtained model is verified by measured result. The two results are in good agreement. The dynamic stiffness and damping are analyzed, and the results show that dynamic stiffness and damping are closely related to the frequency and amplitude of excitation. Nonlinear characteristic becomes greater with increasing excitation amplitude for the both rail fastenings. For different excitation frequency, the vibration reduction effect of RSRF is more stable than that of RCRF.


2021 ◽  
pp. 107754632110005
Author(s):  
Yonglei Zhang ◽  
Guo Wei ◽  
Hao Wen ◽  
Dongping Jin ◽  
Haiyan Hu

The vibration isolation system using a pair of oblique springs or a spring-rod mechanism as a negative stiffness mechanism exhibits a high-static low-dynamic stiffness characteristic and a nonlinear jump phenomenon when the system damping is light and the excitation amplitude is large. It is possible to remove the jump via adjusting the end trajectories of the above springs or rods. To realize this idea, the article presents a vibration isolation system with a cam–roller–spring–rod mechanism and gives the detailed numerical and experimental studies on the effects of the above mechanism on the vibration isolation performance. The comparative studies demonstrate that the vibration isolation system proposed works well and outperforms some other vibration isolation systems.


2007 ◽  
Vol 129 (3) ◽  
pp. 628-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ju-ho Song ◽  
Daejong Kim

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.


2006 ◽  
Vol 129 (3) ◽  
pp. 850-857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis San Andrés ◽  
Dario Rubio ◽  
Tae Ho Kim

Gas foil bearings (GFBs) satisfy the requirements for oil-free turbomachinery, i.e., simple construction and ensuring low drag friction and reliable high speed operation. However, GFBs have a limited load capacity and minimal damping, as well as frequency and amplitude dependent stiffness and damping characteristics. This paper provides experimental results of the rotordynamic performance of a small rotor supported on two bump-type GFBs of length and diameter equal to 38.10mm. Coast down rotor responses from 25krpm to rest are recorded for various imbalance conditions and increasing air feed pressures. The peak amplitudes of rotor synchronous motion at the system critical speed are not proportional to the imbalance introduced. Furthermore, for the largest imbalance, the test system shows subsynchronous motions from 20.5krpm to 15krpm with a whirl frequency at ∼50% of shaft speed. Rotor imbalance exacerbates the severity of subsynchronous motions, thus denoting a forced nonlinearity in the GFBs. The rotor dynamic analysis with calculated GFB force coefficients predicts a critical speed at 8.5krpm, as in the experiments; and importantly enough, unstable operation in the same speed range as the test results for the largest imbalance. Predicted imbalance responses do not agree with the rotor measurements while crossing the critical speed, except for the lowest imbalance case. Gas pressurization through the bearings’ side ameliorates rotor subsynchronous motions and reduces the peak amplitudes at the critical speed. Posttest inspection reveal wear spots on the top foils and rotor surface.


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