Design Criteria for Externally Pressurized Gas Bearings for Operation at High Temperatures and High Speeds

Abstract

The paper describes an experimental program using externally pressurized gas bearings whose objective was to gain design information which would be applicable to operation at high speeds and high temperature. The objective was to maintain flow rates to some acceptable minimum while at the same time attaining requirements of load capacity, temperature, and stable operating conditions. The paper describes work that has been done on a variety of configurations in order to establish some nondimensional stability map. The bulk of the variations were observed at low temperatures as a function of nondimensional parameters which took into account temperature dependent variables. These results were later checked to temperatures of 1200 F and speeds to 60,000 rpm. In order to obtain results with regard to the parameters which were not influenced by certain geometry changes, care was taken to insure that isothermal conditions existed. Later work will be necessary to interject the variable of possible temperature gradients which will result in distortions and geometrical changes.

Contributed by the ASLE Technical Committee on Bearings and Bearing Lubrication and presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Lubrication Engineers held in Pittsburgh Pa., May 3–5, 1966.

Notes

Contributed by the ASLE Technical Committee on Bearings and Bearing Lubrication and presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Lubrication Engineers held in Pittsburgh Pa., May 3–5, 1966.