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Gas Bearings: Modelling, Design and Applications
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Gas Bearings: Modelling, Design and Applications

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Mechanical Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2021) | Viewed by 28666

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Terenziano Raparelli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy
Interests: gas bearings; tribology; automation and robotics; pneumatics; bioengineering
Dr. Federico Colombo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy
Interests: gas bearings; fluid automation; lubrication
Prof. Andrea Trivella

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy
Interests: gas bearings; pneumatics; tribology
Dr. Luigi Lentini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy
Interests: gas-lubricated bearings; compensation methods; pneumatic actuators, tribology; synovial joint lubrication

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Gas bearings are essentially employed in two fields: very-high-speed applications and very-accurate-motion systems. Due to the low viscosity of air, they are appreciated for their low friction and wear but also because they are oil-free. Although extensive research has been performed since the 1960s, there is currently an increasing demand to enhance the performance and accuracy of gas bearings.

The research challenges are to achieve higher rotational speeds during stable and safe operation for applications such as oil-free turbomachinery and electro-spindles and increasingly accurate motion for precision positioning applications.

A drawback of gas bearings compared with fluid bearings is their lower stiffness and damping capability due to gas compressibility. Several methods have been proposed to compensate for these inherent limitations, e.g., regulating valves and active control systems.

This Special Issue aims to discuss recent advances in gas bearings with a particular focus on numerical models, design processes, and experimental issues.

We invite authors to contribute original research articles, as well as review articles, that will contribute to the area of gas bearings.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • aerostatic and hybrid bearings;
  • foil bearings, pivoted pad journal bearings, and other aerodynamic bearings;
  • methods for enhancing the stiffness and/or stability of gas bearings;
  • experimental identification and modelling of gas bearings; 
  • reviews on one or more of the above-mentioned topics.     

Prof. Dr. Terenziano Raparelli
Prof. Federico Colombo
Prof. Andrea Trivella
Dr. Luigi Lentini
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aerostatic bearings
  • aerodynamic bearings
  • compensation methods
  • foil bearings
  • active gas bearings
  • experimental identification
  • whirl instability threshold
  • air hammer instability

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

3 pages, 180 KiB  
Editorial
Special Issue “Gas Bearings: Modelling, Design and Applications”
by Federico Colombo, Luigi Lentini, Terenziano Raparelli and Andrea Trivella
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(18), 9048; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12189048 - 8 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1250
Abstract
Gas bearings are widely employed in high-precision devices and in high-speed applications, such as in micro turbomachinery and micro machining tools [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gas Bearings: Modelling, Design and Applications)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

25 pages, 11281 KiB  
Article
Experimental and Numerical Dynamic Identification of an Aerostatic Electro-Spindle
by Federico Colombo, Luigi Lentini, Andrea Trivella, Terenziano Raparelli and Vladimir Viktorov
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(23), 11462; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112311462 - 3 Dec 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1596
Abstract
This paper proposes a method to experimentally identify the main modal parameters, i.e., natural frequencies and damping ratios, of an aerostatic spindle for printed board circuit drilling. A variety of methods is applied to the impulse-response function of the spindle in the presence [...] Read more.
This paper proposes a method to experimentally identify the main modal parameters, i.e., natural frequencies and damping ratios, of an aerostatic spindle for printed board circuit drilling. A variety of methods is applied to the impulse-response function of the spindle in the presence of zero rotational speed and different supply pressures. Moreover, the paper describes the non-linear numerical model of the spindle, which consists of a four-degree-of-freedom (DOF) rigid and unsymmetrical rotor supported by two aerostatic bearings. The main goal of the work is to validate the developed non-linear numerical model through the proposed identification procedure and the performed experimental tests. The comparison proves satisfactory, and the possible sources of uncertainty are conjectured. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gas Bearings: Modelling, Design and Applications)
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18 pages, 4208 KiB  
Article
Parameter Sensitivity Analysis on Dynamic Coefficients of Partial Arc Annular-Thrust Aerostatic Porous Journal Bearings
by Pyung Hwang, Polina Khan and Seok-Won Kang
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(22), 10791; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112210791 - 15 Nov 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2208
Abstract
Aerostatic bearings are widely used in high-precision devices. Partial arc annular-thrust aerostatic porous journal bearings are a prominent type of aerostatic bearings, which carry both radial and axial loads and provide high load-carrying capacity, low air consumption, and relatively low cost. Spindle shaft [...] Read more.
Aerostatic bearings are widely used in high-precision devices. Partial arc annular-thrust aerostatic porous journal bearings are a prominent type of aerostatic bearings, which carry both radial and axial loads and provide high load-carrying capacity, low air consumption, and relatively low cost. Spindle shaft tilting is a resource-demanding challenge in numerical modeling because it involves a 3D air flow. In this study, the air flow problem was solved using a COMSOL software, and the dynamic coefficients for tilting degrees of freedom were obtained using finite differences. The obtained results exhibit significant coupling between the tilting motion in the x-and y-directions: cross-coupled coefficients can achieve 20% of the direct coefficient for stiffness and 50% for damping. In addition, a nonlinear behavior can be expected, because the tilting motion within 3°, tilting velocities within 0.0012°/s, and relative eccentricity of 0.2 have effects as large as 20% for direct stiffness and 100% for cross-coupled stiffness and damping. All dynamic coefficients were fitted with a polynomial of eccentricity, tilting, and tilting velocities in two directions, with a total of six parameters. The resulting fitting coefficient tables can be employed for the fast dynamic simulation of the rotor shaft carried on the proposed bearing type. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gas Bearings: Modelling, Design and Applications)
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22 pages, 9124 KiB  
Article
Porous Gas Journal Bearings: An Exact Solution Revisited and Force Coefficients for Stable Rotordynamic Performance
by Luis San Andrés, Jing Yang and Andrew Devitt
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(17), 7949; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11177949 - 28 Aug 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2952
Abstract
Having come of age, gas film bearings enable high-speed oil-free (micro) rotating machinery with gains in efficiency and reliability, longer maintenance intervals, and a reduction in contaminants released to the atmosphere. Among gas bearing types, porous surface gas bearings (PGBs) have proven successful [...] Read more.
Having come of age, gas film bearings enable high-speed oil-free (micro) rotating machinery with gains in efficiency and reliability, longer maintenance intervals, and a reduction in contaminants released to the atmosphere. Among gas bearing types, porous surface gas bearings (PGBs) have proven successful for 50+ years and presently are off-the-shelf mechanical elements. This paper reviews the literature on PGBs since the 1970s and reproduces an exact solution for the performance of cylindrical PGBs. Both the analytical model and an accompanying finite-element (FE) model predict the performance for two PGBs, a commercially available 76 mm diameter bearing and a smaller 25 mm diameter laboratory unit whose experimental performance is available. As expected, the FE model results reproduce the analytical predictions obtained in a minuscule computing time. For a set external supply pressure, as the radial clearance increases, the flow rate through the bearing grows until reaching a peak magnitude. The PGB load capacity is a fraction of the product of the set pressure difference (pS − pa) and the bearing projected area with a significantly large centering static stiffness evolving over a narrow region of clearances. Operation with shaft speed enhances the bearing load capacity; however, at sufficiently high speeds, significant magnitude cross-coupled forces limit the stable operation of a PGB. At constant operating shaft speed, as the whirl frequency grows, the bearing effective stiffness (Keff) increases, while the effective damping (Ceff) becomes positive for whirl frequencies greater than 50% shaft speed. Similar to a plain hydrodynamic journal bearing, the PGB is prone to a half-frequency whirl, albeit the system natural frequency can be high, mainly depending on the external supply pressure. In essence, for the cases considered, PGBs are linear mechanical elements whose load capacity is proportional to the journal eccentricity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gas Bearings: Modelling, Design and Applications)
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15 pages, 4709 KiB  
Article
Rotation Accuracy Analysis of Aerostatic Spindle Considering Shaft’s Roundness and Cylindricity
by Guoqing Zhang, Jianming Zheng, Hechun Yu, Renfeng Zhao, Weichao Shi and Jin Wang
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(17), 7912; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11177912 - 27 Aug 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2192
Abstract
The rotation accuracy of the aerostatic spindle can easily be affected by shaft shape errors due to the small gas film clearance. Thus, the main shaft shape errors with the largest scale—that is, the roundness and cylindricity errors—are studied in this paper, and [...] Read more.
The rotation accuracy of the aerostatic spindle can easily be affected by shaft shape errors due to the small gas film clearance. Thus, the main shaft shape errors with the largest scale—that is, the roundness and cylindricity errors—are studied in this paper, and a dynamic mathematical model is established with the consideration of the roundness, cylindricity errors, and spindle speed. In order to construct the shaft model, the discrete coefficient index of the shaft radius based on roundness measurement data are proposed. Then, the simulation calculations are conducted based on the measured cylindricity data and the constructed shaft model. The calculation results are compared with the spindle rotation accuracy measured using the spindle error analyzer. The results show that the shaft with a low discrete coefficient is subjected to less unbalanced force and smaller rotation errors, as obtained by the experiment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gas Bearings: Modelling, Design and Applications)
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22 pages, 13964 KiB  
Article
Air-Based Contactless Wafer Precision Positioning System
by Rico Hooijschuur, Niranjan Saikumar, S. Hassan HosseinNia and Ron A. J. van Ostayen
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(16), 7588; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11167588 - 18 Aug 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3050
Abstract
This paper presents the development of a contactless sensing system and the dynamic evaluation of an air-bearing-based precision wafer positioning system. The contactless positioning stage is a response to the trend seen in the high-tech industry, where the substrates are becoming thinner and [...] Read more.
This paper presents the development of a contactless sensing system and the dynamic evaluation of an air-bearing-based precision wafer positioning system. The contactless positioning stage is a response to the trend seen in the high-tech industry, where the substrates are becoming thinner and larger to reduce the cost and increase the yield. Using contactless handling it is possible to avoid damage and contamination. The system works by floating the substrate on a thin film of air. A viscous traction force is created on the substrate by steering the airflow. A cascaded control design structure has been implemented on the contactless positioning system, where the inner loop controller (ILC) controls the actuator which steers the airflow and the outer loop controller (OLC) controls the position of the substrate by controlling the reference of the ILC. The dynamics of the ILC are evaluated and optimized for the performance of the positioning of the substrate. The vibration disturbances are also handled by the ILC. The bandwidth of the system has been improved to 300 Hz. For the OLC, a linear charge-coupled device has been implemented as a contactless sensor. The performance of the sensing system has been analysed. During control in steady-state, this resulted in a position error of the substrate of 12.9 μm RMS, which is a little more than two times the resolution. The bandwidth of the OLC is approaching 10 Hz. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gas Bearings: Modelling, Design and Applications)
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19 pages, 7353 KiB  
Article
Thermal Characteristics Study of the Bump Foil Thrust Gas Bearing
by Xiaomin Liu, Changlin Li, Jianjun Du and Guodong Nan
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 4311; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11094311 - 10 May 2021
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3887
Abstract
In this paper, a thermo-hydrodynamic model of the bump foil thrust gas bearing is developed, which solves the coupled gas film three-dimensional energy equation, non-isothermal Reynolds equation, and the foil deformation equation. The effects of bearing speed, thrust load, and external cooling gas [...] Read more.
In this paper, a thermo-hydrodynamic model of the bump foil thrust gas bearing is developed, which solves the coupled gas film three-dimensional energy equation, non-isothermal Reynolds equation, and the foil deformation equation. The effects of bearing speed, thrust load, and external cooling gas on the bearing temperature field are calculated and analyzed. The test rig of foil thrust gas bearing was built to measure the bearing temperature under different working conditions. Both simulation and experiment results show that there exist temperature gradients on the top foil both in the circumferential and radial directions. The simulation results also shows that the top foil side of the gas film has the highest temperature value in the entire lubrication field, and the position of highest temperature moves radially inward on the thrust plate side as the rotor speed increases. The gas film temperature increases with the increasing rotor speed and bearing static load, and rotor speed has greater effects on the temperature variation. Cooling air flow passing through the bump foil is also considered in the simulations, and the cooling efficiency decreases as the mass of gas flow increases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gas Bearings: Modelling, Design and Applications)
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14 pages, 6855 KiB  
Article
A Two-Round Optimization Design Method for Aerostatic Spindles Considering the Fluid–Structure Interaction Effect
by Qiang Gao, Siyu Gao, Lihua Lu, Min Zhu and Feihu Zhang
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(7), 3017; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11073017 - 28 Mar 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2311
Abstract
The fluid–structure interaction (FSI) effect has a significant impact on the static and dynamic performance of aerostatic spindles, which should be fully considered when developing a new product. To enhance the overall performance of aerostatic spindles, a two-round optimization design method for aerostatic [...] Read more.
The fluid–structure interaction (FSI) effect has a significant impact on the static and dynamic performance of aerostatic spindles, which should be fully considered when developing a new product. To enhance the overall performance of aerostatic spindles, a two-round optimization design method for aerostatic spindles considering the FSI effect is proposed in this article. An aerostatic spindle is optimized to elaborate the design procedure of the proposed method. In the first-round design, the geometrical parameters of the aerostatic bearing were optimized to improve its stiffness. Then, the key structural dimension of the aerostatic spindle is optimized in the second-round design to improve the natural frequency of the spindle. Finally, optimal design parameters are acquired and experimentally verified. This research guides the optimal design of aerostatic spindles considering the FSI effect. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gas Bearings: Modelling, Design and Applications)
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Review

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13 pages, 4755 KiB  
Review
Application of Gas Foil Bearings in China
by Yu Hou, Qi Zhao, Yu Guo, Xionghao Ren, Tianwei Lai and Shuangtao Chen
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(13), 6210; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11136210 - 5 Jul 2021
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 5728
Abstract
Gas foil bearing has been widely used in high-speed turbo machinery due to its oil-free, wide temperature range, low cost, high adaptability, high stability and environmental friendliness. In this paper, state-of-the-art investigations of gas foil bearings are reviewed, mainly on the development of [...] Read more.
Gas foil bearing has been widely used in high-speed turbo machinery due to its oil-free, wide temperature range, low cost, high adaptability, high stability and environmental friendliness. In this paper, state-of-the-art investigations of gas foil bearings are reviewed, mainly on the development of the high-speed turbo machinery in China. After decades of development, progress has been achieved in the field of gas foil bearing in China. Small-scale applications of gas foil bearing have been realized in a variety of high-speed turbo machinery. The prospects and markets of high-speed turbo machinery are very broad. Various high-speed turbomachines with gas foil bearings have been developed. Due to the different application occasions, higher reliability requirements are imposed on the foil bearing technology. Therefore, its design principle, theory, and manufacturing technology should be adaptive to new application occasions before mass production. Thus, there are still a number of inherent challenges that must be addressed, for example, thermal management, rotor-dynamic stability and wear-resistant coatings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gas Bearings: Modelling, Design and Applications)
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