Effects of Number of Porous Insert, Spindle Speed and Gap Thickness on Characteristics of a Partially Porous Aerostatic Journal Bearing

Abstract

The effects of the rotating speed of the spindle, the number of the porous medium inserted into the partially porous aerostatic journal bearing and the thickness of the bearing gap on the characteristics of the bearing such as the pressure distribution, the load carrying capacity and the stiffness of the bearing were studied. Based on the finite volume method and the pressure-velocity coupling scheme of the SIMPLE algorithm with the standard k-ε turbulent model, the CFD software was used to solve the Navier-Stokes equations to calculate the pressure field in the bearing gap. The computed results revealed the faster the spindle rotated, the higher the gap pressure. As the gap thickness increased, the gap pressure, the load carrying capacity and the stiffness of the bearing decreased. The more the porous inserts, the higher the gap pressure and the load carrying capacity, but the less the bearing stiffness would be.