Hydrodynamic analysis of multileaf gas foil bearing with backing springs

Abstract

In this paper, a one-dimensional beam element model on elastic foundations is used to study the static and dynamic performances of a gas-lubricated multileaf foil journal bearing. The two-dimensional Reynolds equation is solved by using the finite element method coupled with the elastic deformation equation simultaneously for the converged steady state. Subsequently, a perturbation method is used to calculate the dynamic characteristics including stiffness and damping coefficients. The effects of structural and operating parameters, such as bump stiffness, leaf foil thickness, attitude angle, bearing number, and eccentricity ratio are discussed in detail. The results show that the parameters greatly influence the bearing performance, which is helpful information for designing and manufacturing an experimental prototype.