Abstract
This paper reports on the dynamic characteristics of micro air bearings that include thrust and journal air bearings for microsystems. The dynamic thrust air bearing employs a spiral groove configuration. Analysis shows that the motion stability and load capacity of a thrust air bearing imposes a contradictive requirement on the groove pattern of the air bearing. The dynamic journal air bearing is realized by using a plain circular trench with a narrow radial clearance of C, and a very small aspect ratio of bearing length versus diameter (L/D). Analysis on the shock tolerance of the journal air bearing shows that the shock tolerance increases with the bearing number, the bearing aspect ratio of L/D and its initial equilibrium eccentricity ratio ε 0. The optimum values of the bearing parameters are explored and recommended. A prototype of turbine device has been designed based on the recommended bearing configurations and realized via microfabrication.
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Zhang, Q.D., Shan, X.C. Dynamic characteristics of micro air bearings for microsystems. Microsyst Technol 14, 229–234 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00542-007-0414-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00542-007-0414-1