This document presents the computer analytical program developed as part of the gas-lubricated foil bearing design and development study conducted by AiResearch Manufacturing Co., under Contract F33615-73-C-2058. The report contains a detailed discussion of the computer program and includes sample problems and program listings. (Author).

This document presents the computer analytical program developed as part of the gas-lubricated foil bearing design and development study conducted by AiResearch Manufacturing Co., under Contract F33615-73-C-2058. The report contains a detailed discussion of the computer program and includes sample problems and program listings. (Author).

The performance and durability of advanced, high temperature foil air bearings are evaluated under a wide range (10-50 kPa) of loads at temperatures from 25 to 650 deg C. The bearings are made from uncoated nickel based superalloy foils. The foil surface experiences sliding contact with the shaft during initial start/stop operation. To reduce friction and wear, the solid lubricant coating, PS 304, is applied to the shaft by plasma spraying. PS304 is a NiCr based Cr2O3 coating with silver and barium fluoride/calcium fluoride solid lubricant additions. The results show that the bearings provide lives well in excess of 30,000 cycles under all of the conditions tested. Several bearings exhibited lives in excess of 100,000 cycles. Wear is a linear function of the bearing load. The excellent performance measured in this study suggests that these bearings and the PS 304 coating are well suited for advanced high temperature, oil-free turbomachinery applications.

An investigation of air-lubricated foil bearing technology for application in advanced propulsion and power systems was performed. The work conducted under the program comprised: (a) establishment and documentation of the state-of-the-art of foil bearings, (b) development of analytical tools and design guides to permit calculation of the performance of bending-dominated foil bearings, (c) investigation of potential substrate and coating materials, as well as conduct of start-stop and high speed rub tests with two air-lubricated foil bearings at 1000 deg F, (d) preparation of a layout drawing of a dynamic simulator test vehicle based upon an advanced engine (1980 or later time frame) in the 1000 to 3000 pounds thrust class, as well as a description of the test facility requirements, (e) description of the technology segments of air-lubricated foil bearings that need to be advanced to meet the requirements of the advanced engine application, and definition of the parameters for a long range test effort. (Modified author abstract).

Covering the fundamental principles of bearing selection, design, and tribology, this book discusses basic physical principles of bearing selection, lubrication, design computations, advanced bearings materials, arrangement, housing, and seals, as well as recent developments in bearings for high-speed aircraft engines. The author explores unique solutions to challenging design problems and presents rare case studies, such as hydrodynamic and rolling-element bearings in series and adjustable hydrostatic pads for large bearings. He focuses on the design considerations and calculations specific to hydrodynamic journal bearings, hydrostatic bearings, and rolling element bearings.