The Squeeze Film Effect with a High-Pressure Boundary in Aerostatic Bearings

Abstract

The squeeze film effect was discussed in several fields, but mostly under the same pressure boundary conditions. However, pressures at the inlet and outlet are different for aerostatic bearings. In this paper, the dynamic Reynolds equation group, with the stiffness and damping pressure written separately, is deducted and numerically solved with a high-pressure boundary for a parallel flat and circular thin film. The circular thin film considers the two results of the supply pressure boundary inside and outside. All dynamic pressure distribution and stiffness curves are given in a dimensionless form, and a comparative analysis of squeeze film characteristics with and without external pressure is conducted. From the calculation results, it can be concluded that the squeeze effect shows damping for zero-frequency and stiffness for infinite-frequency for compressible lubricants. The dynamic pressure in the static high pressure region is also high at high frequencies affected by gas compressibility. Based on these analytical results, the transfer functions of the thin film are given to further analyze the dynamic performance of aerostatic bearings, and the shape of the response curve approximates an exponential decay form, even when the amplitude increases to 10% of the gas film thickness.

Keywords

• squeeze films
• Reynolds equation
• numerical analysis
• dynamic performance
• aerostatic bearings