Influence of supporting clearance distribution on performance of suspension pad

The performance of suspension pad is investigated in consideration of nonuniform clearance distribution. Firstly, a novel method to determine the supporting clearance of a suspension pad is proposed based on the geometrical configuration. Then, the flow model of the liquid in the suspension pad is established. For the sake of solving this model, a finite volume discrete algorithm is derived and a new approach is used for updating the pressure field during iteration. Based on these algorithms, the pressure distribution of the flow field is obtained. Further, this pressure distribution is used to calculate the supporting force and moment. Finally, the influences of the displacement and flux of the suspension pad on the supporting force and moment are analyzed. The results demonstrate that the axial displacement can result in the increase of the supporting force, while the radial displacement can produce the supporting moment which disturbs the attitude stabilization of the inner sphere. Increasing flux is an effective way to strengthen the supporting force and to restrict the supporting moment. During the design of the floated inertial platform, a proper combination of the initial edge clearance and the flux should be chosen to improve the supporting property of the suspension pad and to restrain the supporting moment in the controllable range of the torquers on the floated inertial platform.