Externally pressurized gas journal bearing with slot restrictors arranged in the axial direction

In this study, a novel rectangular slot restriction-type externally pressurized gas journal bearing was developed for use in high-speed rotating machinery, such as medical devices and industrial machines. The proposed bearing has several rectangular slot restrictors arranged in the inner surface of the bearing. To measure the bearing characteristics, a model was developed for the numerical calculation of the pressure distribution in the bearing clearance and the static characteristics of the bearing. The proposed bearing, which consists of two parts, was designed and can be manufactured using appropriate techniques. In this study, a prototype bearing with eight slots in its surface was manufactured as a test piece for fundamental tests. The diameter and length of the test bearing are 30 and 40 mm, respectively. The roundness of the bearing was measured using a three-dimensional coordinate measuring machine, and the results were used in the analysis. The pressure distribution and static characteristics obtained experimentally were found to be in good agreement with the calculated values. In the rotational tests, the rotor speed exceeded 380 Hz (22,800 rpm), and whirl vibration did not occur. During testing, the maximum rotor vibration amplitude was 0.002 mm, corresponding to an eccentricity ratio of 0.3.