Regular and Reversible Rotation-Type Gas-Lubricated Circular-Disk Grooved Thrust Bearings.

A new pump-in and pump-out type of gas-lubricated circular-disk grooved thrust bearing, which produces a gas film bearing pressure with shaft rotation in either direction, is proposed in this paper. A numerical analysis of the bearing characteristics with the narrow groove theory confirmed that the load capacity and stiffness of this bearing equal half those of the conventional bearing and that the damping coefficient equals twice that of the conventional bearing. Optimum bearing parameters which maximize the load capacity and the stiffness were also determined numerically and influence of the squeeze number was clarified.