Characteristics of hydrostatic bearing/seal parts for water hydraulic pumps and motors. Part 1: Experiment and theory

In this study, the characteristics of disk-type hydrostatic thrust bearings supporting concentric loads, simulating the major bearing/seal parts of water hydraulic pumps and motors, are presented. The bearing is made up of a combination of stainless steel/stainless steel and stainless steel/plastics. The characteristics are evaluated by studying the relationships among the load-carrying capacity, pocket pressure, film thickness, and leakage flow rate. For the elastic material, Young’s modulus is a nonlinear relationship between stress acting on the seal surface and compressive strain. The load-carrying capacity expressed by the ratio of hydrostatic balance is not only dependent on the supply pressure (with the same restrictor) but also on the elastic modulus of materials. The calculated results coincide well with the experimental results.