An experimental investigation on vortex-type bearing

In this study, a new bearing unit named vortex-type bearing is proposed and its characteristics are studied through experiments. The proposed bearing, which utilizes vortex flow to form a sunken pressure distribution, is superior to the conventional orifice-type bearing in increasing static stiffness and lowering partial stress concentration, so that it is applied in air rails for suspending thin glass substrates. This paper focus on one vortex-type bearing unit to investigate its load capacity, static stiffness and flow phenomenon, furthermore, confirms its advantages by comparison with orifice-type bearing.