Performance Analysis of Aerostatic Thrust Bearings with Inherently or Pocketed Orifice Restrictor

In this paper, the performance of aerostatic thrust bearings compensated by different methods is investigated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. By analyzing the relationships between the bearings´ parameters and load carrying capacity (LCC), mass flow rate (MFR) and the maximum gas velocity (MGV), the effects of restrict area on the bearing´s performance are discussed in the first time. Under the same restrict area, the bearing with multi-pocketed orifices has the largest LCC, the bearing with single inherently orifice has the least MFR and the minimum gas velocity. Moreover, the pressure fluctuation inside the bearing with single inherently orifice is minimal and the possibility of the bearing to generate self-active vibration is the smallest. So the bearing with multi-pocketed orifices is more suitable for the application of high load and relative low precision. And the bearing with single inherently orifice is more suitable for the application of low load and relative high precision.