Influences of the restrictor design parameter and operating conditions of aerostatic bearings on its dynamic characteristics

In this paper, an annual aerostatic bearing used as a part of air-foot in ultra-precision mechanisms is investigated. The dynamic parameters of aerostatic bearing, such as stiffness, damping and load capacity have been numerically studied based on a fluent model, and the dynamic model of the air-foot stage has also been built. The experiment has been carried out to validate the analysis models and the methods, and the results show a good agreement with the numerical results. Then, the problem of how different restrictor design parameters and operating conditions of the aerostatic bearing affect its dynamical performance is discussed. It is concluded that the influence of gas supply pressure, air-gap clearance and orifice diameter to its dynamical performance greater than that of orifice height and chamber depth.