Investigation of a Flexible Disk Rotating Near a Rigid Surface

Abstract

A flexible disk rotating in close proximity to a flat rigid surface has been studied experimentally and theoretically. A bump is located on the surface to create a non-axisymmetric disturbance. The gas film between the disk and the rigid surface is represented by an incompressible Reynolds equation with inertial effects included. The general equations of a disk including both membrane and bending effects with displacement dependent tension distributions are presented. Numerical results are developed where the effects of displacement on the tension distributions and of bending in the disk are not included.