The Optimum One-Dimensional Hydrodynamic Gas Rayleigh Step Bearing

Abstract

The optimum Rayleigh gas slider bearing is determined for a range of bearing numbers. Numerical methods are used to calculate step location, step pressure, and load capacity for given values of step height ratio, bearing number, and flow parameter. These methods are used to determine as many data points as desired so that it is possible to obtain the optimum configuration dimensions to a very high degree of accuracy. An inherent feature of this analytical experiment is the acquisition of data pertaining to the near-optimum bearings and such data are presented for bearings with load capacities ranging down to seven-tenths of the load associated with the optimum Rayleigh bearing. At low bearing numbers it is found that the optimum Rayleigh bearing has only slightly lower load-carrying capability than the optimum gas slider bearing. For bearing numbers of 50, 100, and 500 the optimum Rayleigh slider bearings were, respectively, 5.8, 8.3, and 15.3 percent lower in load-carrying capability than the corresponding optimum bearings.