Investigation of the Spherical Hydrostatic Gas Bearing for Two-Axis Gyros

Abstract

Investigation shows that spherical hydrostatic gas bearings can be manufactured by coining of precision dimensions in aluminum die castings. The paper also shows that the goals of low competitive costs and high reliability can be achieved with commercial balls, filters, and gas cartridges. Load support of a spherical hydrostatic gas bearing can be 40 percent of the supply pressure times the projected ball area. Gas consumption for a bearing ball size of 1.0-2.0 in. can be low (1.0 SCFM). Bearing noise can be less than 5.0 dyne-cm. These observations are from work on a family of two-axis gyros and a two-axis wind tunnel model pivot.