A Study of the Stability of Externally Pressurized Gas Bearings

Abstract

The subject of this paper is the stability of externally pressurized gas bearings. The pertinent equations of motion are linearized and the stability criteria stated in terms of small deviations from the equilibrium operating point. The flow in the bearing clearance is treated on a distributed rather than on a lumped-parameter basis. Results obtained from present analysis when compared with those previously arrived at by means of simplified analyses [1, 3] show a marked divergence in the limiting values of parameters which influence the stability of the bearing. These results and divergences are discussed in terms of permissible compression volume, pressure ratios, supply-nozzle size, length of annular clearance, and bearing mass.