Abstract
Air bearing is characterized by its extremely low friction and cleanliness such that it is widely used especially for spindles with ultra-high rotational speed at several tens of thousands rpm. This paper contributes to design of a static radial air bearing suggesting numerical analysis to anticipate its performances. The numerical analysis is an iteration method based on finite difference formulation of the Reynolds equation. A prototype air bearing has been designed and manufactured. Its load capacity has been measured and compared with the numerical solutions. The result shows good consistency between the experiment and theory, which informs that the numerical analysis can be used as an useful tool to anticipate the performances. Effects of design variables on the bearing performance have been examined by Taguchi's experimental methods using orthogonal array. Number of holes for supplying pressurized air, clearance between shaft and bearing, the hole diameter and bearing length are chosen for the design variables. The result shows that the clearance and the bearing length are the most influential variables while the others can be considered as almost negligible.
