• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제38권5호
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• pp.205-212
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• 2022

This paper presents experimental measurements of the structural characteristics of a two-pad beam-type gas foil journal bearing and its rotordynamic performance for a high-speed motor-driven turbocompressor. The test bearing had two top foils and two beam foils, each with an arc length of ~180°. Each beam foil was etched to obtain 40 beams with six geometries of different lengths and widths. The insertion of beam foils into the bearing housing produces equivalent beam heights. The structural tests of the bearing with a non-rotating journal revealed a smaller bearing clearance and larger structural stiffness for the load-on-pad configuration than for the load-between-pads configuration. Rotordynamic performance measurements during driving tests up to 100 krpm demonstrated synchronous vibrations and subsynchronous vibrations with large amplitudes. The test was repeated after inserting the shim between the top foil and beam foil to reduce the bearing radial clearance. The reduced bearing clearance resulted in a reduction in the peak amplitude of the synchronous vibrations and an increase in the speed at which the peak amplitude occurred. In addition, the onset speed and amplitude of the subsynchronous vibrations were dramatically increased and diminished, respectively. The rotor coast-down tests at 100 krpm show that the reduction in the bearing clearance extends the time to rotor stop, thus implying an improvement in hydrodynamic pressure generation and a reduction in bearing frictional torque.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제30권3호
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• pp.131-138
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• 2014

This study investigates the effects of the slopes of the rotational axis and bearing preloads on the natural frequencies and onset speeds of the instability of a rotor supported on gas foil bearings (GFBs). The predictive model for the rotating system consists of a rigid rotor supported on two gas foil journal bearings (GFJBs) and a pair of gas foil thrust bearings (GFTBs). Each GFJB supports approximately half the rotor weight. As the slope of the rotational axis increases from $0^{\circ}$(horizontal rotor operation) to $90^{\circ}$(vertical rotor operation), the applied load on the GFJB owing to the rotor weight decreases. The predictions show that the natural frequency and onset speed of instability decrease significantly with an increase in the slope of the rotational axis. In a parametric study, the nominal radial clearance and preload for the GFJB were changed. In general, a decrease in the nominal radial clearance lead to an increase in the natural frequency and onset speed of instability. For constant assembly clearance, the decrease in the preload changed the natural frequency and onset speed of instability with insignificant improvements in the rotordynamic stability. The present predictions can be used as design guidelines for GFBs for oil-free high-speed rotating machinery with improved rotordynamic performance.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제31권4호
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• pp.141-147
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• 2015

Gas foil thrust bearings (GFTBs) have attractive advantages over rolling element bearings and oil film thrust bearings, such as oil-free operation, high speed stability, and high-temperature operation. However, GFTBs have lower load carrying capacity than the other two types of bearings owing to the inherent low gas viscosity. The load carrying capacity of GFTBs depends mainly on the compliance of the foil structure and the formed hydrodynamic wedge, where the gas pressure field is generated between the top foil and the thrust runner. The load carrying capacity of the GFTBs is very important for the suitable design of oil-free turbomachinery with high performance. The aim of the present study is to identify the characteristics of the load carrying performance of GFTBs. A new test rig for the experimental measurements is designed to provide static loads up to 800 N using a pneumatic cylinder. The maximum operating speed of the driving motor is 30,000 rpm. A series of experimental tests—lift-off test, static load performance test, and maximum load capacity test—estimate the performance of a six-pad GFTB, in terms of the static load, driving torque, and temperature. The maximum load capacity is determined by increasing the static load until the driving torque rises suddenly with a sharp peak. The test results show that the torque and temperature increase linearly with the static load. The estimated maximum load capacity per unit area is approximately 80.5 kPa at a rotor speed of 25,000 rpm. The test results can be used as a design guideline for GFTBs for realizing oil-free turbomachinery.

• 한국추진공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국추진공학회 2003년도 제21회 추계학술대회 논문집
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• pp.261-266
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• 2003

포일 베어링은 공기의 점성과 포일 형태의 구조물을 이용하는 비접촉 베어링으로서, 구름베어링에 비하여 별도의 윤활장치가 필요 없고, 무한수명이 가능하며, 구름베어링을 사용할 수 없는 초고속 회전체와 50$0^{\circ}C$ 이상의 고온 환경에도 적용이 가능하다는 장점이 있다. 최근에는 전통적으로 널리 사용되어 왔던 소형 터보기기 분야뿐만 아니라, 소형 가스터빈 엔진과 같이 극한 온도 조건에서도 작동할 수 있는 포일 베어링에 대한 연구가 활발하게 진행되고 있다. 본 논문에서는 포일 공기 베어링 원리에 대한 소개와 함께, 현재 당사에서 볼베어링을 사용하여 개발 중인 65마력급 무인기용 터보샤프트 엔진의 고온부 베어링으로 적용하기 위한 가능성 연구를 수행하였다.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제35권1호
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• pp.44-51
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• 2019

The paper presents the rotordynamic performance measurements and model predictions of a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) air compressor supported on gas foil bearings (GFBs). The rotor has an impeller on one end and a thrust runner on the other end. The front (impeller side) and rear (thrust side) gas foil journal bearings (GFJBs) are located between the impeller and thrust runner to support the radial loads, and a pair of gas foil thrust bearings are located on both sides of the thrust runner to support the axial loads. The test GFJBs have a partial arc shim foil installed between the top foil and bump strip layers to enhance hydrodynamic pressure generation. During the rotordynamic performance tests, two sets of orthogonally installed eddy-current displacement sensors measure the rotor radial motions at the rotor impeller and thrust ends. A series of speed-up and coast-down tests to 100k rpm demonstrates the dominant synchronous (1X) rotor responses to imbalance masses without noticeable subsynchronous motions, which indicates a rotordynamically stable rotor-GFB system. Finite element analysis of the rotor determines the rotor free-free (bending) natural modes and frequencies well beyond the maximum rotating frequency. The predicted damped natural frequencies and damping ratios of the rotor-GFB system reveal rotordynamic stability over the speeds of interest. The imbalance response predictions show that the predicted critical speeds and rotor amplitudes strongly agree with the test measurements, thus validating the developed rotordynamic model.

• 유체기계공업학회:학술대회논문집
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• 유체기계공업학회 2003년도 유체기계 연구개발 발표회 논문집
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• pp.662-667
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• 2003

This paper presents a performance analysis of the 1st generation bump foil journal bearings for the micro gas turbine TG75. Static performances such as load capacity and attitude angle are estimated by using soft elasto-hydrodynamic analysis technique, and dynamic performances such as stiffness and damping coefficients are estimated by perturbation method. Rotordynamic analysis for TG75 is performed by using the bearing analysis results. TG75 rotor has 2 horizontal and vertical directional natural modes due to the bearing stiffness characteristics. TG75 rotor will be stably operated between the 1st bending mode at 33000cpm and the 2nd bending mode at 85500cpm. Unbalance response analysis results satisfy the API vibration criteria.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제39권2호
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• pp.76-80
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• 2023

This paper describes an experimental investigation of the effect of cooling flow rate on gas foil thrust bearing (GFTB) performance. In a newly developed GFTB test rig, a non-contact type pneumatic cylinder provides static loads to the test GFTB and a high-speed motor rotates a thrust runner up to the maximum speed of 80 krpm. Force sensor, torque arm connected to another force sensor, and thermocouples measures the applied static load, drag torque, and bearing temperature, respectively, for cooling flow rates of 0, 25, and 50 LPM at static loads of 50, 100, and 150 N. The test GFTB with the outer radius of 31.5 mm has six top foils supported on bump foil structures. During the series of tests, the transient responses of the bearing drag torque and bearing temperature are recorded until the bearing temperature converges with time for each cooling flow rate and static load. The test data show that the converged temperature decreases with increasing cooling flow rate and increases with increasing static load. The drag torque and friction coefficient decrease with increasing cooling flow rate, which may be attributed to the decrease in viscosity and lubricant (air) temperature. These test results suggest that an increase in cooling flow rate improves GFTB performance.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• 제16권5호
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• pp.100-107
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• 1998

This paper describes fluxless soldering of reflow soldering process using solder foil instead of solder pastes. There is an increasing demand for the reliable solder connection in the recent high density microelectronic components technologies. And also, it is problem fracture of an Ozone layer due to freon as which is used to removal of remained flux on the substrate. This paper discussed joining phenomena, boudability and joining processes of microelectronics devices, such as between outer lead of VLSI package and copper pad on a substrate without flux. The shear strength of joints is 8 to 13 N using Sn/Pb (63/37 wt.%) solder foil with optimum joining conditions, meanwhile, in case of using Sn/In (52/48 wt.%) solder foil, it is possible to bond with low heating temperature of 550 K, and accomplish to high bonding strength of 25N in condition heating temperature of 650K. Finally, this paper experimentally shows fluxless soldering using solder foil, and accomplishes key technology of microsoldering processes.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제40권3호
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• pp.103-110
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• 2024

Gas foil thrust bearings (GFTBs) are oil-free self-acting hydrodynamic bearings that support axial loads with a low friction during airborne operation. They need solid lubricants to reduce dry-friction between the runner and top foil and minimize local wears on their surfaces during start-up and shutdown processes. In this study, we evaluate the lift-off speeds and load capacity performance of a GFTB with Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) surface coating by measuring drag torques during a series of experimental tests at increasing ambient temperatures of 25, 75 and 110℃. An electric heat gun provides hot air to the test GFTB operating in the closed booth to increase the ambient temperature. Test results show that the increasing ambient temperature delays the lift-off speed and decreases the load capacity of the test GFTB. An early developed prediction tool well predicts the measured drag torques at 60 krpm. After all tests, post inspections of the surface coating of the top foil are conducted. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images imply that abrasive wear and oxidation wear are dominant during the tests at 25℃ and 110℃, respectively. A quantitative energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) microanalysis reveals that the weight percentages of carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen decrease, while that of fluorine increases significantly during the highest-temperature tests. The study demonstrates that the increasing ambient temperature noticeably deteriorates the static performances and degrades the surface coating of the test GFTB.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.97-108
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• 2001

This paper describes the development of performance analysis technique for a leaf-type gas lubricated fail bearing. Stiffness coefficient and frictional damping due to the slip between all contacts of leaves are evaluated for various leaf structures. The fluid film thickness and pressure distribution are computed but it is not considered the elastic deformation by film pressure. The analysis results include the effects that the curvature radius and the length of leaf and the friction coefficient have on the static and dynamic characteristics of the foil bearings.