• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.283-287
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• 2007

Permanent-magnet (PM) passive bearings use the repulsive forces between the rotor and the stator magnets for the bearing function. It is desirable that the stiffness of the bearing is maximized with the given volume of the magnet. The stiffness is affected by the magnet strength, the number of layers, and the magnetization patterns. Previously, finite-element method (FEM) has been used to maximize the stiffness of the bearing. In this paper, we used the equivalent current sheet method to calculate the stiffness. The validity of this approach is checked against FEM results. The optimized bearing is applied to a micro flywheel energy storage system.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.473-477
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• 2005

This paper presents a highly efficient HDD (Hard Disk Drive) spindle motor with a passive magnetic thrust bearing and a fluid dynamic journal bearing and its effectiveness is verified through experiment. It eliminates the mechanical friction loss of a thrust bearing which is around 18% of total power consumption of a 3.5' HDD spindle motor, by replacing a conventional fluid dynamic thrust bearing with a passive magnetic thrust bearing. The passive magnetic thrust bearing using permanent magnets is inherently unstable in radial direction. However, the radial fluid dynamic force of the fluid dynamic journal bearing counterbalances the radial magnetic force of magnetic thrust bearing to achieve the stability as the motor spins up. It has less or equivalent runout and less flying height than the conventional spindle motor.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.22-28
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• 2001

A vortical axis flywheel system was conceptualized, which uses a hybrid superconductor bearing set to carry the wheel part load. The multiple designs of magnetic bearing and superconductor bearing were analyzed by using conventional numerical magnetostatic analysis method The best medels were selected among four different types of Permanent magnet bearings for upper bearing and two types of superconductor bearing for lower bearing, respectively These results were discussed in regard of application to the flywheel system with a Passive hybrid magnetic bearing set.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.353-358
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• 2011

In this paper, we describe a process for optimally designing a ring-type permanent magnet thrust bearing. The bearing consists of two sets of permanent magnet rings. One set is located inside the other set. An axial offset between the two sets creates axial force, which results in a thrust bearing function. In order to realize an optimal design of the bearing where the required load capacity of the bearing is achieved with the least magnet volume, we derived analytical design equations by adopting the equivalent current sheet (ECS) method. We considered the following two types of magnet arrays: axial arrays and Halbach arrays. These two types of arrays are optimized using the analytical design equations. The results of the optimization are verified using three dimensional (3D) finite element analyses (FEA). The results show that the Halbach array can achieve the required load capacity with less amount of permanent magnet than the axial array does. The efficacy of the ECS method is also verified by using 3D FEA. It is found that the accuracy of ECS method is more sensitive to the underlying assumptions for the Halbach array than for the axial array.

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
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• 1998.10a
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• pp.625-629
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• 1998

So far a single-axis controlled repulsive type magnetic bearing system have been designed and fabricated in our laboratory employing the repulsive forces operating between the stator and rotor permanent magnet for levitation. The radial axis is uncontrolled passive one. The higher speed of operation is limited due to the vibration along the uncontrolled axis and the increase of control current due to eddy current interference. This paper will discuss a detailed modeling of the repulsive type magnetic bearing system for five axis control including the eddy current effect and the method of reduction of eddy current effect. Simulation results using Matlab will be presented.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.66-70
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• 2012

Superconductor flywheel energy storage system (SFESs) is an electro-mechanical battery with high energy storage density, long life, and good environmental affinity. SFESs have been developed for application to a regenerative power of train, the storage of distributed power sources such as solar and wind power, and a power quality improvement. As superconductor bearing is completely passive, it is not necessary to control a system elaborately but accurate analysis in mechanical properties of the HTS bearing is very important for application to SFESs. Stiffness and damping properties are the main index for evaluation the capacity of HTS bearings and make it possible to adjust rotordynamic properties while operating the rotor-bearing system. The superconductor bearing consists of a stator containing single grain YBCO bulks, a ring-type permanent magnet rotor with a strong magnetic field that can reach the bulk surface, and a bearing support for assembly to SFESs frame. In this study, we investigated the stiffness and damping properties of superconductor bearings in 35 kWh SFESs. Finally, we found that 35 kWh superconductor bearing has uniform stiffness properties depend on the various orientations of rotor vibration. We discovered total damping coefficient of superconductor bearing is affected by not only magnetic damping in superconductor bulk but also external damping in bearing support. From the results, it is confirmed that the conducted evaluation can considerably improve energy storage efficiency of the SFESs, and these results can be used for the optimal capacity of superconductor bearings of the SFESs.