• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.190-198
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• 2019

Gas foil bearings (GFBs) enable small- to medium-sized turbomachinery to operate at ultra-high speeds in a compact design by using ambient air or process gas as a lubricant. When using air or process gas, which have lower viscosity than lubricant oil, the turbomachinery has the advantage of reduced power loss from bearing friction drag. However, GFBs may have high Reynolds number, which causes turbulent flows due to process gas with low viscosity and high density. This paper analyzes gas foil journal bearings (GFJBs) with high Reynolds numbers and studies the effects of turbulent flows on the static and dynamic performance of bearings. For comparison purposes, air and R-134a gas lubricants are applied to the GFJBs. For the air lubricant, turbulence is dominant only at rotor speeds higher than 200 krpm. At those speeds, the journal eccentricity decreases, but the film thickness, power loss, and direct stiffness and damping coefficients increase. On the other hand, the R-134a gas lubricant, which that has much higher density than air, causes dominant turbulence at rotor speeds greater than 10 krpm. The turbulent flow model predicts decreased journal eccentricity but increased film thickness and power loss when compared with the lamina flow model predictions. The vertical direct stiffness and damping coefficients are lower at speeds below 100 krpm, but higher beyond that speeds for the turbulent model. The present results indicate that turbulent flow effects should be considered for accurate performance predictions of GFJBs with high Reynolds number.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.315-321
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• 2016

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze effects of the toe-spring angle of bobsleigh shoes on start speed lap time to develop Korean-specific bobsled shoes suitable for winter environments and for domestic players on the basis of sports science and optimized biomechanical performance. Method: Seven Korean bobsleigh athletes participated in this study, with three pairs of sprint spikes from three companies (Type A, Type B, Type C). To analyze sprint lap time and forefoot bending angle for each shoe, participants were instructed to drag a sled 15 meters from the start line at a maximum sprint. forefoot bending angle was collected by a high speed camera, and lap time speed was measured. Results: Lap time for type B shoes was $3.52{\pm}0.17sec$, type A was $3.55{\pm}0.19sec$, and type C was $3.56{\pm}0.18sec$. Forefoot bending angles were: angle 1, $6.88{\pm}5.55^{\circ}$; angle 2, $9.23{\pm}6.38^{\circ}$; angle 3, $15.56{\pm}5.39^{\circ}$; angle 4, $9.54{\pm}3.85^{\circ}$; angle 5, $9.22{\pm}5.08^{\circ}$; angle 6, $7.66{\pm}6.44^{\circ}$; and angle 7, $4.30{\pm}6.24^{\circ}$ (p<.001). Forefoot bending in angle 3 was as follows: type A, $16.47{\pm}6.01^{\circ}$; type B, $14.30{\pm}4.96^{\circ}$; and type C, $15.90{\pm}5.17^{\circ}$. Conclusion: Hard outsoles and midsoles are better than soft type for reduced start lap time when developing a prototype Korean bobsled shoe.