Influence of Porous‐Layer Permeability and Thickness on Stability and Load‐Bearing Capacity of a Porous air Bearing

ABSTRACT

The paper deals with the simulation of porous journal bearings by solving the Reynolds and Darcy equations in conjunction with the continuity equation. To find the solution, the solution domain is discretized using the finite volume method. Since the partial differential equations are nonlinear, the Newton–Raphson method is implemented to obtain an efficient numerical solution. The developed bearing model is intended for the analysis of rotor systems supported by porous air bearings, particularly with respect to their dynamic and stability behavior. In porous air bearings, the intrinsic permeability and thickness of the porous shell strongly influence the stability of the rotor system. The extent of the influence of these two parameters and their interaction is investigated in this study. From a manufacturing perspective, it is easier to adjust the thickness than the intrinsic permeability. Therefore, particular attention is paid to the shell thickness in this work.