Research on the design and load bearing characteristics of air bearings based on micro-groove structure and reverse fixation

In this study, a novel air bearing design based on a microgroove structure with a reverse fixed configuration is proposed to improve the bearing load carrying capacity, stability, and operating efficiency, while reducing the frictional torque and micromotion wear during startup. First, this paper proposes a novel air bearing design to optimize the pressure distribution of the air film by opening circumferential microgrooves on the flat foil, improve the gas flow by channeling the air flow, increase the stiffness of the air film and reduce the leakage rate, so as to enhance the bearing load carrying capacity. Secondly, to address the micromotion wear caused by small sliding between the foils due to the dynamic phase difference in the traditional design, the reverse fixation configuration of the flat foil and wave foil is proposed. On the basis of the above, it is verified by MATLAB numerical simulation and experiment. The results show that the improved air bearing exhibits higher load carrying capacity, significantly lower friction torque, good start-stop performance, and improved stress distribution and thermal expansion stability of the system. This indicates that the design has significant advantages in improving bearing load carrying characteristics, reducing friction loss and extending service life, and has a wide range of application prospects, especially suitable for high load and high speed equipment.