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An Analysis of Gas-Lubricated Foil-Journal Bearings

a b
Nagaraj K. Arakere & H. D. Nelson
a
Department of Mechanical Engineering , Wichita State University , Wichita, Kansas
b
Arizona State University , Tempe, Arizona
Published online: 25 Mar 2008.

To cite this article: Nagaraj K. Arakere & H. D. Nelson (1992) An Analysis of Gas-Lubricated Foil-Journal Bearings, Tribology
Transactions, 35:1, 1-10, DOI: 10.1080/10402009208982082

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10402009208982082

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 An Analysis of Gas-Lubricated
Foil-Journal Bearings@
NAGARAJ K. ARAKERE (Member, STLE)
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Wichita State University
Wichita, Kansas
and
H. D. NELSON
Arizona State University
T e m p e , Arizona
Downloaded by [New York University] at 01:14 04 August 2015
Thefoil journal bearing is essentially a sc!ries of thin overlapping
circular metal foils, one end of which is cantilevered to the bearing
and the other end rests on an adjacent foil. Typically, the radial
load at the high temperature end (turbine) of a gas turbine engine
is supported by a roller bearing. The high temperatures encountered
at the turbine end result in reduced roller bearing life and also
necessitate elaborate cooling and lubricating system to keep the
bearing temperatures within reasonable limits. Foil-journal bear-
ings are simple, lightweight and well suited for such high temper-
ature applications, and since they are self--.actingair bearings the
need for a lubricant supply system is obviated.
The hydrodynamic pressure force in the air film generated by the
journal rotation dejects the compliant foil suface resulting in a
change i n film thickness, and hence the iwessure solution to the
problem is of the elasto-hydro-dynamic(EHD)type. The nonlinear
compressible finite-length Reynolds equation is numerically solved
Cfinitedifference method) i n conjunction with the elasticity equations
governing the foil suface deflections wing an iterative scheme.
The elasticity solution accounts for area contact between foils. Be-
cause of several levels of iteration involz~ed,the EHD solution
Presented at the 46th Annual Meetlng
in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Aprll29-May 2,1991
Final manuscript approved January 22, 1991
c = radial clearance (Rb-RJ-2T)
e = journal displacement eccentricity
h .= film thickness
H = Nc, dimensionless film thickness
I = area moment of inertia of foil cross section
p = hydrodynamic pressure
pa = ambient pressure
P = PI&, dimensionless pressure
Rj = journal radius
RL = foil radius of curvature
Rb = bearing radius
1
requires consideruble computational effort. Gas-film pressure and
film thickness distributions, EHD solution convergence chamcter-
istics, bearing load capacity, etc. are presented as a function of
journal speed and eccentricity.
lNTRODUCTlON
Gas lubricated foil-journal bearings a r e becoming increas-
ingly popular for supporting rotors operating at high speeds
a n d temperatures, such as in turbochargers a n d small gas
turbines. Principal attractions of the foil bearing a r e its in-
herent long life, potential low cost a n d ability t o operate a t
temperatures over 1000°F. I n the basic foil bearing, a thin
flexible surface replaces o n e o f the rigid surfaces in a con-
ventional gas bearing. T h e flexible surface deflects u n d e r
changing load conditions to maintain a relatively constant
film thickness, d a m p o u t load fluctuations a n d minimize
journal whirl. Foil bearings belong to the gas bearing family
a n d display all the favorable attributes of gas bearings; namely
low friction operation, simple construction a n d elimination
of a n oil supply.
T h e design of foil bearings is based o n the simultaneous
solution o f t h e equations describing the behavior o f the fluid
film a n d t h e elastic deflection of the foil bearing surface.
T h e elastic bearing surface modifies, o r even governs the
operational characteristics. Although elasticity plays a d o m -
inant role in foil bearings, the problem does not fall into
Rg = generating circle radius
T = foil thickness
Z =z/Rj
Greek Symbols
E = elc, eccentricity ratio
a = foil bearing geometric parameter
r = EHD solution convergence parameter
CL = bearing fluid viscosity
4 = attitude angle
8 = polar coordinate angle
R = journal angular velocity
A = 6~~R(~,lc)~/p,
 I
Downloaded by [New York University] at 01:14 04 August 2015
Fotl w e n t
Fig. 1-Foil-Journal bearing configuration.
(a) tenslon-domlnated foil bearing
(b) bendingdominated toil bearing
the category of classical problems generally associated with
el;utohydrodynamics. There are two types of foil bearings;
tlie classical foil bearing, Fig. l(a), in which the dominant
mocte of elastic deformation is extension, and the flexible
surface bearing, Fig. I(b), in which compliance is effected
mainly through the bending of foils. The tension-type foil
bearing usually has three foil sectors preloaded against the
journal. A lubricant gas film is established at relatively low
specd, whereupon the device transforms from a slippery
b:uicI-brake to a foil bearing. This paper is primarily con-
cerned with the analysis of the bending-dominated type of
Soil bearing, Fig. I (b).
Foil bearing configurations are inherently associated with
flexible tapes moving over magnetic recording heads. Many
of the early investigations on foil bearings deal with the
tr:uisport of magnetic tape over recording heads. The basic
problem of finding tape contour and air film thickness gen-
crated by a fast moving tape on a spindle was analyzed by
Esliel and Elrod, (I). Licht (2)-(5) has done extensive ex-
perimental work on rotors supported by tension dominated
foil bearings.
There exists a relatively small number of papers on the
analysis of bending-dominated foil bearings, although a
number of works have been published on tension domi-
nated foil bearings. In the analysis of foil-journal bearings
tlie static force-displacement characteristics of the bearing
.take on fundamental importance, since the foil surface elas-
ticity governs the operational characteristics. Bragin et al.
(6) conducted experiments to determine the nonlinear force-
displacement characteristics of the foil bearing, and also
derived simple relations for the bearing stiffness. Oh and
Rohde (7) analyzed the foil-journal bearing by assuming a
certain film shape, and solved the Reynolds equation for
that shape. Ehinger et al. (8)analyzed the foil-journal bear-
ing by approximating the bearing by a system of elastic
bending segments with a spring and damper external sup-
port. The damping and stiffness properties of the lubricant
film about the equilibrium position were determined from
the Reynolds equation by using a perturbation method..
The foil-journal bearing analysis starts with an elasticity
solution which yields the deflection of the compliant foil
bearing surface for applied loads. The study of load-deflection
characteristics of the foil bearing with a non-rotatingjournal
follows. Next, the computationally intensive elasto-hydro-
dynamic (EHD) problem involving the simultaneous solu-
tion of the elasticity and compressible hydrodynamic prob-
lems is treated using an iterative technique. Pressure dis-
tributions and load capacities for severaljournal eccentricities
and speeds are presented (9).
ELASTICITY SOLU'I'ION
Basic to the mathematical modelling of the foil bearing
is the ability to predict elastic deflections of the flexible
bearing surface due to imposed loads on the surface. The
first step towards predicting the bearing surface deflections
due to the imposed loads is to define a reference configu-
ration for the foils.
Foil Bearing Geometry
The initial reference configuration chosen for the foils,
prior to the journal insertion in the bearing, is similar to
the one used by Oh and Rohde (7), and is shown in Fig. 2.
This configuration may differ in the assembled state from
the free form state due to foil interaction loading. Point A
is the leading edge of the foil attached to the bearing hous-
ing, and point B is the trailing edge resting on the adjacent
foil. Point S is the contact point of the adjacent foil trailing
edge. The bearing center is at 0, and C is the point on the
generating circle. The foils are centered on the generating
circle of radius Rg. Knowing the number of foils Nf,free
foil length Lf,foil thickness T, bearing radius Rb, and the
foil attachment angle Jy; the generating circle radius Rg,
angle a,and foil radius of curvature RL can be calculated
as follows. From triangles OAC, OSC and OBC the follow-
ing geometric relations are obtained.
cos y =
(Rb - T ) -
~ R: - RE
2(Rb - T) R,
 An Ar~alysisof Gas-Lubricated Foil-Journal Bearings 3
Downloaded by [New York University] at 01:14 04 August 2015

Fig. 2-Foil bearing geometry. Fig. 3--Initial configuration of the tolls.

load, the reaction forces at the foil contact junctions are

T h e nonlinear algebraic Eqs. [4]-[6] must be solved to
obtain Rg, RL and a.This is accomplished by using a com-
puter library subroutine based on a secant method to it-
eratively solve for the unknowns. T h e solution scheme re-
quires reasonable initial estimates and some trial and error
is therefore involved in establishing realistic geometric pa-
rameters. A simple way to disdern correct solutions is to
+
make certain that (r - 91) + y + = :180°. A better way
to ensure that the converged solution parameters is correct
is by plotting the foil positions and ascertaining that there
is no interference between foils. T h e initial configuration
of the foils for an eight-foil bearing is shown in Fig. 3.
required. T h e reaction force can be found from the con-
dition that the radial displacement at a contact junction is
the same for two acljacent foils meeting at the junction. This
results in as many linear equations as the number of un-
known reaction forces and hence can be solved. Figure 4
shows the various forces acting on the jth typical foil. Ni is
the unknown reaction force at the junction i , and Fi are the
applied forces. Using the condition that the radial deflection
at the junction i is the same for the two foils meeting at the
junction, the following equation results:
is the flexibility coefficient for a curved beam (see Ap-
UkBI
pendix) defined by the radial displacement at 1 due to a
unit radial load at k. T h e superscript j denotes the jth foil.
If there are a number of forces acting on the foils they can
be taken into account on the right hand side of Eq. [7] by

Compliance Relationship
T h e compliance relationship between two arbitrary points N = Contact Force
on the foil bearing surface is essential in understanding the F = Applied Force
'+ilNde
force-displacement characteristics of the bearing. Since each
foil rests on its adjacent foil, the foil surface deflections are
coupled. T h e foils are assumed to be thin curved beams
with initial radii of curvature of RL, cantilevered to the
bearing housing at one end, and supported by the adjacent
?+dTi> i+l ", 7-1
p."t
Foil 'j'

x.
I \
foil at the other end. Foil deflections are assumed to be 1
I
Ni-l t.
I
small compared to the radius of curvature and the foil con- I 1
I i
tacts between adjacent foils are assumed to be frictionless. i
I
Also two adjacent foils are assumed to initially have line 1 $j-1
contact. I

T o find the resulting deflections of the foil for an applied ~ i g4--~oii

. junction reaction forces.
 superposition. Eq~~ation [7] written for each foil junction
r c s ~ ~ lint s:I system of linear algebraic equations, from which
the unknown junction forces Ni can be solved. In matrix
form the system of equations can be written as

'I'hc array [A] is the flexibility matrix and the vector {F)
is composccl of thc applied forces. Once the reaction forces
at thc foil junctions are evaluated, the deflection at any point
on the foil can be found by superposing contributions from
the individual forces. For computational convenience the
Soils arc discretized into a number of nodes and the foil
clcflections are computed at these nodes.
'I'o simulate the insertion of the journal in the bearing,
radial forces are applied at the foil nodes so that the foils
clcllect, until thejournal can just slide into the bearing. The
initial conliguration of the foils is such that there is line
contact at the foil junctions. As the foils are loaded, to sim-
Downloaded by [New York University] at 01:14 04 August 2015

ulate thc journal insertion in the bearing, the assumption

oS linc contact at the junction no longer holds true. T o 1
account for the foil interaction and the area contact at the Flg. 5--Journal lnsertlon slmulatlon: lntermedlate configuration.
Soil junctions, proper kinematic constraints must be en-
forcccl. 7'hc imposed kinematic constraints must also make is because the thin hydrodynamic film formed between the
certain that he foils do not penetrate or interfere with each foils and the journal is typically much stiffer than the elastic
other, and that the foils do not deflect beyond the bearing bearing stiffness. Hence the static (non-rotating journal)
housing. 1'0' enforce the above mentioned conditions the load-displacement characteristics give a reasonable measure
following logic is used. Beginning with the initial configu- of bearing stiffness with the rotating journal. The load re-
ration of the foils, radial loads on the foils are increased quired to produce a given journal eccentricity in the foil
incrementally. At each incremental load step the junction bearing is computed as follows. The distance between the
forces are computed by solving the system of equations, Eq. bearing center to the surface of an eccentric journal is cal-
[a]. Next, the foil deflections are computed, and in the re- culated as shown in Fig. 6. Once the journal insertion pro-
gions where the foils overlap the radial foil positions are cedure is complete, the loading on the foil nodes is contin-
compared to assure that the foils do not interfere. If, at a ued until the foil displacementsconform to that of an eccentric
given load step, some of the foil nodes are found to inter- journal, as shown in Fig. 6. This is again accomplished by
fere, the incremental loads for that load step are appro- the incremental loading procedure outlined earlier. The
priately reduced until there is no nodal interference. In the cumulative radial loads acting on the foil loads are resolved
next load step, to account for the area contact at the foil in the Y direction to obtain the total load required to pro-
junctions, thc region between nodes which are in contact duce the desired eccentricity.
are considered to have area contact. The number of un-
known reaction forces at the foil junctions increase once
area contact has been established. The reaction force over
the area is again discretized to concentrated forces acting
at the foil nodes. Equation [7] is written for each of the
nodes in the contact region and increasing the foil loading
results in increasing area contact at the junctions, with a
corresponding increase in the number of unknown reaction
forces. 'I'his results in a larger number of system of equa-
tions (Ecl 181) to solve at each load step. The incremental
lo;icIing is continuccl until the foils just encircle the journal.
Figure 3 shows the initial foil configuration, with the trailing
edge and the midspan foil locations indicated. Figure 5
shows an intermediate configuration with some area contact
at the foil junctions.

Statlc Load-Displacement Characteristics

'I'he static load displacement characteristics are basic to
the understanding of the foil bearing since the foil elasticity
governs the operational characteristics of the bearing. This Fig. GEccentrIc journal In a bearlng.
 An Analysis of Gas-Lubricated Foil-Journal Bearings 5

T h e load-displacement curves can vary depending on

whether the load line (negative Y direction) is directed to- ] I I
LOAD ON V D SPAN (,I
I
FOlL BBARING ) '
I
I
ward the foil trailing edge o'r the foil midspan. Figures 7
and 8 show a comparison of theoretical results for an eight-
foil bear,ing with experimental data obtained from Zorzi,
(10).T h e geometric parameters for the bearing are Rb =
2.287 iri, R, = 2.24 in and bearing axial length = 6.0 in.
T h e analytical results compare favorably (5-10 percent er-
ror) with experimental data for moderate eccentricities. 'But
at higher journal eccentricities the agreement deteriorates,
with an error of 25-30 percent in load values. T h e bearing
stiffness values, however, agree fairly well even at higher
eccentricities. Loading on the trailing edge seems to pro-
duce higher loads and stiffness. It is interesting to note that
the analytical results are all lower. than the experimental
loads. For the eight-foil bearing with a I0 mil foil thickness, 0.002 0.064 8.006 0.008 0.010 0.012 0.014
the load on mid span produces a higher stiffness both at JOURNAL,ECCENTRICITY (IN)
small and large eccentricities. T h e bearing stiffness is seen Flg. +Load on toll mld span: 8 toll bearlng.
to be a highly nonlinear function of thejournal eccentricity.
Downloaded by [New York University] at 01:14 04 August 2015

HYDRODYNAMIC SOLUTION
T h e nonlinear coinpressible Reynolds equation for a fi-
nite bearing needs to be numerically solved to obtain the
hydrodynamic pressure distribution. T h e Reynolds equa-
tion for a gas journal bearing given by Eq. [2.2] in Ref. (9)
is reproduced here. T h e variable P is the nondimensional
pressure PIP..
T h e dimensionless film thickness H is a function of hydro-
dynamic pressure and the angular coordinate 0. T h e clear-
ance c is defined as the radial sway space for the journal
given by (Rb - Rj - 2T). Solving the Reynolds equation
for the foil bearing poses special problems. At the junction
500-
LOAD ON TRAILING EDGE (8 FOIL BEARING)
I '
T = 0.01 INCH
400 I I 1
Q E X P E R T 4 (AFAPL REFQRT. 1977)
where two foils meet the film thickness experiences a jump
equal to the foil thickness. Since the axial ends of the bearing
are open to ambient air, air can bleed in through the bearing
at the large film ,thickness of the foil junctions. Typically
the minimum film thickness is two orders of magnitude
smaller than the foil thickness. These reasons suggest that
pressure at'the foil junctions is very nearly ambient. Hence
ambient pressure is enforced at the foil junctions, and for
each region between the foil junctions the Reynolds equa-
tion can be solved separately, as in a slider bearing. Solving
several slider bearing problems reduces the computational
effort considerably as coppared to solving the Reynolds
equation over the entire bearing at once. This is in view of
the fact that the Reynolds equation is a nonlinear partial
differential equation, the finite difference discretization of
which results in a system of nonlinear algebraic equations.
It was found to be faster to solve several relatively small
order of sets of nonlinear algebraic equations rather than
to solve one large system,of equations. T h e problem then
is reduced to solving,the Reynolds equation in the regions
between the foil junctions, and amounts td solving as many
slider bearing problems as the number of foils. T h e bound-
ary conditions used for each region between the foil junc-
tions are

6
3 300 K = 181,800LBF/IN
9 P (0, z = 2 LID) = 1
9
where 8, and are the locations of the foil junctions for
2 each foil. T h e Reynolds equation, Eq. [9], is discretized us-
'Oo ing the finite difference method and the resulting system
K = 2.055 ~BFIIN
of equations are solved using a ~ e w t o n - ~ a ~ h procedure
son
for solving systems of nonlinear algebraic equations.
01- . 8 .

0.002 0.004 0.006 0.008 0.010 0.012 0.014 0.016

JOURNAL ECCENTRlCIlY 0
flg. 7-Load on toll trailing edge: 8 toil bearlng. T h e pressure distribution in the lubricant film is a strong
 function oftlic lubricant filni tliickness. Because of the bear-
ing co~iipliancethe pressure distribution in the foil bearing
itself rnociifies tlie film thickness profile. Hence the elasticity
ancl tlie liyclroclynamic equations are coupled. For a con-
vcrgccl EHD solution, the elastic forces required to maintain
a given lilrn tliickness distribution must be the same as the
liyclrociyn;imic forces produced by the film thickness profile.
I3cc;1~tsc oftlic coupling of the elasticity and fluid equations,
the EHD solution essentially has to be obtained iteratively.
'I'l~c Ibllowing procedure is used to obtain the EHD so-
lution. 'l'lie initial foil configuration is first obtained by cal-
culating the geometric parameters R L , Rg,Rb and a, as
cxpl;~incciearlier. 'fhe incremental foil loading proceeds
until tlic clcsirccl journal eccentricity is achieved. At this
point the hyclrociynamic solution is invoked and this re-
quires a n initial filni thickness profile. This is obtained by
slightly increasing the foil loading so that an arbitrary gap
ol' tlic order of 0. I mils is formed between the foils and the
journal, :tnd this constitutes the initial film thickness distri-
Downloaded by [New York University] at 01:14 04 August 2015
EXAMPLE PROBLEM
To illustrate the efficacy of the EHD solution algorithm
the following example problem is used. The bearing pa-
rameters are Rj = 1.25 in, Rb = 1.278 in, L = 2.0 in, foil
thickness T = 8 mils and foil length = 1.75 in. The load
vector is directed at the trailing edge of the bottom foil.
Figure 9(a) shows the pressure distribution in the foil bear-
ing for a journal with zero eccentricity. As anticipated the
pressure profile repeats itself over every foil since the ec-
centricity is zero.
Figure 9(b) presents the pressure distribution for a jour-
nal eccentricity of 6 mils and ajournal speed of 60,000 RPM.
The pressure is seen to reach a peak at the trailing edge of
the foil, just before it reaches ambient pressure, and the
maximum pressure in the bearing occurs at the trailing edge
of the bottom foil. The minimum film thickness also occurs
just before the trailing edge, in the bottom foil. Figure 10
shows the pressure and film thickness distribution for the

bottom foil, with an expanded 0 scale. The pressure distri-

bution. 'l'lic pressure distribution obtained from this film bution for the bottom foil has two peaks near the trailing
thickness profile is ciiscretized into loads and compared with edge. The arc length of the foil (L) chosen for this example
the foil nodal loads from the elasticity program. If the hy- is such that the leading edge of the adjacent foil (lying
cil~oclynamicload at a given node is less than the elasticity
loacl, tlic film thickness at that location is decreased thereby
increasing tlie hydrodynamic load. This however decreases
tlic elastic load at the node. The hydrodynamic pressure
has a cubic dependency on the fi lm thickness and hence is
highly sensitive to film thickness changes. An under relax-
ation factor is therefore used for the iteration between the
film thickncss and pressure distribution to reduce this sen-
sitivity. 'l'licre arc three levels of iteration involved in ob-
taining tlic EHD solution. Any changes in the film thickness
rcqiiircs a n iterative elasticity solution to arrive at the ap-
propriate foil loads. The hydrodynamic program forms an
outer loop. I~iirthermore,the pressure distribution itself
involves ail iterative solution of the nonlinear algebraic -
cqi~;itionsresulting from the finite difference discretization
ol'tlic Reynolds equation. Hence the EHD solution is com- THETA (DEC)
putationally very intensive.
?. (a)
I lie convergence criterion used to terminate the itera-
tions between tlie elasticity and hydrodynamic solutions is
based on the sum of the squares of the difference in film
thickness at the foil nodes, between two iterations. The con-
vergence parameter r is given by

where N,, is the nuniber of foil nodes and k is the outer

loop iteration number. The value of for r was chosen
after some trial and error, since for values of less than
lo-' there was no appreciable change in the converged
~ ~ C S S L clistributions.
I ~ C The number of iterations required THETA (DEGREE)
for convergence increased considerably for r < The (b)
intcgrateci film properties like the load capacity and viscous
Flg. 9-Mldplane pressure dlsMbutlon vs. 0.
friction dissipation can be obtained, once the EHD pressure (a) zero journal eccentrlclty
distribution is available. (b) eccentric journal
 An Analysis of Cas-Lubricated Foil-Journal Bearings 7

0.0012
16
RPM = 22500
13 HMIN = .000039 I N
0.0010 -
g lo
7
4
1
90.0 95.0 100.0 105.0 110.0 115.0 120.0 125.0 130.0 135.0
THETA
B ;
a
0.0008

0.0006
-

0.0004 -
0.010 z
5 oms 0.0002 -
,0
0.0000 -
B O-
0.002
-0.0002 . I . I .
CONVERGENCE AT 0.0001

I . I . I . I . I . , . , .
0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40
90 95 100 105 110 115 120 125 130 135 ITERTATION NUMBER
Downloaded by [New York University] at 01:14 04 August 2015

THETA

Fig. 10-Mldpiane pressure end film thickness distribution for bottom

foil.

underneath the foil under discussion) happens to be fairly

close to the foil trailing edge. T h e bottom foil experiences
maximum deflection for a given journal eccentricity. If the
journal eccentricity is sufficiently large, as is the case with
this example, the leading edge of the adjacent foil contacts
the underside of the foil which results in local stiffening.
T h e resulting change in local film thickness is the reason
for the two pressure peaks.
Figure 11 shows the parameter r plotted us. the iteration
number for 22,500 and 80,000 RPM. Convergence is ap-
proached rather erratically at 22,500 RPM after 29 itera-
tions, as compared to 13 iterations at 80,000 RPM. This is
because at lower RPM a rather small film thickness is re-
quired to generate sufficient hydrodynamic load to push
the foils away from the journal, since the relative journal -0.0002! . , . I - I . I . I . I . I 1
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
surface velocity is low. At very small film thicknesses, any
rIERATION NUMBER
changes in film thickness results in large changes in the
pressure distribution causing erratic convergence behavior.
At higher journal speeds these problems are reduced re-
Fig. ll--Convergence parameter r vs. Iteration number.
sulting in smooth convergence behavior, as can be seen in (a) 22;500 RPM
Fig. 1 1 (b). (b) 80,000 RPM
Figure 12 illustrates the effect of journal speed on load
capacity, power loss, iterations required for convergence, become significant and result in reduced load capacity ( I 1 ) .
and minimum film thickness. Increasing journal speed is Surface roughness effects also could become important at
generally seen to increase load capacity. T h e viscous friction low film thickness values. However, no attempt has been
power loss is also seen to increase with.journal speed, and made in this paper to account for slip flow and surface
for reasons explained in the previous paragraph, the num- roughness effects.
ber of iterations required for convergence decreases with Since the minimum film thickness is of the order 40-150
journal speed. Minimum film thickness increases with jour- pin, it is conceivable that there could be local temperature
nal speed, and consequently the ratio of maximum to min- variations in the lubricant film, due to increased viscous
imum film thickness decreases with journal speed. friction heat dissipation. Sirice Reynolds equation assumes
T h e minimum film thickness at low journal speeds is seen that the lubricant film is isothermal, these effects are ig-
to be as small as 40 pin. T h e mean free molecular path A nored. A detailed temperature map of the film would entail
for air at room temperature and atmospheric pressure is a simultaneous solution of the momentum, energy and elas-
about 2.5 pin. This means that locally the Knudsen number ticity equations. However, the intended operating temper-
Kn = Alh = 0.0625. If Kn is greater than 0.01, slip flow can ature for the foil bearing is around 1000 F and the tem-
Downloaded by [New York University] at 01:14 04 August 2015

UWXX) 40000 60000 80000 1OOOOO

0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 120000 o
JOURNAL RPM
JOURNAL RPM

Flg. 12-EHD gas iubrlcant film parametera vs. Journalspeed.

(a) load capacity (c) convergence iterations
(b) power dissipation (d) minlmum film thickness
 An Analysis of Gas-Lubricated Foil-Journal Bearings
~ 1 - 1 - 1 ~ l ~ 1
Downloaded by [New York University] at 01:14 04 August 2015
0 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000
JOURNAL RPM
(el
Flg. 13--Curved beam geometry.
perature variations in the film are not expected to deviate
greatly from the mean film temperature (1000 F).
Journal Lift-Off Speed
The speed at which the journal just lifts off from the
bearing is a useful design parameter, but is very difficult to
predict with any level of confidence. There are several rea-
sons that cause this difficulty. T h e problem of convergence
at low journal speeds was pointed out earlier. Theoretically,
lift off can be achieved at almost any speed because the
bearing pressure increases with decreasing film thickness.
Therefore one can find a film thickness that generates suf-
ficient pressure for liftoff, assuming there are no conver-
gence problems at small film thickness values. However, as
pointed out earlier, if the film thickness becomesa signifi-
cant fraction of the mean free molecular path, slip flow at
9
the boundary, not accounted for in the Reynolds equation,
becomes important. Furthermore at very small film thick-
ness values surface roughness effects also become impor-
tant. Accounting for these effects in the compressible EHD
solution, if feasible, would considerably increase the com-
plexity of an already involved numerical problem.
CONCLUSIONS
T h e compressible elasto-hydro-dynamic problem of finite
length foil bearings is addressed. T h e analytical load-
displacement curves for the foil bearing compare favorably
with experimental data. T h e EHD solution for the foil bear-
ing is obtained for varying bearing parameters. It is found
that the EHD solutions at low journal speeds display rather
erratic convergence characteristics as compared to the rel-
atively smooth convergence observed at higherjournal speeds.
Parameters such as load capacity, power dissipation, num-
- l
ber of iterations required for convergence and minimum
film thickness are plotted for varying journal speeds. An
increase in the journal speed is generally found to increase
load capacity, minimum film thickness and power dissipa-
tion, and decrease the number of iterations required for
solution convergence. T h e EHD pressure distributions in
the bearing are also presented for a concentric and an ec-
centric journal. Typically, the minimum film thickness and
the maximum bearing pressure is located near the trailing
edge of the bottom foil. T h e finite bearing EHD solution
is found to be computationally very intensive because of the
several levels of iteration involved in the solution process.
The data presented in Figs. 9-12 are the result of substantial
computational efforts. Typically, each converged E H D so-
lution took about 20 minutes of CPU time on a mainframe
computer.
REFERENCES
(I) Eshel, A. and Elrod, H. G., "The Theory of the Infinitely Wide, Per-
fectly Flexible. Self Acting Foil Bearing," ASME Jour. of Basic Eitg. pp
83 1-836 (1965).
(2) Licht, L., "An Experimental Study of High-Speed Rotors Supported
by Air Lubricaled Foil Bearings-Part I: Rotation in Pressurized and
Self Acting Bearings:' ASMEJour. ofLubr. Tech.. 3 , p p 447-493 (1969).
(3) Licht, L.. "An Experimental Study of High-Speed Rotors Supported
by Air Lubricated Foil Bearings-Part 11: Response to Impact and
Periodic Excitation:' ASME Jour. of L u h . Tech. 3, p p 494-507 (1969).
(4) Licht, L., "The Dynamic Characleristics of a Turborotor Simulator Sup-
ported on Gas-Lubricated Foil Bearings-Part I: Response to Relating
Imbalance and to Unidirectional Excitation," ASME Jour. of Lubr. Tech.
p p 635-649 (1970).
(5) Licht, L., "The Dynamic Characteristics of a Turborotor Simulator Sup-
ported on Gas-Lubricated Foil Bearings-Part I I: Operation with I-leat-
ing and Thermal Gradients," ASME Jour. o/ Lubr. Tech.. pp 635-649
(1970).
(6) Bragin, A. N., Saprykin. I. S. and Balakin. N. I., "On Determining Foil
Sliding Bearing Elastic Characteristics with Static Loading:' Trenie ilznos
(So& Journal of Friclion and Wear), 3, 2, p p 24 1-248 (1982).
(7) Oh. K. P. and Rohde, S. M., "A Theoretical Analysis of the Multileaf
Journal Bearing," ASME Jour. of Applied Mech., p p 237-242 (1976).
(8) Ehinger, M..Glienicke, J. and Hunger, H., "Aerodynamic Compliant
Bearings for Snlall Turbo-Engines," Tech. R 4 , University of Karlsruhc.
Federal Republic of Germany (1979).
(9) Arakere, N. K., "Some Problems in Hydrodynamic Lubrication," Ph.D
Dissertation, Arizona Slate University (1988).
(10) Zorzi, E. S., "Gas Lubricated Foil Bearing Development for Advanced
Turbomachines,"Tech. Report, AFAPL TR-76-114, I & 11, AiResearch
Manufacturing Company of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona (1977).
 (I I ) Burgdorfer. A.. "The Influence or the Molecular Mean Free Path on
the I'erformance of Hydrodynamic Gas Lubricated Bearings:'Juur. o/
Iln~icEng., Tmtrr. ASME, 81, pp 260-274 (1959).
- -21 sin(r - +I]

APPENDIX v" = 3
2EI
[+ sin(r -
3
0)- - C O S (-~ $1
2
The flexibility coefficients for a curved beam are derived
using Castigliano's second theorem. Referring to Fig. 13,
the flexibility coefficients are defined as:
Uv = radial displacement at j due to unit load at i
1
- - C O S ( ~+ 0)+ 2 C O S ~
2 I
Vii = tangential displacement at j due to unit load at i
where E is the Young's modulus of the beam material and
I the area moment of inertia of the beam cross section.
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