Effect of Design Parameters on Static and Dynamic Performances of Gas Non-circular Bearings

In spite of numerous attractive features, the gas bearings have some disadvantages, primarily due to its relatively low lubricant viscosity. Gas films provide relatively low damping in comparison to the oil films, which makes the instability more severe in gas bearings. The purpose of the present work is to study the effects of mounting angle, as well as the size of the bearing, on the static and dynamic characteristics of three types of non-circular bearings. It is found that the effect of the mounting angle is more significant in two lobe bearings, in comparison with the three- and four-lobe ones. It is also noted that the size of the bearings has significant effect on their behavior.