GOALI: Analysis, Design, and Testing of Profiled Hydrostatic Thrust Bearings

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This Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) award provides funding for improving the performance of a hydrostatic thrust bearing. It is well known that these bearings undergo both small and large scale deformations and that these deformations can significantly reduce the load-carrying capacity of the bearing. What has been less well known is that certain types of bearing deformation can actually increase the load-carrying capacity! In this research, these advantageous deformations will be investigated using analytical, numerical, and experimental techniques. The objectives of this work will be to develop design guidelines that may be used to ensure beneficial deformations while also guaranteeing that harmful deformations do not occur. The fluid-film thickness between the bearing and the thrust surface will be optimized based upon sliding speed, structural properties of the bearing, fluid conditions, and power source limitations. A method for conducting these investigations will be to study the impact of intentionally profiling the bearing surface to achieve optimal bearing performance. The optimized profile geometry, coupled with the expected passive deformation of the bearing, will be used to specify the design requirements for the advanced bearing design.If successful, the work of this research will be used to significantly enhance the performance of hydrostatic thrust bearings that are widely used in mechanical design applications. The improved performance will be demonstrated in higher load-carrying capacities and lower power requirements. A secondary impact will be to reduce wear and increase life expectancies by eliminating the potential for metal-to-metal contact between the bearing and the thrust surface. The design guidelines that are generated from this work may be used to update the classical textbook theory that exists for these widely used machine elements. By doing this, improved machine design practices will be disseminated among the engineering community and a significant reduction in waste and an increase in productivity will be realized.