Actively Controlled Gas Bearings

长期以来，人们一直认为控制流向气体轴承的流量可能有助于使其变硬或稳定。人们对精密仪器和机床的兴趣迅速增加，轴承可以在其结构中提供方便的调整点，以补偿热变形，负载移动和振动的影响。本研究旨在开发燃气供应反馈控制的潜力。要检查的参数包括：气体轴承作为隔振器，气锤的稳定，动力系统的加强和稳定，以及在绝对参考框架上的定位。这些应用的工业潜力主要在高精度仪器和机床上，以控制静态变形和动态力的传递。在该计划中发明的执行器有望更广泛的应用。气锤控制在轴承刚度和轴承载荷可能超出现有限制的情况下提供了更广泛的应用。

It has long been perceived that control of the flow to a gas bearing might aid in stiffening or stabilizing it. There is rapidly increasing interest in precision instrumentation and machine tools, and bearings may provide convenient adjustment points in their structures for compensating thermal distortion, effects of load movement, and vibration. This research is designed to exploit the potential for feedback control in the gas supply. The parameters to be examined include: gas bearings as vibration isolators, stabilization of pneumatic hammer, stiffening and stabilization of dynamic systems, and positioning over an absolute frame of reference. The industrial potential for these applications in principally in high precision instruments and machine tools to control static deformation and dynamic force transmission. An actuator invented in the program promises much broader applications. Control of pneumatic hammer offers much broader application in that bearing stiffness and bearing load may be increased beyond the present limits.