A computer simulation method for dynamic and stability analyses of air bearings

A computer simulation method for the dynamic and stability analyses of air bearings is proposed in this study. The general form of the time-dependent Reynolds equation, which includes the effects of high rotating speed, vibration and air supply, is studied. The finite element method is employed to obtain the numerical solution of the pressure distribution and the Galerkin weighted residual method is applied to discretize the Reynolds equation. To analyse the dynamics and stability of air bearings, the motion of the shaft supported by the bearing is simulated by a large computer and the Runge-Kutta method is employed to give an accurate description of the shaft's motion. Some examples of simulated results are shown to confirm the applicability of the proposed method and the possibility of developing a computer-aided design system for air bearings.