Aerostatic Bearing And Aerodynamic Bearing

Air Bearings

• An air bearing is a non-contacting system where a gas film (typically air) acts as the lubricant that separates the two surfaces in relative motion.
• Air bearing technology offers real advantages to applications where the demand for accuracy, speed and reliability is crucial.
• Air bearings avoid the traditional bearing-related problems of friction, wear, and lubricant handling, and offer distinct advantages in precision positioning and high speed applications.

There are basically two types of air bearing:

1. Aerostatic Bearing
2. Aerodynamic Bearing

Aerostatic Bearing

• A separate external supply of air is fed under pressure between the two surfaces being kept apart.
• The pressure inside the gap creates the load carrying properties which are limited only by the available supply line pressure and material strength.
• They have found popular use in grinding, machining and micro positioning applications where full performance at zero speed and the absence of friction is essential.

Aerodynamic Bearing

• Aerodynamic or self-acting bearings, the air film is created by the relative motion of two mating surfaces separated by a small distance.
• As the speed increases, a velocity induced pressure gradient is formed across the clearance. The increased pressure between the surfaces creates the load carrying effect.
• The load capacity is dependent on the relative speed at which the surface moves and therefore at zero speed, the bearing supports no load.

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