Air foil bearing having a porous foil

Abstract

There is provided an air foil bearing. The air foil bearing comprises a bearing housing and a first foil, wherein a first end of the first foil is fixed with respect to the bearing housing and a second end of the first foil is extended along a peripheral surface of a rotating shaft while maintaining a predetermined clearance with respect to the rotating shaft to thereby become a free end. The air foil bearing also comprises a second foil fabricated from a porous metallic material and extended along the first foil between the first foil and the bearing housing.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention generally relates to an air foil bearing for supporting a rotating body in an air cycle machine (ACM), which is an integral part of an aircraft air conditioning system. More particularly, the present invention relates to an air foil bearing capable of further increasing the maximum rotational speed of a supported rotating body by using a foil composed of a porous metal material to improve its vibration damping capability. Background technique [0002] By utilizing the hydrodynamic properties of air as a lubricating medium, the film-like foil bears the axial load of the rotating shaft rotating at high speed. The high-speed rotating body may include an auxiliary power unit (APU) of the aircraft, an air conditioner (ACM) and the like. The structure of such foil journal bearings is generally similar to the structure of general air bearings. However, it differs in that a thin flexible foil (including a layer of corrugated foil) is em...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0010] Moreover, if the damping capacity of the air foil bearing is insufficient, the maximum rotational speed of the rotating body that the bearing can withstand will be reduced

Therefore, it is difficult for the air foil bearings of the prior art as described above to exhibit their full performance in a turbine system requiring high rotational speeds

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