Split Aerostatic Bearing Plate Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Integral-type aerostatic bearings face a challenge where increasing aerostatic stiffness leads to bending of the bearing plate under vacuum pre-tightening force, causing mechanical friction and disrupting the floating effect due to the thin gas membrane.
Innovation Solution
A split-type aerostatic bearing design where air floating elements and vacuum pre-tightening structures are separated, with coupling points aligned on the same normal line as the air floating elements' centers, preventing plate bending by maintaining the floating effect and allowing for higher stiffness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the vacuum pre-tightening force F is increased to improve aerostatic stiffness, then the aerostatic stiffness is improved, but the aerostatic bearing plate bends and the gas membrane contacts the platform causing mechanical friction
Solution Approach 1:
The aerostatic bearing plate is divided into multiple independent segments (first bearing plate, second bearing plate, third bearing plate, fourth bearing plate) that are separated by gaps. Each segment has its own air floating element and vacuum pre-tightening structure. This segmentation prevents the plate from bending as a single rigid body under vacuum force, while maintaining aerostatic stiffness through the combined effect of multiple segments.
Solution Approach 2:
Air floating elements are introduced as intermediaries between each bearing plate segment and the platform. These elements generate aerostatic forces that support the segments and prevent direct contact between the plate segments and the platform, thereby eliminating mechanical friction while allowing the segments to maintain their positions under vacuum pre-tightening force.
2Strength
If the aerostatic bearing plate thickness is increased to prevent bending, then the plate strength is improved, but the gas membrane thickness increases and the bearing size increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing the thickness of a single thick plate, the bearing is segmented into multiple thinner plates. Each plate maintains sufficient local strength to prevent bending under vacuum force, while the overall bearing size remains compact. The gaps between segments eliminate the need for excessive plate thickness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The split-type design ensures frictionless movement and maintains aerostatic stiffness without plate bending, even under increased vacuum pre-tightening forces, by separating air floating elements from the vacuum pre-tightening structure and aligning force application points.
Implementation Method 1
positive pressure gas is introduced into the air floating elements 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d to form a gas membrane between the aerostatic bearing and the platform 4, thereby enabling the aerostatic bearing to be supported by an aerostatic force N
Implementation Method 2
negative pressure gas is introduced into the vacuum pre-tightening structure 3 to generate a vacuum pre-tightening force F operated on the aerostatic bearing in an opposite direction to the aerostatic force N
Data Source
AI summary
A split-type aerostatic bearing for supporting a moving table to move frictionlessly on a platform (4) is disclosed. The split-type aerostatic bearing includes an aerostatic bearing plate (6), air floating elements (2′a, 2′b, 2′c, 2′d) disposed on a bottom of the aerostatic bearing plate (6) and a vacuum pre-tightening structure (7) disposed on the aerostatic bearing plate (6). The vacuum pre-tightening structure (7) is coupled to the aerostatic bearing plate (6) in a split fashion. Separation of the air floating elements (2′a, 2′b, 2′c, 2′d) from the vacuum pre-tightening structure (7) prevents the aerostatic bearing plate (6) from bending under a vacuum pre-tightening force, and hence will not affect the air floating area.