Thrust Foil Air Bearing Mechanical Coupling Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Thrust foil air bearings require complex welding processes for assembly, making them unsuitable for mass production due to high product and quality management costs.
Innovation Solution
A thrust foil air bearing design featuring a bottom plate with a coupling portion that passes through holes in an intermediate and top plate, allowing for quick assembly without welding, with the coupling portion being rotatable between locking and release positions and the plates being manufactured using a press process for mass production suitability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If welding is used to couple the bump foil and top foil to the bottom plate, then the entire structure of the bearing is simplified and initial product development costs and mold manufacturing costs are reduced, but several series of manufacturing processes such as a press process and a welding process are required and welding jigs and welding quality management are needed, making it disadvantageous in terms of product price management and quality management
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the welding process from the manufacturing sequence by providing pre-formed coupling portions on the bottom plate that mechanically engage with the foils. This eliminates the need for welding operations while maintaining structural integration, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process without compromising device complexity benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling portions are pre-formed on the bottom plate during the press process before foil installation. This preliminary action eliminates the need for subsequent welding operations and quality management procedures, allowing direct assembly of the bearing components while maintaining structural simplicity
2Device complexity
If welding is used to couple the bump foil and top foil to the bottom plate, then the entire structure of the bearing is simplified, but several series of manufacturing processes such as a press process and a welding process are required, making it unsuitable for mass production
Solution Approach 1:
The welding process is extracted and replaced with a mechanical coupling system that can be assembled rapidly. The coupling portions are designed to be installed quickly without requiring welding equipment or skilled welders, thereby dramatically improving productivity for mass production while preserving the simplified structural design
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling portions are pre-formed on the bottom plate during manufacturing, allowing for rapid assembly during mass production. This preliminary preparation eliminates time-consuming welding operations on the production line, enabling high-volume manufacturing while maintaining the benefits of simplified bearing structure
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
Enables rapid and simplified assembly of thrust foil air bearings, reducing production costs and improving quality management, making the technology more suitable for mass production.
Implementation Method 1
a bump foil 3 arranged on an upper surface of the bottom plate 2 and elastica deformable
Implementation Method 2
Air bearings support a load by allowing a rotation shaft to float due to pressure of compressed air between the rotation shaft and a bearing
Implementation Method 3
when a gas having viscosity, such as air, moves along with a movable surface and meets a stationary surface, the gas is compressed and a pressure of air trapped between the movable surface and the stationary surface increases, thereby lifting the movable surface
Data Source
AI summary
A thrust foil air bearing includes a bottom plate comprising a coupling portion protruding toward a rotating portion, an intermediate plate arranged above an upper surface of the bottom plate and comprising a bump foil that is elastically deformable and a first through-hole through which the coupling portion passes, and a top plate arranged above an upper surface of the intermediate plate, facing the rotating portion, and comprising a top foil arranged above the bump foil and contactable with the rotating portion and a second through-hole, through which the coupling portion passes, formed at a position corresponding to the first through-hole. The coupling portion couples the bottom plate, the intermediate plate, and the top plate to one another by passing through the first through-hole and the second through-hole. Thus, the thrust foil air bearing may be rapidly assembled without a complicated process such as welding.