On the nonlinear steady state response of rigid rotors supported by air foil bearings - Theory and experiments

The demand for oil-free turbo compressors is increasing. Current trends are divided between active magnetic bearings and air foil bearings (AFB), the latter being important due to mechanical simplicity. AFB supported rotors are sensitive to unbalance due to low damping and nonlinear characteristics, hence accurate prediction of their response is important. This paper gives theoretical and experimental contributions by implementing and validating a new method to simulate the nonlinear steady-state response of a rotor supported by three pads segmented AFBs. The fluid film pressures, foil deflections and rotor movements are simultaneously solved, considering foil stiffness and damping coefficients estimated using a structural model, previously described and validated against experiments.