STUDY ON RUNNING ACCURACY OF AN EXTERNALLY PRESSURIZED GAS THRUST BEARING (1ST REPORT, LOAD CAPACITY FLUCTUATION DUE TO MACHINING ERRORS OF THE BEARING).

The running accuracy characteristics of an externally pressurized gas thrust bearing will be theoretically studied in this research in relation to the machining deviations of forms of the bearing and the rotor. For the first step of the research, the load-carrying capacity fluctuation of the bearing, which may result in axial run-out of the rotor, is analyzed in this report. As the factors causing the load capacity fluctuation, two aspects of machining error of the bearing are taken into consideration: one is perpendicularity of the rotor end surface, and the other is size deviation of the gas supply holes. The point source solution of Reynolds equation yields the load capacity characteristics under these form errors of the bearing.