EVALUATION OF GAS BEARINGS FOR USE IN NAVAL MACHINERY UNDER CONDITIONS OF HIGH IMPACT.

A test machine, having a 65.5-pound rotor and employing gas-lubricated bearings, was experimentally subjected to impact testing while rotating at approximately 8000 rpm. The impact testing involved 1 1000 impacts on each of three bearing systems 2 30,000 low-level impacts on one bearing system and 3 a series of high-level impact tests on one bearing system. Capacitance probe displacement transducers and accelerometers were used to measure dynamic responses throughout the test program. The impact tests identified further criteria that are considered to be important in the design of gas bearings for applications involving impact. Additional analysis and testing is now required to reduce these criteria to practical design procedures. The results demonstrate that gas bearings can be used under quite severe conditions of impact. Author