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open-air-bearings

★ 64 Open GitHub ↗

Techniques and software to build, design and simulate air bearings

// repository documentation

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![Logo](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/0x23/open-air-bearings/main/images/open_air_bearings_logo_dark.png)

Welcome to the Open Air Bearings repository! This project provides techniques to build and simulate air bearings without expensive tools. Air bearings are mechanical devices that support components using a thin film of air, eliminating the need for solid contact and reducing friction to almost zero.

# Planar Steel-Epoxy air bearing pads

In [steel_epoxy_pads](/steel_epoxy_pads) you can find the CAD files for the 3D printed tools used to build the steel-epoxy air bearing pads. Below you find a quick overview:

![3D-Printed Tools](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/0x23/open-air-bearings/main/steel_epoxy_pads/3d_printed_tools/tool_overview.jpg)

# Simulation for planar air bearing pads

The simulation folder contains a small and simple python programs to simulate planar air bearings with grooves and pressure inlets from a given design provided as an image file and outputs:
1. A plot of the lift force vs gap height, allowing to optimize the design for stiffness and to select an optimal preload value.
2. The pressure distribution for a reference gap height as a false color image
3. The relative flow rates under the air bearing pad as a false color image
4. A animated gif of the pressure distribution for varying gap heights

The simulation uses a simple pipe network model were neighbouring pixels are connected via pipes with flow rate resitrictions derived from the input design. A solution is then computed by solving the associated poisson equation.

Pressure distribution for varying gap heights animiation:
![Simulation output 2](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/0x23/open-air-bearings/main/simulation/examples/pressure_design1h_38x18_60u.gif)

Pressure distribution, relative flow, lift force plot:
![Simulation output 1](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/0x23/open-air-bearings/main/simulation/examples/summary_design1h_38x18_60u.png)

# DIY glas air bearing pads

![Open Air Bearings Demo 2](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/0x23/open-air-bearings/main/images/the_air_bearing_stage_demo.gif)

# Ways to contribute ?

1. Try it out the simulator or build yourself some air bearings and give feedback
2. If you know fluid mechanics, please check the simulation for correctness
3. Write documentation and tutrials that explain the usage of the simulation

open-air-bearings

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