Lubricant free high speed turbo-machineries are one of the emerging fields in the gas turbine technology. Foil bearings are the major contenders in the lubricant free bearings due to their ability to support significant loads at very high speeds. The paper deals with the various stages in the development of discrete and continuous bump foil bearings and testing of the same for designed speeds and loads. Development of bumps involves determination of bump geometry for the desired load capacity, design of special purpose dies for the fabrication of corrugated sheets, identification of suitable bump material and evolution of heat treatment process. Here Beryllium–Copper (Be-Cu) is used as a bump material because of its self-lubricating property and good mechanical strength. The clearance between the shaft and top foil can be adjusted by providing the back-up foils between the encircling foil and bump foil. The rotor system simulating the weight of a typical micro gas turbine is designed and fabricated. The foil bearings developed are tested under this simulated load conditions at speeds above 50,000 rpm. The results obtained show that the rotor is completely airborne at speed slightly above 9000 rpm and at higher speeds the rotor is stable.
Skip Nav Destination
ASME 2013 Gas Turbine India Conference
December 5–6, 2013
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Conference Sponsors:
- International Gas Turbine Institute
ISBN:
978-0-7918-5616-1
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Development of Foil Bearings for Small Rotors Available to Purchase
Sadanand Kulkarni,
Sadanand Kulkarni
National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore, India
Search for other works by this author on:
Soniya D. Naik,
Soniya D. Naik
National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore, India
Search for other works by this author on:
K. Sarosh Kumar,
K. Sarosh Kumar
National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore, India
Search for other works by this author on:
M. Radhakrishna,
M. Radhakrishna
National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore, India
Search for other works by this author on:
Soumendu Jana
Soumendu Jana
National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore, India
Search for other works by this author on:
Sadanand Kulkarni
National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore, India
Soniya D. Naik
National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore, India
K. Sarosh Kumar
National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore, India
M. Radhakrishna
National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore, India
Soumendu Jana
National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore, India
Paper No:
GTINDIA2013-3644, V001T05A010; 7 pages
Published Online:
February 28, 2014
Citation
Kulkarni, S, Naik, SD, Kumar, KS, Radhakrishna, M, & Jana, S. "Development of Foil Bearings for Small Rotors." Proceedings of the ASME 2013 Gas Turbine India Conference. ASME 2013 Gas Turbine India Conference. Bangalore, Karnataka, India. December 5–6, 2013. V001T05A010. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/GTINDIA2013-3644
Download citation file:
19
Views
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Articles
Remaining Technical Challenges and Future Plans for Oil-Free Turbomachinery
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power (April,2011)
Testing of a Small Turbocharger/Turbojet Sized Simulator Rotor Supported on Foil Bearings
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power (May,2008)
Operation of a Mesoscopic Gas Turbine Simulator at Speeds in Excess of 700,000 rpm on Foil Bearings
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power (January,2007)
Related Chapters
Subsection NF—Supports
Companion Guide to the ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Codes, Volume 1 Sixth Edition
Subsection NG—Core Support Structures
Companion Guide to the ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Codes, Volume 1 Sixth Edition
Outlook
Closed-Cycle Gas Turbines: Operating Experience and Future Potential