Multi-Physics Simulation Based Design and Analysis of a High Speed Aerostatic Spindle and its Performance Assessment

High speed aerostatic spindles operating at a speed up to 200,000 r/min are a complex product with a multi-physics nature resulted from embedded mechanical-thermal-fluidic-electromagnetic fields. It is much needed to have a comprehensive analysis on the multi-physic interactions within a high speed aerostatic spindle, which is essential for design of the spindles working at much higher speeds and accuracy in various increasingly stringent engineering conditions. This paper presents a multi-physics integrated modelling approach for design and analysis of the high speed aerostatic spindle, including thermal, electromagnetic, mechanical and fluidic analysis models. The heat source, heat transfer mechanism and heat sinks of the spindle system are comprehensively investigated. Furthermore, air film pressure distribution is studied to lead to optimal design and analysis of loading capacity and stiffness of the aerostatic bearings. The multi-physics modelling is implemented using the CFD-FEA integrated approach and validated experimentally. It is shown that the multi-physics integrated modelling is able to simulate the performance characteristics of the spindle system accurately.