Rapid calculation method for estimating static and dynamic performances of closed hydrostatic guideways

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to establish a simplified model of the closed hydrostatic guideway for the rapid analysis of static and dynamic characteristics. Further, the influence of compressibility and dynamic frequency are taken into consideration in the new dynamic model. Design/methodology/approach The new model is based on the second kind of Lagrange equation. In this model, the closed hydrostatic guideway is supported by 12 pads, and each oil pad is equivalent to a nonlinear spring-damper system. The equivalent spring coefficient and damper coefficient of the oil pad are extracted by the three different equivalent methods. Finally, the validation experiments of step load response and dynamic stiffness are conducted on a hydrostatic guideway. Findings For solving the step response, the linear spring-damper model and the nonlinear spring-damper Model 1 are better than the nonlinear spring-damper Model 2. The accuracy of the three methods are very high for static stiffness calculation. For the calculation of dynamic stiffness, the nonlinear spring-damper Model 2 is better than the nonlinear spring-damper Model 1. The linear spring-damper model has low precision for dynamic stiffness calculation, especially at high frequency. The accuracy of the new model is validated by experiments. Originality/value The equivalent method of nonlinear spring-damper system has higher accuracy. Different equivalent methods should be adopted for different load types. The computational speeds of the new dynamic model with the three methods are much better than finite element method (about ten times).