Analysis of static and dynamic characteristics of aerostatic bearing with reflux orifices

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a solution for Reynolds equation with both throttling term and reverse throttling term and provides a reference for changing damping of hydrostatic bearing. Design/methodology/approach The reverse throttling term is introduced into the Reynolds equation, and the adaptive damping factor is used in the Newton iteration method to improve convergence of numerical calculations. The static and dynamic performances of this bearing are numerically investigated by the finite-element method. Findings The results indicate that the reflux orifices lead to a decrease in load capacity at a high eccentricity ratio. Additionally, the mass inflow rate is increased; however, the additional inflow increase can be controlled by enhanced backpressure of the reflux orifice. Nevertheless, the bearing with the reflux orifice shows superiority in resisting high-frequency disturbances and enhances direct damping by 20% under a high backpressure. Originality/value This work presents an adaptive Newton damping iterative method for solving Reynolds equation with both throttling term and reverse throttling term. This work also provides a new idea for bearing structure design in improving damping.