Modelling and performance improvement of an annular grooved thrust air bearing

Purpose This paper aims to combine the grooves with an annular air thrust bearing with multi-hole restrictors and discusses the influence of the groove parameters on the bearing performance. Design/methodology/approach Four models of aerostatic bearings with grooves of different geometries are established. The pressure distribution, load-carrying capacity (LCC), stiffness and flow characteristics of the flow field in the bearing clearances are obtained by computational fluid dynamics simulation. Findings The numerical and simulation results show that air bearing with grooved restrictors can slow down the pressure drop at the air inlet and increase the LCC and stiffness of the bearing. The gas flow in the aerostatic bearing is also studied, and the air vortex in the recess is analyzed. Originality/value This research optimizes the structure of the annular air thrust bearing, analyzes the gas vortex in the recess, improves the LCC and stiffness of the bearing and provides a reference for the bearing in the selection of groove parameters. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-01-2023-0006/