Design of externally pressurized gas bearings for stiffness and damping

A design method for flat, circular thrust bearings is presented in this paper. The design method is based upon a new dynamic model of the bearing and permits the selection of stiffness and damping for applications of bearings in vibrating environments. Application of the design method to the tuning of bearing dynamics is emphasized here, while the development of the dynamic model is discussed in other references. Design constraints are considered in the iterative design procedure and are illustrated in a bearing design example.