US 12,031,573 B2
Gas bearing and method for producing same
Bernhard Schweizer, Darmstadt (DE); Marcel Bauer, Darmstadt (DE); Marcel Mahner, Bad Nauheim (DE); Markus Rieken, Darmstadt (DE); and Pascal Zeise, Darmstadt (DE)
Assigned to Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt (DE)
Appl. No. 17/414,303
Filed by Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt (DE)
PCT Filed Dec. 17, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/085685
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 15, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/127290, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 25, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 102018132678.5 (DE), filed on Dec. 18, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0065288 A1, Mar. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. F16C 17/02 (2006.01)
CPC F16C 17/024 (2013.01) [F16C 2240/54 (2013.01); F16C 2240/60 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A gas bearing for supporting a rotatable element in a contact-free manner during a rotational movement, comprising:
a housing having an opening for receiving the rotatable element; and
at least two single-layered sliding foils arranged without overlap on an inner side of the opening and each having a first end portion and a second end portion for support on the housing,
wherein the single-layered sliding foils are configured to radially support the rotatable element relative to the housing only through the first and second end portions, wherein the second end portion provides frictional contact with the inner side and the first end portion is secured to the housing,
and, when the rotating element is not yet rotating relative to the housing, the rotatable element contacting at least one of the at least two single-layered sliding foils between the first end portion and the second end portion.
 
8. A gas bearing for supporting a rotatable element in a contact-free manner, having the following features:
a housing having an opening for receiving the rotatable element; and
a plurality of multilayered sliding foils, wherein each multilayered sliding foil is arranged without overlapping an adjacent multilayered sliding foil on an inner side of the opening, and the individual layers of the multilayered sliding foils are all fixed to the housing with a first end portion, and the opposite second end portion forms a frictional contact with another layer of the multilayered sliding foil or with the housing;
wherein each layer of the multilayered sliding foils forms a circular segment in a radial section along a surface facing the rotatable element; and
wherein the opening in the housing is non-cylindrical to increase a contact angle of the second end portion with respect to the inner side.
 
14. A method for manufacturing a gas bearing for supporting a rotatable element in a contact-free manner during a rotational movement, comprising:
providing a housing having an opening for receiving the rotatable element;
arranging at least two sliding foils extending in an arc-shaped manner single-layered between a first end portion and a second end portion on an inner side of the opening without adjacent sliding foils overlapping, wherein relative to the housing the first end portion is tangentially immovable and the second end portion provides a frictional contact with the housing; and
inserting the rotatable element into the opening so that the at least two sliding foils are disposed between the rotatable element and the housing,
and, when the rotating element is not yet rotating relative to the housing, the rotatable element contacting the sliding foils between the first end portion and the second end portion.