FLOATING CHARACTERISTICS OF SQUEEZE-FILM GAS-BEARINGS WITH VIBRATION ABSORBER FOR LINEAR MOTION GUIDE

This paper describes the floating characteristics of squeeze-film gas bearings with a vibration absorber. This bearing uses a piezoelectric actuator directly attached to a counterweight to impart oscillations t o a bearing surface and, therefore, can generate a squeeze-film betwee n the bearing and the guideway surfaces. Furthermore, in this squeeze bearing a vibration absorber is inserted between a counterweight and a carried object to reduce the vibrational amplitude of the carried obj ect and improve the motion accuracy. The effects of the vibration abso rber on the floating characteristics are discussed theoretically and e xperimentally. It was found that the material of the vibration absorbe r greatly affected the floating characteristics, and the absorber made of silicone rubber was very effective to reduce the vibrational ampli tude of the carried object.