Aerostatic bearing
AssigneeFanuc Corporation
InventorsKiyoshi Sawada, Kenzo Ebihara
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A guide member and a slide are disposed such as to be opposed to each other through a bearing clearance therebetween. Air is supplied to the bearing clearance through a main pipe, a branch pipe and an orifice provided in the slide. Shape and size of each portions of the main pipe, the branch pipe and the orifice are determined such that Reynolds number becomes 2000 or less in any of the portions of the main pipe, the branch pipe and the orifice so that a turbulent flow is not generated in air flow approaching the bearing clearance.
Claims11
An aerostatic bearing in which a guide member and a movable member are disposed such as to be opposed to each other through a bearing clearance therebetween, one of the guide member and movable member is formed with an air-supply passage so that air flow is supplied to the bearing clearance, wherein
- said air-supply passage has a plurality of air flow inlets to thereby reduce a velocity of the air flow in a vicinity of the air flow inlets, and air which has passed through the air-supply passage is supplied through orifices to said bearing clearance, and
- the air-supply passage and the bearing clearance are constituted such that the air flow becomes laminar flow in the air-supply passage and bearing clearance based on the air supply pressure applied.
An aerostatic bearing, comprising:
- a guide member;
- a movable member, the guide member and the movable member opposing each other through a bearing clearance;
- and
- an air supply passage, formed in one of the guide member and the movable member, so as to allow a laminar air flow to be supplied to the bearing clearance,
- wherein said air supply passage has a plurality of air flow inlets to thereby reduce a velocity of the air flow in a vicinity of the air flow inlets, and air which has passed through the air supply passage is supplied through orifices to said bearing clearance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.