An air foil bearing uses air instead of lubricating oil in the rotating machine, providing greater flexibility and cost efficiency.
It provides greater reliability as fewer components are required to suport the rotating body and no oil supply is needed.
When the central axis is in rotation, an air gap is generated between the bearing and the axis to prevent erosion of the bearing foil. When the central axis starts or stops rotating, the suface of the bearing comes into contact with the central axis. Erosion that occurs is minized by the coating layer on the air foil bearing.
Machinery that uses air foil bearing does not need a lubricant supply system, removing the need to check the lubricant level or replace the oil. This, in turn saves operational costs.
The central axis of the turbo machine (wind blower, air compressor) has a high aerodynamic efficiency at a high speed.
The air foil bearing does not constrain in any way the afore-mentioned turbo machinery to run at a high speed.
The PM motor provides high efficiency at a high spped and thus a bearing fit for high speed is needed.
In general, bearings using oil lubricants cannot meet this need.
As such, it is known that it is most optimal to apply the air foil bearing to high speed motors. Air foil bearings also have the structural advantage of being able to withstand misalignment and thermal vibration.
All of these characteristics make the air foil bearing the ideal solution for high speed motors that need to operate at a high speed and in extreme environments including high temperatures.