Foil-Air Bearings for Small Gas Turbine Engines

As new applications arise for small gas turbine engines, the need to advance engine component technologies becomes essential, since they are required to run faster, hotter, and longer. Particularly critical in this regard are the shaft bearings. Since they operate without lubricant, air foil bearings have been identified as viable replacements to conventional liquid lubricated bearings. An advanced air foil bearing can be the enabling technology needed to improve engine efficiency and decrease weight by reducing bearing power loss and eliminating the lubrication system. Mechanical Solutions, Inc. (MSI) proposes a focused combination of rigorous scientific analysis and testing to assess an innovative oil/grease-free bearing system that combines the best features of current air foil bearing technology with specific design enhancements that provide increased load capacity and tolerance to service conditions such as shock and misalignment. The result of our work will be a commercially available, non-contact bearing system capable of supporting the radial and thrust loads within the operating environment typical for a 200 hp class gas turbine engine. MSI will analyze, design, build and test advanced foil bearing designs in Phase I.