High Load Hybrid Magnetic/Foil Bearing Demonstration for a UCAV Engine Class Oil-Free Rotor Support

Magnetic suspension for gas turbine engine applications has previously been limited to lower load capacity, low cycle life demonstrations. A complete oil-free bearing and integrated starter generator (ISG) system is proposed that is capable of supporting a small turbine engine in the <15,000 lbs thrust class. In Phase I the preliminary design of an innovative ISG concept, and combination magnetic/foil bearings with high load capacity has been accomplished. For Phase II a full scale, inline prototype demonstration of the high load bearings is proposed. SatCon's experience in high temperature, high speed, and fault tolerant magnetic bearings will be applied to detailed design and fabrication of combination magnetic/foil bearings to complete the rotor support system. SatCon will build an in-house test rig and controller representative of UCAV engine class loads and perform extensive testing of the innovative bearings. The specific demonstration objectives are 5,000 lbf thrust and 500 lbf radial load capacity.