HIGH TEMPERATURE MAGNETI AUXILIARY BEARINGS

Active Magnetic Bearings (AMBs), with their ability to electronically manipulate rotor system dynamics, add damping as required and operate at high temperatures without lubricants, provide an attractive alternative to conventional oil lubricated bearing systems. Offsetting the many advantages of the AMB however, are it's sensitivity to transient shock events and the lack of a built in fail safe mechanism. Total magnetic/auxiliary bearing system weight must also be addressed for aerospace applications. To address this need, MiTi has conceived an auxiliary bearing that will provide the appropriate auxiliary rotor support in the event that either a bearing overload is encountered or complete system electrical failure occurs.The overall objective of this program is to develop a high-temperature, light-weight auxiliary bearing for magnetically supported gas turbine engine rotors. To achieve this goal, a preliminary high-temperature, light-weight design of a MiTi Zero Clearance Auxiliary Bearing (ZCAB), suitable for large gas turbine engine application, will be established. Specifically, 1) an existing MiTi low temperature ZCAB design will be modified to address high-load, high temperature operation in a flight worthy gas turbine engine configuration, 2) Assess the impact that ZCAB will have on total bearing system weight and size, and 3) Establish the dynamic test system plan for Phase II verification testing.