My PhD project is about …
… making air bearings more widely usable in industry. A bearing is a machine component that supports the weight of moving parts and separates contact surfaces with a lubricating film. This allows the moving parts to rotate or slide without friction, which can otherwise cause wear, reduced efficiency, and harmful vibrations in the machine.
Air bearings are simple because they require only air instead of oil, equipment such as pumps, and oil tanks. Instead of oil, a thin air film forms between the bearing and the moving machine part, preventing them from touching and damaging the machine.
Today, air bearings are most commonly used in fast and lightweight machines, such as in aircraft air circulation systems. This is because air-unlike oil-is less viscous and easier to compress. Therefore, air bearings require the parts to rotate at high speeds to generate sufficient pressure to support the weight of the rotating parts. This limits current air bearings to fast and lightweight machines.
To solve the problem, we've created holes in the center of the bearing through which we blow high-pressure air. This increases the bearing's ability to support weight without rotating itself-much like when a puck hovers on an air hockey table.
By measuring the moving parts relative to the bearing, we can create an algorithm that automatically adjusts the airflow, resulting in improved bearing performance. This way, we avoid harmful vibrations and enable air bearings to support more weight, making them suitable for use in far more industrial machines.
