Design of a low cost hydrostatic bearing

This thesis presents the design and manufacturing method for a new surface self compensating hydrostatic bearing. A lumped resistance model was used to analyze the performance of the bearing and provide guidance on laying out the bearing features. One arrangement of bearing features was cut into a flat sheet of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene which was then formed into a cylindrical shape. The shaped plastic was adhered to an aluminum housing then connected to a pump. Experimental data shows that the lumped resistance model provides a good estimation of the bearing performance. After validating the analytical model, sensitivity studies were conducted to predict changes in the bearing performance due to manufacturing variances. The results of the model indicate the design is extremely robust.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Wong, Anthony Raymond

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Alexander Slocum.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/74951

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/74951