Analysis and design of a cantilever-mounted resilient-pad gas-lubricated thrust bearing

A thrust bearing consisting of pads mounted on resilient, metallic, cantilever beams is described and analyzed. Compliance and stiffness of the bearing assembly are discussed, and the effects of bearing design parameters on performance are shown. After the general analysis, a design example is presented for a flat sector-shaped gas bearing. A special case where zero axial movement of the runner can be obtained is pointed out.