NANO-BEARING:THE DESIGN OF A NEW TYPE OF AIR BEARING WITH FLEXURE STRUCTURE

A new type of air bearing with flexure structure is introduced. The new bearing is designed for precision mechanical engineering devices such as mechanical watch movement. The new design uses the flexure structure to provide 3D damping to absorb shocks from all directions. Two designs are presented： one has 12 T-shape slots in the radian direction while the other has 8 spiral slots in the radian direction. Both designs have flexure mountings on the axial directions. Based on the finite element analysis （FEA）, the new bearing can reduce the vibration （displacement） by as much as 8.37% and hence, can better protect the shafts.

通过轴承升级实现涡轮机械的可靠运行

Common fluid film bearing issues(mainly high bearing temperature)preventing reliable operation of turbomachinery will be addressed.Atheoretical review of radial and thrust bearing performance will be included for a basic understanding on how to handle the bearing issues.Some theoretical plots will be presented to demonstrate the effect of key bearing design parameters on bearing performance.Advanced bearing materials beyond babbitt will also be introduced as bearing upgrade options to overcome bearing issues.Case studies on radial and thrust bearing upgrades to mitigate or eliminate the bearing issues will be shared.Some of the common vibration problems preventing reliable operation of turbomachinery will also be described with suggestions on how to eliminate or mitigate the problems via changes to bearing design features or new bearing technology.A couple of case studies representing each vibration problem will be presented.

Investigation of mechanical failure performance of a large-diameter shield tunnel segmental ring

The control criteria for structural deformation and the evaluation of operational safety performance for large-diameter shield tunnel segments are not yet clearly defined.To address this issue,a refined 3D finite element model was established to analyze the transverse deformation response of a large-diameter segmental ring.By analyzing the stress,deformation,and crack distribution of large-diameter segments under overload conditions,the transverse deformation of the segmental ring could be divided into four stages.The main reasons for the decrease in segmental ring stiffness were found to be the extensive development of cracks and the complete formation of four plastic hinges.The deformation control value for the large-diameter shield tunnel segment is chosen as 8%o of the segment's outer diameter,representing the transverse deformation during the formation of the first semi-plastic hinge(i.e.,the first yield point)in the structure.This control value can serve as a reinforcement standard for preventing the failure of large-diameter shield tunnel segments.The flexural bearing capacity characteristic curve of segments was used to evaluate the structural strength of a large-diameter segmental ring.It was discovered that the maximum internal force combination of the segment did not exceed the segment ultimate bearing capacity curve(SUBC).However,the combination of internal force at 9°,85°,and 161°of the joints,and their symmetrical locations about the 0°-180°axis exceeded the joint ultimate bearing capacity curve(JUBC).The results indicate that the failure of the large-diameter segment lining was mainly due to insufficient joint strength,leading to an instability failure.The findings from this study can be used to develop more effective maintenance strategies for large-diameter shield tunnel segments to ensure their long-term performance.