Gas Foil Bearings – from Design and Numerical Study to Multifunctional and Smart Physical Prototype Installations

In the presented research, the authors comprehensively report the process of designing, prototyping and experimental characterization of Gas Foil Bearings (GFB)s. The developed prototype installations of the bearings make use of multifunctional top foils that allow for thermomechanical characterization. Thermocouples and strain gauges are introduced for temperature and strain measurements. The results of the experiments carried out for GFBs’ physical prototypes are shown and discussed. The description of the conducted study is complemented with presentation of the results of theoretical investigations, employing numerical multiphysics models. Finite element models of GFBs are used to conclude about temperature and strain distributions within the top foil. Finally, the authors present the experimental investigation performed for the prototypes of bearings equipped with the two types of smart materials: shape memory alloys and piezoelectric composites integrated with the bearings’ structure. The obtained extended functionalities of the tested GFBs, i.e., the smart GFBs, are shown as found considering additional electric and thermal excitation used to control the bearings’ operation.