Assembly Error Tolerance Estimation for Large-Scale Hydrostatic Bearing Segmented Sliders under Static and Low-Speed Conditions

Hydrostatic bearings come with certain advantages over rolling bearings in moving large-scale structures. However, assembly errors are a serious matter on large scales. This study focuses on finding assembly error tolerances for the most common types in segmented errors of hydrostatic bearing sliders: tilt and offset. The experimental part was performed in the laboratory on a full diagnostic hydrostatic bearing testing rig. An investigation of the type of error on bearing performance was first conducted under static conditions. We identified the limiting error-to-film thickness ratio (e/h) for static offset error as 2.5 and the tilt angle as θ = 0.46° for the investigated case. Subsequently, two types of offset error were investigated under slow-speed conditions at 38 mm/s. The limiting error for the offset error considering the relative bi-directional movement of the slider and the pad was determined as e/h < 1. The results further indicate that the error tolerance would further decrease with increasing speed. The experimental results of error tolerances can be used to determine the required film thickness or vice versa.