Numerical Study on Constant-Flow Hydrostatic Water Bearing for a Machine-Tool Table

Precision machine tools using hydrostatic water bearings are superior to those using hydrostatic oil bearings in terms of environmental protection, worker’s safety, and cost. As for hydrostatic water bearings, a constant-flow type is more suitable than a constant-pressure type. However, the hydrostatic water bearings applied for machine tools are few cases, and there are only a few reports concerning the constant-flow bearings. In this study, sustaining force of the constant-flow hydrostatic water bearing pad is computed numerically by using ANSYS FLUENT. Then the solutions evaluated by the simple analytical models, which were proposed previously, are examined by comparing them with the numerical result. Additionally, an improved analytical model is proposed.