Increasing the load capacity of planar ferrofluid bearings by the addition of ferromagnetic material

Ferrofluid pocket bearings are a type of bearing that are able to carry a load using an air pocket encapsulated by a ferrofluid seal. Previously designed ferrofluid bearings show the great potential of the stick-slip-free and low viscous friction bearings, however until now the load capacity is limited. In this article a method is presented...

Load and stiffness of a planar ferrofluid pocket bearing

A ferrofluid pocket bearings is a type of hydrostatic bearing that uses a ferrofluid seal to encapsulate a pocket of air to carry a load. Their properties, combining a high stiffness with low (viscous) friction and absence of stick-slip, make them interesting for applications that require fast and high precision positioning. Knowledge on the...

Operational range of a ferrofluid pocket bearing

Ferrofluid pocket bearings are interesting for fast and precise positioning systems thank to the absence of stick-slip, the low viscous friction and their cost-effective nature. However, the characteristics of the bearing change due to over(de)compression since air escapes out of the enclosed pocket. This article presents an experimentally...