MERCURY RANKINE PROGRAM (SNAP 2) DEVELOPMENT OF LIQUID-MERCURY-LUBRICATED BEARINGS VOLUME I ANALYTICAL DESIGN APPROACH AND STATUS ©P BEARING SYSTEMS (WITH APPENDIXES)

摘要

Stringent requirements and the limited state of the art complicated the analytical design and development of fluid film bearings lubricated by liquid mercury for systems such as SNAP. The demands for long life, maximum reliability, minimum system weight, and operation in space are reflected in such things as restrictions on permissible supply pressure, flow rate, temperatures, usable materials, and construction. The high rotational speed of shaft, coupled with the low kinematic viscosity of liquid mercury, assures bearing operation beyond the laminar flow regime. Operation was assumed in the little-investigated turbulent and superlaminar flow regimes.nDespite these difficulties, the feasibility of liquid-mercury-lubricated fluid film bearings has been demonstrated by a series of endurance tests on different bearing types. The longest test to date is in excess of 6000 hours on a single set of bearings.nThe analytical and experimental activities of the bearing development program, covering the period from January 1961 to June 1963, are covered in this report.