Partsdude

I've heard of muffler bearings, red tail light oil, and spools of left hand thread, but Air Bearings? Seriously wth .. ??

http://www.holset.co.uk/mainsite/fil...%20systems.php

megacabdad

Air bearings

Unlike contact-roller bearings, air bearings utilize a thin film of pressurized air to provide an exceedingly low friction load-bearing interface between surfaces. The two surfaces don't touch. Being non-contact, air bearings avoid the traditional bearing-related problems of friction, wear, particulates, and lubricant handling, and offer distinct advantages in precision positioning and high-speed applications.[citation needed]

The fluid film of the bearing is air that flows through the bearing itself to the bearing surface. The design of the air bearing is such that, although the air constantly escapes from the bearing gap, the continual flow of pressurized air through the bearing is enough to support the working loads.

[edit] Examples

Air hockey is a game based on an aerostatic bearing which suspends the puck and player's paddles to provide low friction and thus fast motion. The bearing uses a flat plane with periodic orifices which deliver air just over ambient pressure. The puck and paddles rest on air.

Another example of a fluid bearing is ice skating. Ice skates form a hydrodynamic fluid bearing where the skate and ice are separated by a layer of water caused by entropy (formerly thought to be caused by pressure-induced melting; see ice skating for details.)

gadget.35-06

How about in the air conditioning listings: Fallopian tubing?

jrs_dodge_diesel

It's a similar idea to foil bearings which have been used in gas turbine engines for quite some time now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foil_bearing

Riflemanusmc

Thats.........just.............not.........right.. LOLFunny stuff though..

high bid

....and it's important that you maintain regular service and changing of the air to ensure the bearing maintains it's useful life.

Similar, I make sure to change the air in my tires about every other oil change.

apwatson50

On another note and more importantly, you want to make sure that you change the air in your tires for the season, you don't want winter air during the summer.

Back on track, the air bearings would be pretty cool! Very low friction.

12 flapper

When you need to lift something out of your truck, just use the sky hook, works like a charm.

TonyB

Air bearings are common on gyroscopes and high speed (>100k rpm) electric motors.

Tony

Jim Lane

If you let it go too long it will get stale and it will settle out in the bottom of the tire and could cause the tire to thump.

Blake Clark

When I worked at the local parts house we would have a greenhorn go on a parts search for a heater coil for a 1961 Volkswagen beetle.


Got quite a few in the Oil and Gas Industry...

Skyhooks, Keys to V-doors, Buckets of Ohms, Gallons of Propwash.

On of my favs is to tell a green welder helper that your out of puddles and cant finish the weld until you get some more. Usually send em to the foreman or Inspector looking for em.

Good fun....