On the Static Performance of Concave Aerostatic Pads

Numerical models have been largely utilized as a valuable tool to investigate the performance of aerostatic pads. These models make it possible to evaluate the effect of different parameters, e.g., supply pressure, orifices diameter and locations. This paper presents a numerical study to investigate to what extent the use of concave surfaces can modify the static performance of aerostatic pads. The study consists in comparing the performance of flat and concave pads in the presence of different supply pressures and maximum depths of concavity.