Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to examine the supporting characteristics of the air-cushion pads with a suction and reaction force. The supporting characteristics are experimentally given by the relationship between the air-cushion force, flow rate and supporting clearance in order to understand the effect of the shape of the pads. The dimensions of the shape of the pads are obtained by the diameter of the nozzle, height and diameter of the chamber, and the diameter of the diffuser. To clarify the characteristics of the non-contact and suspending support, the relationship between the maximum suction force and shape of the pads are examined. The following results ware able to be obtained : (1) the air-cushion pads have a suction and reaction force acting on the supporting body. (2) In the case of the non-contacting and suspending support, it is pointed out to be the most suitable value for the dimensions of the shape of the suction pads in considerations of the suction force and the supporting clearance. (3) The value of the supporting clearance by the suction force is much larger than that by the reaction force.
