Abstract
This paper theoretically investigates the performance of the seal system of aerostatic thrust bearings used in a high vacuum chamber. This thrust bearing has several stages of viscous seals and exhaust grooves around it. Each exhaust groove is connected to a separate vacuum pump in order to achieve a vacuum chamber pressure of less than (10)^3 Pa. The vacuum chamber pressure is affected by various design parameters such as seal gap, seal length and conductance of exhaust tubes. In this paper, the influences of these design parameters on the vacuum chamber pressure are discussed.
