Abstract
In actual aerostatic spindles, it is very difficult to manufacture the squareness of a thrust collar within the accuracy of 1 μm. Furthermore, it is naturally considered that the squareness of the thrust collar affects the rotational accuracy of the aerostatic spindle. Therefore, this paper numerically investigates the rotational accuracy of an aerostatic spindle when the squareness of a thrust collar is varied. At very low speeds, the rotational accuracy is obtained by solving the Reynolds equation taking into account the squareness of the thrust bearing. At speeds, the spindle locus is obtained by Non-Linear Orbit Method, where the Reynolds equation and the motion of equation of a spindle were simultaneously solved. It is found that the squareness of the thrust collar greatly affects the rotational accuracy of the spindle.
