1-D SIMULATION MODEL OF A PROGRESSIVE FLOW CONTROLLER FOR HYDROSTATIC BEARINGS

Hydrostatic bearings in machine tools are used for qualitative highest demands. On the one hand, they are used in precision machines, for example, in grinding machines, to get high precision and the highest quality in the production. On the other hand, they are used in machines with high forces during the production process. Generally hydrostatic bearings are characterised by a good damping behaviour and good stiffness of the bearing, as well as wear resistance and nearly no friction in the bearing (fluid friction), thus, no loss of accuracy over the entire lifetime of the machine tool. A progressive flow control is needed in the bearing to get a nearly constant gap in the hydrostatic bearing, which is independent of the load on the bearing. In our case the progressive flow control works with a piston in combination with a control edge and a mechanical spring. The shape of the control edge is essential to get a nearly constant gap in the hydrostatic bearing. Therefore, a 1-D simulation model of the progressive flow control was developed and implemented in an existing 1-D simulation model of hydrostatic bearings to predict the behaviour of the hydrostatic bearing, for example, in machine tools.