Influence of microscale effect on the radial rotation error of aerostatic spindle

This paper presents the influence of the microscale effect on the radial rotation error of aerostatic spindle, which is determined by the corresponding stiffness, damping, and unbalance mass. A microscale gas film flow model is used to simulate the static performance of the aerostatic bearing by introducing the microscale effect factor Q in this paper. Firstly, the radial stiffness and damping coefficients of aerostatic bearing were calculated considering microscale effect factor Q, therefore, the position of the rotating shaft in radial plane was deduced, and the corresponding rotation error was obtained. Finally, the simulation results of the stiffness and radial rotation error were verified by the experiment on the shaft test table, and the motion orbit was measured by a displace sensor with a high precision standard ball. The experimental results indicated that the simulated result considering the microscale effect factor Q was more consistent with the actual experimental value, which provided a reference for the design and optimization of the aerostatic spindle.