MSI - Foil Bearings

Foil bearings offer levels of performance and efficiency unmatched by conventional bearings for high-speed machinery. Ideally suited for use in hostile environments or oil-free systems, these bearings are more resilient and tolerant to misalignment than solid-pad gas bearings. MSI`s hydrodynamic (self-acting) compliant foil bearing generates its own load-carrying film from the rotation of the shaft it supports. A smooth top foil forms the bearing surface, and a flexible `bump` foil provides this surface with controlled, resilient support. This proprietary design ensures a `self-adjusting` bearing with inherent internal damping. It adapts to shaft misalignment, variations due to tolerance buildups, centrifugal and thermal shaft growth, and differential thermal expansion. Air-cycle machines, high-speed motors, and oil-free cryogenic compressors are among the many types of machinery that can benefit from foil bearings.