Development of Passive Superconducting Bearings. Phase 3.

Abstract

This report documents the work performed by MTI under contract to Strategic Defense Initiative Organization to develop the technology of Superconducting Bearings. This work, had been supported by NASA and DARPA in addition to SDIO. As a result of this work, MTI had developed a passive superconducting bearing that is used to levitate relatively heavy rotors. It used this bearing to levitate a 7 lb rotor and spin at speeds of up to 12,000 rpm. The success of this effort indicates that the superconducting bearings have potential for transition from a mere laboratory curiosity to a functional bearing component in a wider range of practical applications such as cryoturbopumps, miniature cryocoolers and magnetic refrigerators. In addition, MTI had investigated several configurations of using superconductors to support loads along a single axis. The effort was directed to identify a specific configuration that offers a very high stiffness.

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 14, 1993
Accession Number
ADA266050

Entities

People

  • Dantam K. Rao

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Contracts
  • Cryocoolers
  • Organizational Structure
  • Stiffness
  • Strategic Defense Initiative
  • Superconductors
  • Transitions

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Electrical Engineering
  • Tribology (the study of the boundary interaction between sliding surfaces, lubrication, wear and friction).
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