Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/K89801/01
Title:	THE DEVELOPMENT OF 2-LAYERED POROUS CERAMIC AEROSTATIC GUIDEWAY BEARINGS FOR ULTRA PRECISION APPLICATIONS
Principal Investigator:	Corbett, Professor J
Other Investigators:	Stephenson, Professor D
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:	C P E Ltd Dynamic-Ceramic Ltd Pre Nexus Migration
Department:	Sch of Industrial and Manufacturing Scie
Organisation:	Cranfield University
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	24 February 1997	Ends:	23 February 1999	Value (£):	132,437
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Materials Processing
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Construction
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
Recent technological advances, particularly in the field of microelectronics, ultra precision machining and measurement, have put substantial demands on the accuracy and performance of manufacturing equipment. Aerostatic guideways and bearing systems are being used increasingly in such critical applications. This proposal proposes an entirely novel 2-layered structure to enhance the performance and manufacturability when compared to bearings produced by other means. It will result in bearing structures which contain a multitude of open cells in order that the ceramic structure can provide the function of a gas diffusing material. These will act as minute restrictions uniformly distributed over the entire bearing surface which will provide the best pressure distribution, and damping conditions, combined with the highest load capacity and stiffness. The theory of porous aerostatic bearings has been widely published but two major problems, to date, have been a) the availability of porous materials with predictable fluid flow properties, and b) pneumatic instability due to a 'dead' volume of air entrapped amongst the pores. The research will have the potential for commercial application in a wide range of nano fabrication processes, for example the next generation diamond grinding machines, lithography and other nanotechnology measurements, which require ultra positioning and alignment systems.
Key Findings
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Potential use in non-academic contexts
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Impacts
Description This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk Summary Date Materialised
Sectors submitted by the Researcher
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Project URL:
Further Information:
Organisation Website:	http://www.cranfield.ac.uk