A Novel Modular Multi-Unit Cell Permanent Magnet Thrust Bearing with Bionic Design and Load-Carrying Capacity Analysis

Permanent magnet thrust bearings have garnered significant attention due to their high rotational speeds, low noise levels, and excellent vibration-damping performance. However, existing designs of these bearings often suffer from low load-carrying capacity and are tailored to specific machines, which limits their broader applicability. To address these limitations, this paper proposes a novel modular multi-unit cell structure for permanent magnet thrust bearings. The load-carrying performance of this design is validated through theoretical analysis, simulation, and experimentation. The inspiration for this design comes from bionics and honeycomb structures, emphasizing modularization and the combination of multiple unit cells. The unit cell consists of four permanent magnets, and multiple unit cells can be connected to form a structure that replaces the traditional design of directly embedding a permanent magnet ring into the bearing structure. Moreover, the designed unit cell structure can expand in both axial and radial directions, allowing for the creation of various nested or cross structures tailored to specific usage requirements. With this modular approach, the theoretical model of the bearing structure can be extended from the traditional single-layer cross-nested structure to an arbitrary number of nested cross-nested configurations using the equivalent magnetic circuit method. The bearing’s performance is validated through finite element simulations and experimental testing. The results demonstrate that the bearing with a four-layer cross-nested structure achieves a maximum load capacity of 48.45 kN, with a deviation of 7.3% from the theoretical value and 4% from the simulation results. By leveraging the generalization of the unit cell, the maximum axial load capacity across various configurations ranges from 6.78 kN to 288.9 kN, significantly enhancing the bearing’s adaptability to diverse operational scenarios.