Author(s)

RONEN S. LAUTMAN, LIRON SHANI, BOAZ NISHRI

Abstract

The current work presents a 1D analytic model for a PV aeromechanical system and compares it with a 3D CFD model. The 1D model is based on the analogy between airflow and electric current. A PV aeromechanical system enables accurate positioning of thin, flexible substrates by creating an air cushion between the substrate and an accurate, rigid surface, having bi-directional aeromechanical spring-like behavior. Nozzle can be described as the relation they allow between flow (Q) and pressure drop (Δp): R ∝ Δp/Qn where n depends on the characteristic behavior and (in this work) is between 1 and 2. The 1D model is computationally much cheaper than the 3D CFD model. Although the 1D model requires one CFD 3D model analysis for quantifying the exact resistance in the air cushion, it allows very fast calculations of performance when varying the other parameters of air gap, pressure/vacuum supply, and flowrate. The difference between 1D analytic model and full CFD analysis, in terms of air gap stiffness results was approximately 3%.

Keywords

CFD, air cushion, aeromechanical spring, analytic model