Abstract:A scheme of microgravity platform based on the gas film thrust pad bearing was proposed to mitigate and eliminate the influence of gravity.The platform includes the gas supply system of the pump,control system,gas thrust bearing and load platform.The gap between bearing and platform was applied to eliminate the gravity effect by adjusting the film thickness.Air dynamic lubrication couple models were established,including the model of the air film distribution and flow velocity,the model of the pressure distribution and gas flow,and Reynolds equation of the compressible gas and the relation of the pressure and load.The relations between air viscosity coefficients in typical working conditions,speed and loading of platform were solved by the numerical methods.The key parameters of bearing,such as minimum gas film thickness,the flow rate and power loss,were obtained.The results show the performance parameters (the minimum gas film thickness,the flow rate and power loss) are increased with the increasing of air viscosity and speed.With the increasing of the loading of the platform,the minimum gas film thickness and the flow rate are decreased.