Evaluation of Windage Losses for High-Speed Disc Machinery

Design and development of experimental apparatus is detailed for stator drag torque measurement as well as a method to evaluate rotor windage losses directly from air mass flow and temperature changes. Effects of air jets at the rotor rim were also investigated. Results are presented for air windage losses associated with ultra-high-speed machinery. These show that within the range investigated the air gap length between the rotor and the stator has an insignificant effect on windage losses. The lowest windage losses were encountered when air was forced through the rotor/stator gap from the direction of rim to bore.