Design and analysis methods for aerostatic bearings: The past, the present, and the future

Aerostatic bearings technology has been increasingly applied in the precision engineering and high-tech industries over the last decades, due to their considerable advantages including high motion accuracy, high speeds, low friction, and environment-friendly operations. This article presents a comprehensive and critical review with the historical progress on the state-of-the-art in research and development of design and analysis methods for aerostatic bearings and the associated products. The article also attempts to identify and discuss the scientific and technological challenges in air-bearing design and development, their future research development and trends, and their potential applications.