Hydrostatic bearing

Claim 1

A HYDROSTATIC BEARING ASSEMBLY WHICH COMPRISES WITH A ROTATING MEMBER HAVING A SMOOTH BEARING SURFACE, A HOUSING, A BEARING MEMBER MOUNTED WITHIN THE HOUSING HAVING AN OPEN ENDED COOPERATING BEARING SUPPORT SURFACE SPACED FROM SAID BEARING SURFACES TO PERMIT A RESTRICTED FLOW OF A PRESSURIZED LOAD BEARING FLUID THEREBETWEEN, SAID BEARING SUPPORT SURFACE HAVING FORMED THEREIN HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE POCKET FORMING RECESSES, A CLOSED LOW PRESSURE DRAINAGE SYSTEM COMPRISING DRAINAGE RECESSES SURROUNDING SAID POCKET FORMING RECESSES, NONRECESSED STRIP AREAS OF SAID BEARING SUPPORT SURFACE PROVIDING SEPARATING RIDGES BETWEEN EACH SAID POCKET FORMING RECESSES ND SAID SURROUNDING LOW PRESSURE DRAINAGE RECESSES, AND A DRAINAGE OUTLET FOR SAID SYSTEM SURFFICIENTLY OPEN TO EFFECT DISCHARGE OF SAID FLUID FROM SAID SYSTEM AT A LOW PRESSURE IN THE ORDER OF LESS THAN 1/2 P.S.I., A SECOND DRAINAGE SYSTEM DISCHARGING AT ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE TO THE OPEN END OF SAID BEARING MEMBER COMPRISING A LABYRINTH-TYPE BAFFLE FORMED OF DIRECTION-CHANGING OPPOSED ANNULAR BAFFLE SURFACES FIXED WITH RELATION TO SAID ROTATING MEMBER AND HOUSING RESPECTIVELY AND OPENING TO ATMOSPHERE, AN ANNULAR DRAINAGE AREA INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID INTERNAL BEARING SUPPORT SURFACES AND SAID BAFFLE, AND A NON-RECESSED STRIP AREA OF SAID BEARING SUPPORT SURFACE DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID LOW PRESSURE DRAINAGE RECESSES OF SAID LOW PRESSURE DRAINAGE SYSTEM AND SAID ANNULAR DRAINAGE AREA, AND MEANS FOR SUPPLYING FLUID UNDER PRESSURE TO SAID POCKETS, CAUSING AND FLUID UNDER PRESSURE TO FLOW OVER SAID FIRST MENTIONED RIDGE FORMING SEPARATING RIDGES INTO SAID FIRST DRAINAGE SYSTEM, WHEREBY THE BULK OF SAID FLUID DRAINS AT LOW PRESSURE THROUGH SAID DRAINAGE OUTLET, CAUSING A SMALL SEEPAGE ONLY OF SAID LOW PRESSURE DRAINAGE FLUID OVER SAID LATTER MENTIONED SEPARATING RIDGES INTO SAID ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE DRAINAGE SYSTEM.