Hydrostatic bearing structure

Claim 1

AN EXTERNALLY PRESSURIZED HYDROSTATIC BEARING ASSEMBLY, COMPRISING A BEARING SURFACE HAVING A FLUID SUPPLY CHAMBER THROUGH WHICH FLUID UNDER PRESSURE IS SUPPLIED TO THE BEARING SURFACE, A SECOND BEARING SURFACE OPPOSING AND FACING SAID BEARING SURFACE AND FORMING THEREWITH A HYDROSTATIC BEARING ASSEMBLY, THE LENGTH OF SAID HYDROSTATIC BEARING ASSEMBLY BEING GREATER THAN 500 TIMES THE CLEARANCE BETWEEN SAID OPPOSED BEARING SURFACES, ONE OF SAID BEARING SURFACES HAVING A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED GROOVES FORMING A FIRST FLUID PASSAGE FOR RECEIVING SAID PRESSURIZED FLUID FROM SAID FLUID SUPPLY CHAMBER AND CARRYING IT OUTWARDLY THEREFROM TO THE OUTER END OF THE BEARING ASSEMBLY, SAID ELONGATED GROOVES EXTENDING OUTWARD FROM SAID FLUID SUPPLY CHAMBER TO A POINT SHORT OF THE OUTER END OF SAID BEARING ASSEMBLY SO THAT A RESTRICTED SECOND FLOW PASSAGE BETWEEN SAID OPPOSED BEARING SURFACES IS FORMED AT THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID BEARING ASSEMBLY, THE LENGTH OF SAID RESTRICTED SECOND FLOW PASSAGE BEING GREATER THAN 20 TIMES THE CLEARANCE BETWEEN SAID OPPOSED BEARING SURFACES, AND SAID ELONGATED GROOVES FORMING RIBS THEREBETWEEN THAT HAVE A WIDTH EACH LESS THAN FOUR TIMES THE LENGTH OF SAID RESTRICTED SECOND FLOW PASSAGE, WHEREBY THE PRESSURE DROP ALONG THE GROOVES IS IN THE RANGE FROM ONEQUARTER TO THREE-QUARTERS OF THE TOTAL PRESSURE DROP FROM SAID FLUID SUPPLY CHAMBER TO THE OUTER END OF THE BEARING ASSEMBLY.