Hydrostatic bearings for a rotatable element

Claim 1

A HYDROSTATIC BEARING FOR A ROTATABLE SHAFT WHICH COMPRISES: (A) A SHAFT, (B) A SUPPORT, (C) A PLURALITY OF BEARING UNITS ARRANGED IN PERIPHERALLY SPACED SEQUENCE AROUND THE SHAFT, INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID SHAFT AND SAID SUPPORT, AND TOGETHER ROTATABLY SUPPORTING SAID SHAFT, (D) EACH UNIT HAVING (1) A BEARING PAD FITTING AN ARCUATE PORTION OF THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE SHAFT, (2) A MEMBER INTERPOSED BETWEEN EACH PAD AND SAID SUPPORT, AND GUIDED BY SAID SUPPORT FOR LIMITED MOVEMENT IN DIRECTIONS TOWARD AND FROM AND RADIALLY OF SAID SHAFT. (3) SAID MEMBER AND PAD HAVING INTERFITTING SPHERICAL SEGMENTS FACES, ONE OF WHICH FACES IS CONVEX AND THE OTHER OF WHICH IS CONCAVE, AND TOGETHER FORMING A LIMITED UNIVERSAL CONNECTION OF SAID PAD AND SAID MEMBER, (4) ONE OF SAID PAD MEMBER HAVING A CAVITY IN THE INTERIOR AREA OF ITS SAID INTERFITTING FACE, (5) SAID PAD HAVING A PLURALITY OF PASSAGES LEADING FROM ITS SAID FACE AT SAID CAVITY TO THE INTERIOR AREA OF THE SURFACE OF SAID PAD WHICH FITS SAID SHAFT AND THERE TERMINATING IN A PLURALITY OF SPACED APART RESTRICTED ORIFICES, (6) SAID MEMBER AND SUPPORT HAVING BETWEEN THEM A VERY THIN BUT BROAD SPACE OF APPROXIMATELY UNIFORM THICKNESS, (7) SAID SUPPORT HAVING A PASSAGE FORMED AT ONE END FOR CONNECTION TO A SOURCE OF LUBRICATING FLUID UNDER PRESSURE AND OPENING INTO THE INTERIOR AREA OF ITS FACE FORMING ONE SIDE OF SAID THIN SPACE IN A PLURALITY OF SPACED APART RESTRICTED ORIFICES AND ONE LARGER ORIFICE, (8E SAID MEMBER HAVING A PASSAGE THERETHROUGH FROM SAID THIN SPACE TO ITS OPPOSITE FACE WHERE IT COMMUNICATES WITH SAID CAVITY, (E) WHEREBY, WHEN LUBRICATING FLUID UNDER PRESSURE FROM SAID SOURCE MAY PASS INTO SAID THIN SPACE, IT WILL FORM A SQUEEZE FILM AND WHEN SOME PASSES INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN THE PAD THE SHAFT WILL FORM A LUBRIATING FILM BETWEEN THEM.