Combined journal and thrust bearing

Claim 1

A BEARING STRUCTURE FOR HIGH SPEED MACHINERY COMPRISING A JOURNAL HOUSING, A SHAFT HAVING A THRUST SURFACE THEREON AND ROTATABLE WITHIN SAID JOURNAL HOUSING, A FULL SLEEVE TUBULAR BEARING ENCLOSING SAID SHAFT WITHIN THE HOUSING, A RELATIVELY LARGE LUBRICANT PASSAGE EXTENDING THROUGH SAID HOUSING COMMUNICATING WITH THE SPACE ADJACENT SAID TUBULAR BEARING AND LUBRICANT PASSAGES FORMED IN SAID TUBULAR BEARING WHEREBY LUBRICANT FLUID MAY BE INTRODUCED UNDER PRESSURE BETWEEN SAID HOUSING, BEARING AND SHAFT TO FORM A LUBRICANT FILM THEREABOUT PERMITTING SAID TUBULAR BEARING TO ROTATE WITH SAID SHAFT, SAID TUBULAR BEARING ROTATING AT A SPEED SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE SPEED OF THE SHAFT BECAUSE OF THE DRAG ON THE TUBULAR BEARING CAUSED BY LUBRICANT PRESSURE THEREON, SAID TUBULAR BEARING HAVING SUBSTANTIAL WALL THICKNESS SO THAT ONE END FACE THEREOF MAY ACT AS A THRUST BEARING SURFACE AND A STATIONARY THRUST PLATE EXTENDING CLOSELY ADJACENT AND PARALLEL TO SAID BEARING END FACE TO PROVIDE AN OPPOSED THRUST BEARING SURFACE AND THE OTHEER END OF THE TUBULAR BEARING FACING THE THRUST SURFACE ON SAID SHAFT, SAID TUBULAR BEARING THEREBY PROVIDING BOTH RADIAL AND LONGITUDINAL BEARING SUPPORT FOR SAID SHAFT WITH THE REDUCED SPEED OF ROTATION OF SAID TUBULAR BEARING PROVIDING A REDUCED RELATIVE SPEED BETWEEN SAID STATIONARY THRUST PLATE AND SAID ONE END FACE OF THE TUBULAR BEARING.