Two-directional axial thrust balancer

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION, A HOUSING, SHAFT MEANS MOUNTED FOR ROTATION IN SAID HOUSING, SAID HOUSING HAVING PLATE MEANS EXTENDING THEREFROM INWARDLY AND HAVING AN OPENING THROUGH WHICH SAID SHAFT MEANS PASSES, RADIAL BEARING MEANS SPACED AXIALLY OUTWARDLY FROM SAID PLATE MEANS TO SUPPORT SAID SHAFT MEANS, SAID SHAFT MEANS HAVING TWO THRUST BALANCING DISKS EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY THEREFROM AND BEING POSITIONED ONE ON EACH SIDE OF THE PLATE MEANS OF SAID HOUSING, THE OPENING OF SAID PLATE MEANS HAVING A CIRCULAR END FACE SPACED FROM SAID SHAFT MEANS, SAID FACE HAVING A GROOVE THEREAROUND FORMING AN ANNULAR PROJECTION ON EACH SIDE THEREOF, SAID PROJECTIONS EXTENDING TO WITHIN A SHORT DISTANCE RADIALLY OF THE SHAFT MEANS, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING AN OPERATING FLUID TO THE GROOVE LOCATED IN THE FACE OF THE OPENING OF SAID PLATE MEANS, EACH SIDE FACE OF SAID PLATE MEANS BEING FORMED SO THAT THE THICKNESS OF THE PLATE MEANS IS GREATER AT THE POINT WHERE IT IS ADJACENT TO THE OUTER ENDS OF THE THRUST BALANCING DISKS, SAID DISKS BEING SPACED APART TO PROVIDE A CHAMBER ON EACH SIDE OF SAID PLATE MEANS WITH EACH OF SAID DISKS, EACH CHAMBER HAVING AN INLET OF FIXED AREA FOR AN OPERATING FLUID BETWEEN THE COOPERATING ANNULAR PROJECTIONS AND SHAFT MEANS AND A VARIABLE AREA OUTLET FORMED BY THE COOPERATING SIDE FACE OF THE PLATE MEANS WITH THE COOPERATING DISK.