Hydrodynamic shaft bearing

Claim 1

A FILM LUBRICATED CONE BEARING COMPRISING: A BEARING UNIT HAVING A CONICAL, BEARING CONE RECEIVING OPENING AND INCLUDING BEARING MEANS PROVIDING SEPARATE INWARDLY PRESENTED CONICALLY TAPERED BEARING SURFACES SPACED AROUND SAID OPENING AND EACH OF SAID SURFACES EXTENDING GENERALLY CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ABOUT A PORTION ONLY OF SAID OPENING; A BEARING CONE ROTATABLY SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID OPENING BY SAID BEARING MEANS; SAID BEARING SURFACES BEING ADAPTED TO BE SUPPLIED WITH A LUBRICATING FLUID AND TO SUPPORT THE BEARING CONE IN SAID OPENING FOR RELATIVE ROTATION TO A SPEED AT LEAST SUFFICIENT TO GENERATE A HYDRODYNAMIC LUBRICATING FILM BETWEEN THE CONE AND EACH BEARING SURFACE; AND SAID BEARING MEANS INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE RELATIVELY THIN, FLEXIBLE, COMPLIANT CONICALLY TAPERED BEARING ELEMENT WHICH FURNISHES ONE OF SAID BEARING SURFACES, WHEREBY SAID BEARING MEANS IS ADAPTED TO BE RADIALLY MOVABLE RELATIVE TO THE BEARING CONE BY HYDRODYNAMIC FILM PRESSURE AND TO ACCOMMODATE AND DAMPEN ORBITAL MOTION OF THE CONE.