Squeeze film bearings

Claim 1

IN A BEARING ASSEMBLY, A ROTATABLE MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE ROTATED ABOUT AN AXIS AND HAVING A CYLINDRICAL SURFACE SUBSTANTIALLY CONCENTRIC WITH SAID AXIS AND AXIALLY SPACED THRUST SURFACES WHICH ARE SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID AXIS AND EXTEND RADIALLY OUTWARDLY FROM SAID CYLINDRICAL SURFACE, A TUBULAR STRAIN PRODUCING MEMBER HAVING INNER AND OUTER SURFACES AND END FACES, SAID STRAIN PRODUCING MEMBER BEING POSITIONED ABOUT SAID CYLINDRICAL SURFACE IN A SUBSTANTIALLY CONCENTRIC RELATION THEREWITH SO THAT SAID INNER SURFACE AND SAID CYLINDRICAL SURFACE ARE IN A CLOSELY SPACED RELATION AND SO THAT EACH OF SAID END FACES OF SAID STRAIN PRODUCING MEMBER IS IN A CLOSELY SPACED RELATION WITH ONE OF SAID THRUST SURFACES, A BASE MEMBER HAVING A SURFACE DISPOSED IN A CLOSELY SPACED RELATION WITH THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID STRAIN PRODUCING MEMBER, AND MEANS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID STRAIN PRODUCING MEMBER FOR CAUSING SAID STRAIN PRODUCING MEMBER TO VIBRATE AT A HIGH FREQUENCY AND LOW AMPLITUDE IN DIRECTIONS BOTH AXIALLY AND RADIALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID AXIS OF SAID ROTATABLE MEMBER TO THEREBY CREATE A FIRST COMPRESSED GAS FILM BETWEEN SAID STRAIN PRODUCING MEMBER INNER SURFACE AND SAID CYLINDRICAL SURFACE, A SECOND COMPRESSED GAS FILM BETWEEN SAID STRAIN PRODUCING MEMBER OUTER SURFACE AND SAID BASE SURFACE, AND ADDITIONAL COMPRESSED GAS FILMS BETWEEN SAID END FACES AND SAID THRUST SURFACES.