Thrust bearing assembly

Claim 2

A thrust-bearing assembly comprising a plurality of adjacent bearing shoe segments each having a pair of supporting points along the longitudinal direction thereof, a supporting base on which said segments are to be supported, and a plurality of spring plates supporting said segments on said base, each spring plate being positioned with one end thereof supporting one segment and the other end thereof supporting an adjacent segment at the supporting points thereof.

Claim 3

A thrust-bearing assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the length of each spring plate is greater than the distance between the supporting points on a segment.

Claim 4

A thrust-bearing assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the pair of supporting points of each segment include an inner and an outer supporting point, each spring plate extending from an inner supporting point on one segment to an outer supporting point of an adjacent segment.

Claim 5

A thrust-bearing assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said segments are circularly arranged and said pair of supporting points are radially disposed, each spring plate extending from an inner supporting point on one segment to an outer supporting point of an adjacent segment.

Claim 6

A thrust-bearing assembly as defined in claim 4, wherein each spring plate includes a pair of leg projections on one surface at respective ends and a central projection on the opposite surface for contact with said base.

Claim 7

A thrust-bearing assembly as defined in claim 5, wherein the central projections on said spring plates are all located on a common circle.

Claim 8

A thrust-bearing assembly as defined in claim 2, wherein all of said spring plates are of the same size.

Claim 9

A thrust-bearing assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein each spring plate includes a pair of leg projections on one surface at respective ends, said leg projections being in contact with a segment at a point on the line of symmetry thereof.

Claim 10

A thrust-bearing assembly for use in a vertical rotary machine, including an annular thrust runner mounted on a rotor shaft of the machine, a plurality of separate bearing shoe segments adapted to cooperate with and slidingly support said thrust runner, and a plurality of shoe-supporting members for supporting said bearing shoe segments against a base supported by respective supporting arms, said shoe-supporting members comprising spring plates having leg projections on one main surface at opposite ends thereof and a central projection on the other main surface at a central portion thereof, each bearing shoe segment being supported by the spring plates in such a manner that each bearing segment has a pair of supporting points along the longitudinal direction thereof, and one leg projection of each spring plate forms one of the supporting points of one bearing segment and the other projection forms one of the supporting points of the other bearing segment with the distance between the leg projections being greater than that between the pair of the supporting points of each segment.

Claim 11

A thrust-bearing assembly for use in a vertical rotary machine, including an annular thrust runner mounted on a rotor shaft of the machine, a plurality of separate bearing shoe segments adapted to cooperate with and slidingly support said thrust runner, and a plurality of shoe-supporting members for supporting said bearing shoe segments against a base supported by respective supporting arms, said shoe-supporting members comprising spring plates having leg projections on one main surface at opposite ends thereof and a central projection on the other main surface at a central portion thereof, each bearing shoe segment being supported by the spring plates in such a manner that each bearing segment has a pair of supporting points along the longitudinal direction thereof, and one leg projection of each spring plate forms one of the supporting points of one bearing segment and the other projection forms one of the supporting points of the other bearing segment with the distance between the leg projections being greater than that between the pair of the supporting points of each segment.

Claim 12

A thrust-bearing assembly as defined in claim 9, wherein the pair of supporting points of each segment include an inner and an outer supporting point, each spring plate extending from an inner supporting point on one segment to an outer supporting point of an adjacent segment.

Claim 13

A thrust-bearing assembly as defined in claim 10, wherein the central projections on said spring plates are all located on a common circle.

Claim 14

A thrust-bearing assembly as defined in claim 9 wherein said segments are circularly arranged and said pair of supporting points are radially disposed, each spring plate extending from an inner supporting point on one segment to an outer supporting point of an adjacent segment.