Hydrostatic bearings

Claim 2

A rotatable assembly comprising a shaft supported for rotation in a hydrostatic bearing, the shaft having a frustoconical bearing surface coaxial with the axis of rotation of the shaft, the bearing including a bearing member having a complementarily-shaped surface spaced by a fluid gap from the surface of the shaft means to supply pressure fluid to the bearing, first hydraulic means to apply pressure fluid to act on a first face of the bearing member to move it relative to the shaft in a direction to reduce the fluid gap, and second hydraulic means to apply pressure fluid to act on a second face of the bearing member to move it in a direction to increase the fluid gap.

Claim 3

An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the shaft has two frusto-conical bearing surfaces tapering in opposite directions, and there is a complementarily-shaped bearing surface by a fluid gap spaced from each bearing surface on the shaft, the complementarily-shaped bearing surfaces being provided on two separate bearing members.

Claim 4

An assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein said first and second hydraulic means are selectively controlled by valve means so that the bearing members are movable in one sense or the other to vary the fluid gap.

Claim 5

A rotatable assembly comprising a shaft supported for rotation in a fluid hydrostatic bearing, the shaft having a frusto-conical bearing surface coaxial with the axis of rotation of the shaft, the fluid hydrostatic bearing coacting with the surface on the shaft by being located in a complementarily-shaped surface of a bearing member, means to supply pressure fluid to the bearing, means to cause relative axial movement between the shaft and the bearing member to vary the fluid gap between the bearing surface of the shaft and the complementarily-shaped surface of the bearing member, said shaft including two frusto-conical bearing surfaces tapering away from each other, said complementarily-shaped bearing surfaces being provided on separate bearing members, said means to cause relative axial movement between the shaft and the bearing member comprising means to apply pressure fluid to act on a surface of each of the bearing members to move the bearing members relative to the shaft and towards each other to reduce the fluid gap in opposiTion to the axial component of the force on the bearing member produced by the pressure fluid in the fluid gap.

Claim 6

A rotatable assembly comprising a shaft supported for rotation in a fluid hydrostatic bearing, the shaft having a frusto-conical bearing surface coaxial with the axis of rotation of the shaft, the fluid hydrostatic bearing coacting with the surface on the shaft by being located in a complementarily-shaped surface of a bearing member, means to supply pressure fluid to the bearing, means to cause relative axial movement between the shaft and the bearing member to vary the fluid gap between the bearing surface of the shaft and the complementarily-shaped surface of the bearing member, said shaft including two frusto-conical bearing surfaces tapering away from each other, said complementarily-shaped bearing surfaces being provided on separate bearing members, said means to cause relative axial movement between the shaft and the bearing member comprising means to apply pressure fluid to act on a surface of each of the bearing members to move the bearing members relative to the shaft and towards each other to reduce the fluid gap in opposiTion to the axial component of the force on the bearing member produced by the pressure fluid in the fluid gap.

Claim 7

An assembly as claimed in claim 4 and comprising further means to apply pressure fluid between the bearing members to move them apart to increase the fluid gaps, and valve means to apply pressure fluid to move the bearing members in one sense or the other.