US3687506A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Fluid pad bearing
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1971-03-08
•
Granted: 1972-08-29
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Expires: 1991-03-08
Abstract
Abstract A fluid pad bearing member has a housing, at least three pad elements disposed in a circumferential assembly with external radial clearance in the housing, each pad element having an internal bearing surface adapted to coact with a cylindrical journal to define a bearing volume, and each pad element being pivotable as a two-arm lever about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the bearing. The assembly of pad elements includes a plurality of circumferentially-spaced fluid intake slots each opening at their inner end into the bearing volume, said slots having a greater cross-sectional dimension in axial direction and a lesser cross-sectional dimension in the circumferential direction, and means are provided for resiliently loading the pad elements inwardly with respect to the housing.
Inventors
- 👤 Colin William Dee
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 00:20
CPC Classifications
F; F16; F16C; F16C32/00; F16C32/06; F16C32/0662; F16C32/0666; F16C17/00; F16C17/02; F16C17/03; F16C27/00; F16C27/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
148 words
A fluid pad bearing member comprising a housing, at least three pad elements disposed in a circumferential assembly with external radial clearance in said housing and each having an internal bearing surface adapted to coact with a cylindrical journal to define a bearing volume, each pad element being pivotable as a two-arm lever about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the bearing, said assembly of pad elements including a plurality of circumferentially-spaced fluid intake slots each opening at their inner end into the bearing volume, said slots having a greater cross-sectional dimension in the axial direction and a lesser cross-sectional dimension in the circumferential direction, and resiliently compressible material in closed loop formation disposed about the assembly of pad elements and under compression between the pad elements and the housing so as to load the pad elements resiliently inwardly with respect to the housing.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
148 words
A fluid pad bearing member comprising a housing, at least three pad elements disposed in a circumferential assembly with external radial clearance in said housing and each having an internal bearing surface adapted to coact with a cylindrical journal to define a bearing volume, each pad element being pivotable as a two-arm lever about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the bearing, said assembly of pad elements including a plurality of circumferentially-spaced fluid intake slots each opening at their inner end into the bearing volume, said slots having a greater cross-sectional dimension in the axial direction and a lesser cross-sectional dimension in the circumferential direction, and resiliently compressible material in closed loop formation disposed about the assembly of pad elements and under compression between the pad elements and the housing so as to load the pad elements resiliently inwardly with respect to the housing.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
60 words
A fluid pad bearing member, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the resiliently compressible material is arranged as two axially spaced loops which serve, with the internal surface of the housing and the external surface of the elements of the pad assembly, to define a fluid feed channel communicating with the outer end of all of the fluid feed slots.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
A fluid pad bearing member, as claimed in claim 2, wherein the outer surface of the pad elements is provided with a respective outwardly facing recess of U-section for the seating of each loop.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
33 words
A fluid pad bearing member, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the median longitudinal plane of each slot is a tangent to a circle coaxial with the axis of rotation of the bearing.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
77 words
A fluid pad bearing member, as claimed in claim 1, wherein each pad element has an upstream lever arm and a downstream lever arm, considered in the direction of relative rotation of the bearing surface of the journal member, and wherein each such slot is formed within the body of a pad element and passes through the upstream lever arm of that element for feeding fluid to a position beneath the bearing surface of that lever arm.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
29 words
A fluid pad bearing member, as claimed in claim 5, wherein the pad elements abut in fluid-tight manner at their adjacent ends so as to form a non-gapped assembly.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
95 words
A fluid pad bearing member, as claimed in claim 1, wherein each pad element has an upstream lever arm and a downstream lever arm, considered in the direction of relative rotation of the bearing surface of the journal member, the pad elements each being formed at each end with mating surfaces such that neighboring pad elements abut against each other by axially-spaced lands defining a fluid intake slot between them, said mating surfaces being shaped such that they remain in abutment under resilient inward loading through the range of pivoting Movement of the pad elements.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
24 words
A fluid pad bearing member, as claimed in claim 5, wherein the upstream lever arm of each pad element includes a Rayleigh step formation.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
39 words
A fluid pad bearing member, as claimed in claim 1, wherein each pad element includes on its radially external surface a projection disposed intermediate its ends to serve as a fulcrum for the pivoting movement of the pad element.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
19 words
A fluid pad bearing member, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pad elements are made of silicon nitride.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US1595744A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-08-29 | 1976-02-28 | 1976-08-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-08-29 | 1980-02-28 | 1980-08-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-08-29 | 1984-02-28 | 1984-08-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |