Journal support bearings for rotating shafts

Claim 2

Journal support bearings for a rotating shaft having a spherical surface part comprising a stationary housing and one or more hydro-statically balanced slippers located in said stationary housing in relative radial movable contact therewith, each of said slippers having a part spherical surface adapted to bear on said part spherical surface formed on said shaft, said part spherical surface of each slipper having a narrow sealing land around the periphery of said surface defined by a recess formed in its surface so that said land bears on said part spherical surface formed on said shaft, the zone within said narrow sealing land being fed by fluid under pressure.

Claim 3

The journal support bearings as claimed in claim 12 including a pressure control means to regulate pressure against said slipper.

Claim 4

Journal support bearings for rotating shafts having a part spherical surface, comprising one or more hydro-statically balanced slippers located in a stationary housing, wherein each slipper has a part spherical surface, adapted to bear on the part spherical surface formed on a shaft about its axis of rotation, said part spherical surface of each slipper having a recess formed in its surface to define a narrow sealing land around the periphery of the said surface to bear on the said part spherical surface formed on the shaft, the zone within said narrow sealing land of each slipper being fed by fluid under pressure, the end of the slipper, remote from the end having the said part spherical surface, being formed as a sealed piston within a cylinder in the said housing, the cylinder area being substantially equal to the effective area of the said sealing land at the said spherical surface, so that sealing contact is made at the sealing land with negligible leakage or metal contact loadings.

Claim 5

Journal support bearings for rotating shafts having a part spherical surface, comprising one or more hydro-statically balanced slippers located in a stationary housing, wherein each slipper has a part spherical surface, adapted to bear on the part spherical surface formed on a shaft about its axis of rotation, said part spherical surface of each slipper having a recess formed in its surface to define a narrow sealing land around the periphery of the said surface to bear on the said part spherical surface formed on the shaft, the zone within said narrow sealing land of each slipper being fed by fluid under pressure, the end of the slipper, remote from the end having the said part spherical surface, being formed as a sealed piston within a cylinder in the said housing, the cylinder area being substantially equal to the effective area of the said sealing land at the said spherical surface, so that sealing contact is made at the sealing land with negligible leakage or metal contact loadings.

Claim 6

Journal support bearings as claimed in claim 3, wherein a push rod, connected to a valve or formed as a valve, is operated by radial movement of the slipper, so that a radially outwards movement cause the pressure to increase and a radially inwards movement causes the pressure to decrease, thereby regulating the pressure at the slipper to hydro-statically balance the journal loadings.

Claim 7

Journal support bearings as claimed in claim 4 wherein an uneven number of said slippers is employed, the center slipper having a fixed abutment and a control valve to regulate pressure while said other slippers are interconnected with said center slipper for pressure regulation.