Rotary pump assembly

Claim 1

A rotary pump assembly comprising: a pump having a pump housing; a pump shaft disposed within said pump housing; a runner mounted concentrically on said pump shaft; a motor having a motor housing a shaft coaxially aligned with said pump shaft; an intermediate housing interconnected between said pump and motor housings, said pump shaft having an end facing said motor, the pump shaft end being formed as a hollow shaft fittingly mounted coaxially on said motor shaft and secured for rotation therewith to form a cantilever arrangement thereon; and bearing support means disposed in said intermediate housing and engaging said hollow shaft for supporting said pump shaft end for resisting only axial forces applied to said pump shaft, said bearing support means consisting solely of an axial bearing engaging and securing said pump shaft end axially in said intermediate housing, radial forces applied to said pump shaft being resisted by the motor shaft, said intermediate housing having a bore, said axial bearing being axially secured to said intermediate housing in said bore and axially fixed with respect to said hollow shaft at locations where said hollow shaft receives said motor shaft.