Long tube bender element squeeze bearing

Claim 1

A tubular form of pneumatodynamic bearing including a pair of elements having juxtaposed bearing surfaces wherein said bearing employs resonant flexural oscillation of at least one of said surfaces relative to the other thereof to produce pneumatic pressure within the bearing to separate said bearing surfaces pneumatically with one of said surfaces floating upon said air under pressure, with said bearing elements including tubularly-shaped means for transducing comprising a pair of nested tubular members with one nested inside the other thereof, with at least a segment of said one nested tubular members being in intimate mechanical contact with at least a segment of said other nested tubular member, with one of said nested tubular members being electrostrictive and providing resonant flexural oscillation of said nested tubular members, said nested members being in a supporting relationship with another tubular member which includes one of said bearing surfaces comprising, said bearing having a predetermined length with a given one of said nested tubular members of said means for transducing being substantially shorter than the length of the other of said tubular members and of said bearing, whereby the weight of said bearing is substantially lower than it would be if said given one of said tubular members were continuous, while the tilting of said bearing surfaces relative to each other is minimized.