Foil bearing surfaces and method of making same

Claim 1

A method of supporting relative movement between two members, one of which being supportive of the other, comprising the steps of: positioning a plurality of compliant, overlapping foils between the two members, the positioned foils each having an essentially smooth rubbing contact surface facing one of the members; coating the rubbing contact surfaces of said foils with a dry lubricant coating; and providing a multiplicity of dry lubricant reservoirs beneath the surfaces of the dry lubricant coatings, each of said reservoirs being circumscribed by a portion of one of the essentially smooth rubbing contact surfaces.

Claim 2

A method of supporting relative movement between two members, one of which being supportive of the other, comprising the steps of: positioning a plurality of compliant, overlapping foils between the two members, the positioned foils each having an essentially smooth rubbing contact surface facing one of the members; coating the rubbing contact surfaces of said foils with a dry lubricant coating; and providing a multiplicity of dry lubricant reservoirs beneath the surfaces of the dry lubricant coatings, each of said reservoirs being circumscribed by a portion of one of the essentially smooth rubbing contact surfaces.

Claim 6

A method of forming a compliant foil for a fluid bearing system comprising the steps of: photochemically etching a multiplicity of mutually spaced recesses in at least one essentially smooth rubbing contact surface of a compliant metallic foil in a manner leaving the portions of the rubbing contact surface positioned between said recesses essentially smooth; and simultaneously filling the multiplicity of recesses and coating the surface of the foil with a dry lubricant.

Claim 7

A method of forming a compliant foil for a fluid bearing system comprising the steps of: photochemically etching a multiplicity of mutually spaced recesses in at least one essentially smooth rubbing contact surface of a compliant metallic foil in a manner leaving the portions of the rubbing contact surface positioned between said recesses essentially smooth; and simultaneously filling the multiplicity of recesses and coating the surface of the foil with a dry lubricant.

Claim 12

A method of forming a compliant foil for using a fluid bearing system comprising the steps of: photochemically etching a multiplicity of holes through the compliant metallic foil; and simultaneously filling the multiplicity of photochemically etched through holes and coating both surfaces of the foil with a dry lubricant.

Claim 13

A method of forming a compliant foil for using a fluid bearing system comprising the steps of: photochemically etching a multiplicity of holes through the compliant metallic foil; and simultaneously filling the multiplicity of photochemically etched through holes and coating both surfaces of the foil with a dry lubricant.

Claim 18

A method of forming a compliant foil for a fluid bearing system comprising the steps of: photochemically etching a multiplicity of recesses over a first portion of the compliant metallic foil and a multiplicity of through holes over a second portion of the compliant foil; and simultaneously filling the multiplicity of recesses and through holes and coating the surfaces of the foil with a dry lubricant.

Claim 19

A method of forming a compliant foil for a fluid bearing system comprising the steps of: photochemically etching a multiplicity of recesses over a first portion of the compliant metallic foil and a multiplicity of through holes over a second portion of the compliant foil; and simultaneously filling the multiplicity of recesses and through holes and coating the surfaces of the foil with a dry lubricant.

Claim 21

A method of constructing a coated foil member for use in a fluid bearing, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a compliant foil member having an essentially smooth rubbing contact surface; (b) forming in said foil member a multiplicity of reservoir cavities, each of said cavities extending inwardly through said rubbing contact surface and being circumscribed by a portion thereof; and (c) forming on said rubbing contact surface a dry lubricant coating which extends across and fills said reservoir cavities.

Claim 22

A method of constructing a coated foil member for use in a fluid bearing, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a compliant foil member having an essentially smooth rubbing contact surface; (b) forming in said foil member a multiplicity of reservoir cavities, each of said cavities extending inwardly through said rubbing contact surface and being circumscribed by a portion thereof; and (c) forming on said rubbing contact surface a dry lubricant coating which extends across and fills said reservoir cavities.

Claim 27

A method of constructing a coating foil member adapted to be positioned between a duality of relatively movable elements of a fluid bearing for intermittent rubbing engagement with one of the elements during bearing operation, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a compliant foil member having an essentially smooth rubbing contact surface; (b) coating said rubbing contact surface with a single thin layer of dry lubricant; and (c) forming in said foil member a multiplicity of mutually spaced dry lubricant reservoirs disposed beneath said essentially smooth rubbing contact surface and communicating with said single layer of dry lubricant thereon, said reservoirs being relatively positioned to automatically replenish surface lubricant rubber away from said rubbing contact surface during bearing operation.

Claim 28

A method of constructing a coating foil member adapted to be positioned between a duality of relatively movable elements of a fluid bearing for intermittent rubbing engagement with one of the elements during bearing operation, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a compliant foil member having an essentially smooth rubbing contact surface; (b) coating said rubbing contact surface with a single thin layer of dry lubricant; and (c) forming in said foil member a multiplicity of mutually spaced dry lubricant reservoirs disposed beneath said essentially smooth rubbing contact surface and communicating with said single layer of dry lubricant thereon, said reservoirs being relatively positioned to automatically replenish surface lubricant rubber away from said rubbing contact surface during bearing operation.

Claim 30

A method of forming a self-replenishing protective lubricant coating on an essentially smooth side surface of a compliant fluid bearing foil without appreciably altering the geometry or compliancy of the foil, said method comprising the steps of: (a) forming inwardly through the smooth side surface, in a predetermined mutually spaced arrangement thereon, a multiplicity of reservoir cavities; and (b) simultaneously filling said cavities with dry lubricant and forming on the side surface a dry lubricant coating which overlies the filled cavities and has a thickness substantially less than their depths.

Claim 31

A method of forming a self-replenishing protective lubricant coating on an essentially smooth side surface of a compliant fluid bearing foil without appreciably altering the geometry or compliancy of the foil, said method comprising the steps of: (a) forming inwardly through the smooth side surface, in a predetermined mutually spaced arrangement thereon, a multiplicity of reservoir cavities; and (b) simultaneously filling said cavities with dry lubricant and forming on the side surface a dry lubricant coating which overlies the filled cavities and has a thickness substantially less than their depths.

Claim 33

A method of forming a dry lubricant-coated compliant foil suitable for use in a high speed fluid foil bearing, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a compliant bearing foil member having an essentially smooth surface; (b) masking said surface in a manner leaving a multiplicity of mutually spaced portions thereof exposed; (c) etching the masked surface to thereby form in said foil member a mutually spaced multiplicity of recesses extending inwardly through said surface, each of said recesses having a roughened surface and being circumscribed by a still-essentially smooth portion of said surface; and (d) simultaneously filling said multiplicity of recesses and coating said surface with a dry lubricant material.

Claim 34

A method of forming a dry lubricant-coated compliant foil suitable for use in a high speed fluid foil bearing, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a compliant bearing foil member having an essentially smooth surface; (b) masking said surface in a manner leaving a multiplicity of mutually spaced portions thereof exposed; (c) etching the masked surface to thereby form in said foil member a mutually spaced multiplicity of recesses extending inwardly through said surface, each of said recesses having a roughened surface and being circumscribed by a still-essentially smooth portion of said surface; and (d) simultaneously filling said multiplicity of recesses and coating said surface with a dry lubricant material.

Claim 35

A method of constructing a fluid foil bearing, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a duality of bearing members; (b) arranging said bearing members for relative movement with respect to one another; (c) providing a thin compliant metallic foil member having an essentially smooth rubbing contact surface; (d) forming through said rubbing contact surface a multiplicity of mutually spaced recesses in a manner providing approximately 2000 to 4500 such recesses per square inch of rubbing contact surface; (e) simultaneously filling said recesses with a dry lubricant and applying to said rubbing contact surface a coating of such dry lubricant having a thickness of approximately 0.0003 inches; and (f) operatively positioning the coated foil between said duality of relatively movable bearing members.

Claim 36

A method of constructing a fluid foil bearing, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a duality of bearing members; (b) arranging said bearing members for relative movement with respect to one another; (c) providing a thin compliant metallic foil member having an essentially smooth rubbing contact surface; (d) forming through said rubbing contact surface a multiplicity of mutually spaced recesses in a manner providing approximately 2000 to 4500 such recesses per square inch of rubbing contact surface; (e) simultaneously filling said recesses with a dry lubricant and applying to said rubbing contact surface a coating of such dry lubricant having a thickness of approximately 0.0003 inches; and (f) operatively positioning the coated foil between said duality of relatively movable bearing members.