Aerodynamic slide bearing
First Claim
1. An aerodynamic slide bearing for a high speed shaft having an elastic and dampening structure nonrotatably mounted in an outer casing, which has at least one dampening chamber between the elastic and dampening structure and the outer casing, and wherein a plurality of converging lubrication pockets are provided between the elastic and dampening structure and the shaft, characterized by:
- said elastic and dampening structure is divided, in the circumferential direction of the slide bearing, into at least two separate substructures, said substructures having shaft supporting bearing surfaces with fixed contours creating said converging lubrication pockets, wherein said substructures are individually supported at their circumferentially opposite ends on said outer casing and a separate damping chamber is provided radially between each substructure and the interior of said outer casing, and wherein, in the unstressed condition of said slide bearing, the radial depth of said lubrication pocket is at its maximum and the radial depth of said dampening chamber is between 0.2 and 10 percent of the value of the diameter of the shaft supported by said slide bearing.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An aerodynamic slide bearing which uses air as a lubricant. A shaft is supported on substructures distributed about its circumference, which exhibit predetermined elasticity and dampening behavior. A dampening chamber is located between each substructure and an outer casing to give the aerodynamic slide bearing requisite dampening characteristics. Because of the modular design, the aerodynamic slide bearing is relatively insensitive to shifting of the shaft.
32 Citations
26 Claims
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1. An aerodynamic slide bearing for a high speed shaft having an elastic and dampening structure nonrotatably mounted in an outer casing, which has at least one dampening chamber between the elastic and dampening structure and the outer casing, and wherein a plurality of converging lubrication pockets are provided between the elastic and dampening structure and the shaft, characterized by:
- said elastic and dampening structure is divided, in the circumferential direction of the slide bearing, into at least two separate substructures, said substructures having shaft supporting bearing surfaces with fixed contours creating said converging lubrication pockets, wherein said substructures are individually supported at their circumferentially opposite ends on said outer casing and a separate damping chamber is provided radially between each substructure and the interior of said outer casing, and wherein, in the unstressed condition of said slide bearing, the radial depth of said lubrication pocket is at its maximum and the radial depth of said dampening chamber is between 0.2 and 10 percent of the value of the diameter of the shaft supported by said slide bearing.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An aerodynamic slide bearing for a high speed shaft having an elastic and dampening structure nonrotatably mounted in an outer casing, which has at least one dampening chamber between the elastic and dampening structure and the outer casing, and wherein a plurality of converging lubrication pockets are provided between the elastic and dampening structure and the shaft, characterized by:
- said elastic and dampening structure is divided, in the circumferential direction of the slide bearing, into at least two separate substructures, and said substructures having shaft supporting bearing surfaces with fixed contours creating said converging lubrication pockets, each substructure including a pair of radially inner and outer components in generally juxtaposed relation to one another, said inner component confronting said shaft and said outer component confronting said outer casing, said inner component being rigid and said outer component being a resilient spring, said inner component being in radial thrust transmitting engagement with said outer component and the circumferentially opposite ends of said outer component being supported on said outer casing, said outer component being radially spaced from said outer casing intermediate its circumferentially opposite ends to form said dampening chamber therewith and abutments on the inside of said outer casing supporting and circumferentially positioning said components on the inside of said outer casing.
- View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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21. An aerodynamic slide bearing for a high speed shaft having an elastic and dampening structure nonrotatably mounted in an outer casing, which has at least one dampening chamber between the elastic and dampening structure and the outer casing, and therein a plurality of converging lubrication pockets are provided between the elastic and dampening structure and the shaft, characterized by:
- said elastic and dampening structure is divided, in the circumferential direction of the slide bearing, into at least two separate substructures, and said substructures having shaft supporting bearing surfaces with fixed contours creating said converging lubricating pockets, each substructure including a pair of radially inner and outer components in generally juxtaposed relation to one another, said inner component being rigid and said outer conponent being a resilient spring, said inner component being a segment of a hollow cylinder having a cylindrical shaft supporting bearing surface which is in confronting relation to said shaft and which has a radius greater than the radius of said shaft, said outer component being a segment of a hollow cylinder whose inner radius is greater than the radius of said shaft and whose radially outer surface has a radius greater than the radius of the inside of said outer casing which it confronts.
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22. The aerodynamic slide bearing of claim 22 wherein each of said inner components is a segment of a hollow cylinder whose outer radius is less than the inner radius of said outer component.
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23. An aerodynamic slide bearing for a high speed shaft having an elastic and dampening structure nonrotatably mounted in an outer casing, which has at least one dampening chamber between the elastic and dampening structure and interior wall surface of the outer casing, and wherein a plurality of converging lubrication pockets are provided between the elastic and dampening structure and the bearing supported portion of said shaft, characterized by:
- said elastic and dampening structure is divided, in the circumferential direction of the slide bearing, into at least two separate substructures, and said substructures having shaft supporting bearing surfaces with fixed contours creating said converging lubrication pockets, circumferentially confronting surfaces at the adjacent ends of said substructures and an abutment disposed on said casing radially outward of said bearing supported portion of said shaft and extending radially inward of said interior wall surface between and in circumferential thrust transmitting relation to said circumferentially confronting surfaces, whereby said abutment prevents said substructure from rotating relative to said casing about the axis of said shaft.
- View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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26. An aerodynamic slide bearing for a high speed shaft having an elastic and dampening structure nonrotatably mounted in the cylindrical interior of an outer casing, which has at least one dampening chamber between the elastic and dampening structure and the outer casing, and wherein a plurality of converging lubrication pockets are provided between the elastic and dampening structure and the shaft, characterized by:
- said elastic and dampening structure is divided, in the circumferential direction of the slide bearing, into at least two separate substructures, said substructures having shaft supporting bearing surfaces with fixed contours creating said converging lubrication pockets, each substructure including a pair of radially inner and outer components comprising arcuate segments of hollow cylinders, in juxtaposed relation to one another, said inner component presenting one of said shaft supporting bearing surfaces whose radius is greater than the radius of said shaft, said outer component being a resilient spring having an outer radius greater than the radius of said interior of said outer casing whereby its circumferentially opposite ends are supported on said cylindrical interior of said outer casing and having an inner radius greater than the outer radius of said inner component.
Specification