Fluid lubricated bearing assembly

Patent · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1976

OSTI ID:862561

Boorse, Henry A ^[1]; Boeker, Gilbert F ^[2]; Menke, John R ^[2]

---

1. Leonia, NJ
2. New York, NY

1. A support for a loaded rotatable shaft comprising in combination on a housing having a fluid-tight cavity encasing an end portion of said shaft, a thrust bearing near the open end of said cavity for supporting the axial thrust of said shaft, said thrust bearing comprising a thrust plate mounted in said housing and a thrust collar mounted on said shaft, said thrust plate having a central opening the peripheral portion of which is hermetically sealed to said housing at the open end of said cavity, and means for supplying a fluid lubricant to said thrust bearing, said thrust bearing having a lubricant-conducting path connecting said lubricant supplying means with the space between said thrust plate and collar intermediate the peripheries thereof, the surfaces of said plate and collar being constructed and arranged to inhibit radial flow of lubricant and, on rotation of said thrust collar, to draw lubricant through said path between the bearing surfaces and to increase the pressure therebetween and in said cavity and thereby exert a supporting force on said end portion of said shaft.

• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States Energy (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 3960468
• OSTI ID: 862561
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/417/415/
arranged
assembly
axial
axial thrust
bearing
bearing assembly
bearing comprising
bearing surface
bearing surfaces
cavity
central
collar
combination
comprising
connecting
constructed
draw
encasing
exert
flow
fluid
fluid lubricated
fluid-tight
force
hermetically
hermetically seal
hermetically sealed
housing
increase
inhibit
intermediate
loaded
lubricant
lubricant-conducting
lubricated
lubricated bearing
means
mounted
near
path
peripheral
peripheral portion
peripheries
plate
plate mounted
portion
pressure
radial
radial flow
rotatable
rotatable shaft
rotation
sealed
shaft
space
supplying
support
supporting
surfaces
therebetween
thrust
thrust bearing
thrust collar
thrust plate