Hydrodynamic bearing
US5067528A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 21, 1989 |
| Grant date | Nov 26, 1991 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 21, 2009 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF16C17/10
- WIPO fieldMechanical elements
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
The filling of a rotatable shaft/thrust plate combination is disposed within a sleeve to form a first clearance space between the shaft and the sleeve and a second clearance space between the thrust plate and the sleeve. The external faces of the thrust plate are exposed to air. The clearance spaces are filled with a liquid lubricant and the sleeve includes pressure equalization ports connecting the first and second clearance spaces. Surface tension dynamic seals are provided between axially extending surfaces of the thrust plate and sleeve. The equalization ports balance the hydrodynamic pressures in the lubricant to prevent the lubricant being pumped through one of the dynamic seals. The resulting bearing provides high precision with low repetitive and nonrepetitive runouts. The bearing provides hydrodynamic support of both radial and axial loads and the bearing seal is relatively insensitive to orientation of the spindle and minimizes the generation of debris and contaminating particles.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.