Gas-lubricated Shaft and Bearing Assembly

1,192,354. Bearings. NATIONAL RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT CORP. 13 Sept., 1967 [14 June, 1966], No. 26503/66. Heading F2A. A gas-lubricated bearing for a rotatable shaft 1 has at least one member 2 pivotally attached to a housing 4 by resilient plate-like members 5 and loaded by springs 11, anti-clockwise rotation of the shaft causing the or each member 2 to tilt, as shown. It is indicated that the bearing suppresses whirling of the shaft at a critical speed or when subjected to shock loading. The members 5 may be made of berylliumcopper alloy and are fixed to the housing by e.g. solder. Screw-threaded plugs 12 facilitate adjustment of the loads produced by the springs. Damping may be effected by a block of elastomeric material (not shown) between the or each member 2 and the spring. The spring, or springs, may be omitted. When a single member 2 is provided it is located beneath the shaft, which is horizontal, and subtends an angle of less than 180 degrees. In a second embodiment, Fig. 2 (not shown), the members 5 are replaced by a pair of mutually-perpendicular outwardlyconverging members (14); and in a third embodiment, Figs. 3 and 4 (not shown), said members are replaced by a single generally U- shaped resilient-member (21, 22) having slots 25s) therein to relieve heat-stresses. A gap 10 between the or each member 5 may be charged with gas (so as to obviate metal-to-metal contact) when the shaft is either stationary or rotating slowly by way of a member 36, Fig. 5, and a bore 32 sealed by a ring 37, which is rendered resilient to prevent hindrance of the pivotal movement of the member 5.