Woodward, Inc.

Arthur Pintauro

Charles Brennecke

John Karspeck

Taylor Ritchie

A bearing device for supporting a shaft to rotate relative to an outer hub includes: an annular outer race mountable within an interior bore of the hub, the outer race including an inwardly facing radial groove sized to receive a rounded bearing element; and an annular inner race mountable to an outwardly curved exterior surface of the shaft. The inner race includes an outwardly facing radial groove sized to receive the bearing element, the respective radial grooves of the inner and outer races together forming an annular raceway to retain the bearing element when the bearing device is assembled. The inner race further includes an axially convex surface along an innermost diameter of the inner race, the convex surface shaped to directly engage the exterior surface of the shaft when mounted thereto, such that the inner race remains in contact with the shaft while accommodating radial deflection of the shaft.

Radial bearing device

A coupling arrangement coupling and thermally isolating a continuously variable electrical actuator rotationally coupled to and from a butterfly valve is provided. The valve may be used to modulate high temperature exhaust gas flow through an engine turbocharger. The actuator provides a continuously variable control of the valve. The coupling arrangement provides a thermal block to reduce heat transfer and vibration insulation between the actuator and the valve. The coupling arrangement generally includes a coupling shaft rotationally coupled at opposite ends to the input and output shafts by torsion spring mechanisms. The torsion spring mechanisms include yokes rotationally locking the coupling shaft to the input and output shafts. The torsion spring mechanisms allow a limited range of axial and pivotal translation between the coupling shaft and the input and output shafts and are preloaded to prevent rotational hysteresis in the valve.

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Fort Collins, CO, United States of America

Arthur Pintauro