Leybold Aktiengesellschaft

Guenter Schuetz

Volker Kinzig

Hans-Guenter Stueber

Joerg Schwartz

A vacuum pump includes a rotor and at least one bearing that is supplied with a lubricant and that is situated, during operation, in a negative-pressure environment. In order to extend the useful life of the bearing, it is proposed that the bearing is formed from a ceramic material.

Bearings for use in negative-pressure environments

A shaft (3) having a central channel (8) supplies shaft bearings (5, 6, 7) with oil. The central channel leads to an oil exit opening (9) situated in the region of a shaft bearing (2). In order to be able to supply the shaft bearing (2) with oil in metered fashion, a covering (14) is provided on the shaft bearing (5, 6, 7), with the covering (14) comprising a cylindrical section (11) that surrounds the shaft (3) in non-contacting fashion and covers the annular gap between the stationary bearing ring (7) and the rotating bearing ring (5). The cylindrical section (11) has an increased height (h) over a part of its circumference, and the oil exit opening is situated between the lower part (12') and the upper part (12') of the inwardly directed edge of the covering.

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Cologne, Germany

Guenter Schuetz