Rockwell International Corporation

Robert F Sutton

Robert F Beatty

Joseph K Scharrer

Ko-Wei Lang

Ramin Tabibzadeh

Kathleen E Kirkham

This invention is for a pump having a series of chambers in a stack wherein electrodeformable material is used to deform a diaphragm to change the volume in the chambers. The architecture of the pump features stacks of chambers having a common diaphragm between adjacent chambers such that when a diaphragm is deformed to increase the volume in one chamber it simultaneously decreases the volume in the adjoining chamber. In one embodiment the stacks of chambers can be combined with other stacks to increase the head pressure in stages. In a second embodiment the stages can be in the same stack.

Positive displacement micropump

A bearing is mounted for rotation on a shaft, the bearing having a projected area in both the axial and radial directions. A fixed bearing support housing is mounted adjacent to and spaced from the bearing and forms an annular space for a fluid flow path extending both radially and axially around the bearing to provide a hydrostatic film barrier which centers the shaft during steady state operation. A plurality of reversing fluid jets in the bearing support housing communicate with such annular space. A pair of non-rotating split rings are located forward and aft of the bearing, the split rings each having a taper angle on its inner circumferential surface. A garter spring is mounted in a recess in the outer circumference of each ring and forces the outer edge of the tapered surface into contact with a hardened surface area on the shaft or on a sleeve mounted on the shaft, to support and center the shaft in the transient state and during start-up and shut-down operations. Annular passsages communicate with the annular space around the bearing and with the space formed by the taper angle of the split rings so that when high pressure fluid flows into contact with the taper angle on the split rings, the split rings are forced out of contact with the shaft and permit rotation thereof.

Hydrostatic bearing for axial/radial support

A turbopump assembly 10 including a pump section 12 and a turbine section 14 is provided with forward and aft shaft centerline containment assemblies 20,84 in combination with radial hydrostatic bearings 28,72, and seals 26 to support transient loads and center the shaft 22 within the housing at startup and shutdown.

Rotor transient positioning assembly

A method of inhibiting stress corrosion cracking of a bearing 10 of the type installed on a shaft with an interference fit. The surface of the inner ring 16 is shot peened at least at and near the junctures 28,30 of the endwalls 22,24 with cylindrical inner surface 26. The shot peening is performed with sufficient intensity to produce residual compressive stress which offsets at least a portion of the tensile stress resulting from the installation interference fit. The shot peened surface is then coated with a thin metallic material. Finally, the inner bearing ring 16 is baked to remove hydrogen resulting from the coating.

Growing community of inventors

Newbury Park, CA, United States of America

Robert F Sutton