Ebara Corporation

Ebara Research Co., Ltd.

Shotaro Mizobuchi

Katsumi Sasaki

YOshikazu Kimura

Kazuyuki Kasahara

Yoshikazu Kimura

Toshiya Kanamori

Shikuo Koide

Kazuhiro Ogawara

Katsutoshi Chiba

Katusmi Sasaki

Seiichi Tsuji

A thrust bearing having a spiral element and a flat element is provided wherein bothy elements are arranged so as to be rotatable relative to each other and the spiral element is made of ceramic having a pattern of spiral grooves on the surface thereof opposing the flat element. The spiral grooves are formed by a shot-blasting process applied through a resin mask having a spiral pattern, the depth of the grooves being kept within the range between 3 .mu.m and 50 .mu.m.

Thrust bearing with spiral grooved face

An electrically powered apparatus is disclosed in which an axial end surface of a rotor and an axis end surface of a stator are arranged to be sliding surfaces for effecting relative sliding motion therebetween, one of the sliding surfaces being provided with grooves adapted to generate fluid dynamic pressure upon relative rotation of said surfaces.

Electrically powered apparatus

A pump including an impeller having a magnet or a second conductor therein, the impeller being adapted to be directly rotated by virtue of magnetic fields of stator coils. The impeller is rotated within a casing in close proximity thereto via ceramic bearing members, one bearing member having spiral grooves on its slide surface. The ceramic bearing members constitute a dynamic pressure bearing means.

Pump with shaftless impeller

A thrust bearing contructed to comprise a pair of disc elements one of which is arranged to rotate and the other of which is kept stationary, the surface of the rotating side opposing the stationary element being provided with a pattern of spiral grooves which are non-reflective while the remaining lands of the pattern are reflective so that a pulsed light beam is reflected from the pattern when a light beam is directed onto the rotating pattern through a hole provided in the stationary element, the reflected light pulses being utilized for determining the rotational speed of the element under rotation.

Bearing associated with means for determining rotational speed

Magnet coupling through isolating plate

A thrust bearing adapted to be rotated reversibly in the normal and opposite directions comprises two flat disc elements disposed in face-to-face contact, one of the elements being provided with spiral grooves on its opposite side surfaces, one of which is reverse to the other with respect to the spiral directions, both elements having a dent formed centrally on their opposing surfaces, respectively, to form a small space in combination in which a core member of sphere is installed with a small clearance between the surfaces of the small space and the core member.

Thrust bearing

A novel combination of sliding members operable both under dry (without lubrication) and wet (with lubrication) states, which comprises a first member made of a ceramic and a second member made of hard metal containing at least 75% by weight cemented carbide. This combination is useful as a bearing means in a pump of a vertical or inclined shaft type so as to permit actuation of the motor in the dry state and thereafter to continue operation of the pump with lubrication being provided by part of the liquid being pumped. In certain aspects, the ceramic member may be divided into a plurality of segments.

Combination of slide members

A novel thrust bearing is provided in which a spiral element having a disc shape is loosely interposed between a pair of flat elements one of which is rotatable and the other of which is stationary, the spiral element having a spiral groove pattern on each of the opposite surfaces of the disc with the patterns on the respective surfaces reverse in relation to each other in their spiral direction.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Shotaro Mizobuchi