Seagate Technology Incorporated

Steve Parsoneault

Alan Lyndon Grantz

Hans L Leuthold

Mohamed Mizanur Rahman

David John Jennings

Roger Allen Addy

Samnathan Murthy

Lakshman Nagarathnam

Peter R Riegler

A hydrodynamic bearing useful as a bearing cartridge or as the cartridge may be incorporated into a spindle motor or the like, where the bearing includes a stationary shaft and two independent bearings, comprising a top cone and a bottom cone separated by a segment of the shaft. The bearing includes a sleeve rotating around and surrounding the shaft, and the top cone and bottom cone and defining a narrow gap between the sleeve and the shaft and cones. Sealing plates are supported on the sleeve to seal off the ends of the bearing and are located along the shaft beyond the cones. A gap also exists between an interior surface portion of each cone and the shaft. Thus, separate flow paths are established, one around the top cone and one around the bottom cone. By providing two independent paths, the flow rates do not have to be the same in each conical flow path for the bearing seals to function properly.

Simplified conical bearing with independent flow paths

Sinusoidal grooving pattern for grooved journal bearing

Growing community of inventors

Scotts Valley, CA, United States of America

Steve Parsoneault