Orion Corporation

Other

General Electric Company

Thomas R Byrne

Blake Weldon Wilson

James H Ball

Richard J Keck

Chester C Averitt

Thomas H Stietz

Richard K Keck

Steve Hendricks

Gary G Wegner

A hydrodynamic bearing includes a housing defining a central axis, a pad slidable relative to the housing in a direction substantially parallel to the central axis, a cylinder defined in one of the housing and the pad, a lubricant port in fluid communication with the cylinder, and a piston at least partially positioned in the cylinder. The piston is movable within the cylinder between a retracted position and an extended position in response to a flow of lubricant through the lubricant port to vary an axial spacing between the pad and the housing.

Hydrodynamic bearing with adaptive displacement control

According to the invention, a lubrication element is located in a sleeve bearing and extends through the central annular surface that mates with a shaft. The lubrication element has a cool lubricating fluid aperture that leads to a cool fluid space defined by a base face that is generally tangential to the central surface and a downstream face that is generally normal to the central surface. The down stream face extends at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve bearing. The lubrication element also has an upstream face that discharges hot lubricating fluid. The upstream face also extends at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the bearing. The upstream face directs hot fluid to a side of the sleeve bearing.

Sleeve bearing lubrication

A tilting pad bearing for a rotatable surface includes a plurality of circumferentially-arranged tilting pads, each of the tilting pads having a working surface and a trailing surface. A lubrication device for lubricating fluid is detachably affixed to the tilt pad leading surface or is formed integral with the tilting pad. The lubrication device has a fluid conduit and a cavity that provide the cool lubricating fluid to those portions of the rotating collar which need the most cooling. The conduit has a ninety degree turn so that the cooling fluid has a velocity vector normal to the boundary layer of the hot carryover fluid. The outlet of the conduit is positioned, and the cavity is designed, to provide the greatest amount of cooling fluid where the rotating surface is the hottest. The lubrication device also has a wiper to wipe hot carryover fluid off of the rotating surface. The amount of lubricating fluid and bearing power losses are substantially reduced. In the thrust embodiment, the bearing has a smaller axial height because loads imposed by the rotating surface are borne by the bearing elements, not by the bearing retainer. A hydraulically actuated feed piston closes the gap between the pad and retainer to convey lubricating fluid to the pad working surface. Equalizing link contact stresses are reduced by using conformal cylindrical surfaces and line versus point contact.

Tilt pad hydrodynamic bearing for rotating machinery

A tilting pad bearing for a rotatable surface includes a plurality of circumferentially-arranged tilting pads, each of the tilting pads having a working surface, a leading surface and a trailing surface. A lubrication device for lubricating fluid is detachably affixed to the tilt pad leading surface. The lubrication device may have an integrally-formed lubricant flow director with a radial or herringbone shape. The lubrication device has a pair of spaced ridges extending from the base of the device, the ridges being disposed at less than 180.degree. to each other. The ridges may also be parallel to the adjacent pad trailing surface. The ridges have wiper surfaces that wipe hot carryover lubricating fluid from the rotating surface. The hot lubricating fluid is directed by the ridges into an exit annulus or outlet apertures on opposite sides of the lubrication device.

The tilt pad journal bearing assembly includes a conduit within the bearing housing for supplying lubricant hydrostatically to each tilt bearing pad. The conduit includes a flexible segment coupled at respective opposite ends to the tilt pad and to a quick connect/disconnect coupling extending through an aperture in the side wall of the bearing housing. A supply line is coupled to each supply conduit adjacent the side wall by the quick connect/disconnect coupling. The flexible segment within the bearing housing accommodates the rocking motion of the tilt pad and the design and routing of the external supply line is therefore not dependent on any requirements of the bearing assembly. To service the bearing assembly, a set screw is unscrewed, permitting a portion of a coupler, together with a bushing to be withdrawn through the aperture into the interior of the housing for withdrawal with the tilt pad as a discrete sub-assembly.

Tilt pad journal bearing assembly with self-contained hydrostatic lift

The bearing pedestal for the rotating shaft 12 includes journal and axial thrust bearings 16 and 26, respectively. Both of the journal and thrust bearings have passages 70 and 80, respectively, and recesses 74 and 82 in the respective pad faces for flowing high pressure lubricant between the pads and the shaft to displace the shaft and pads relative to one another to minimize the required breakaway torque and metal-to-metal contact. Each thrust bearing includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced pads 26 and lubricant directors 30 between the pads. The lubricant director includes a rib 34 extending generally tangentially and radially outwardly to channel lubricant from a preceding pad to a succeeding pad in the direction of shaft rotation and to channel the lubricant for flow tangentially from the thrust bearing into an annular cavity 39 for return to sump 42. An end seal assembly 40 includes an element 44 having internal and external labyrinth seals 54 and 55 straddling an annular groove 50 opening onto the shaft. An annular recess 48 is provided along the inner surface of element 44 to receive lubricant splashed from the tangential flow and direct it into the cavity. Drain back openings 56 and 59 flow lubricant from the labyrinth seals into the cavity 39.

Combination package tilt pad journal bearing/dual self equalizing thrust

A concave shaped rigid member whose principle axis lies in the horizontal plane and is mounted on a post lying in a vertical plane, said concaved member adaptable for holding refuse bags or the like, at a height which is adjustable to provide insusceptibility for encroachment from animals, and said concaved member being provided with a means of rotation and drainage.

Revolving refuse holder

A disposable liner for a rigid chest for containing food, ice, water, or the like, made of flexible impermeable material and provided with a means of attachment to the inner walls of the chest, said liner containing any number of water impermeable walls providing separation of contents and cleanliness, and said liner being provided with a means of closure to insure a more sanitary disposal after use.

Growing community of inventors

Port Washington, WI, United States of America

Thomas R Byrne