Hermetic reciprocating compressor

Abstract

A hermetic reciprocating compressor, in which a bearing structure to support a rotating shaft is improved to minimize frictional contact between the parts of the compressor, thus reducing noise of the compressor and improving compression efficiency of the compressor. In the hermetic reciprocating compressor, a first annular bearing seat is formed around an upper edge of a shaft bore of a frame to seat therein a first radial bearing which sustains loads of a rotating shaft. The first radial bearing is a self-aligning radial bearing which allows the rotating shaft to self-align due to a clearance angle of the first radial bearing, even when a desired perpendicular arrangement of the shaft bore relative to a cylinder block is not formed, due to a mechanical tolerance of the frame. The first radial bearing sustains both axial loads of the rotating shaft and horizontal loads acting in the rotating shaft due to rectilinear reciprocation of a piston, thus reducing the losses caused by friction between the rotating shaft and the frame. In addition, since the rotating shaft self-aligns due to the first radial bearing, it is possible to reduce the losses caused by friction between a compression chamber and the piston and between the rotating shaft and the frame.