Bearing
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsJoshua Tyler Mook, Bugra Han Ertas, Jason Joseph Bellardi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A bearing includes a bearing pad for supporting a rotary component and a housing attached to or formed integrally with the bearing pad. The housing includes a flexible column extending towards the bearing pad for providing the bearing pad with an airflow. The column supports the bearing pad from a location inward of an outer periphery of the bearing pad along an axial direction of the bearing. With such a configuration, a resistance of the bearing pad along a radial direction of the bearing is less at the outer periphery than a resistance of the bearing pad along the radial direction proximate the column.
Claims20
A bearing defining an axial direction and a radial direction, the bearing comprising:
- a bearing pad for supporting a rotary component and defining an outer periphery,
- a housing attached to or formed integrally with the bearing pad, the housing comprising a column extending towards the bearing pad for providing the bearing pad with an airflow, the column supporting the bearing pad from a location inward of the outer periphery of the bearing pad along the axial direction;
- wherein the column fully supports the bearing pad.
A bearing defining an axial direction and a radial direction, the bearing comprising:
- a bearing pad for supporting a rotary component and defining an outer periphery,
- a housing attached to or formed integrally with the bearing pad, the housing comprising a column extending towards the bearing pad for providing the bearing pad with an airflow, the column supporting the bearing pad from a location inward of the outer periphery of the bearing pad along the axial direction, wherein the column fully supports the bearing pad, and wherein the bearing pad comprises plurality of gas distribution holes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.