# US 10,871,184 B2 · Journal bearing and rotary machine > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,871,184 B2 - Document ID: US10871184B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/167,827 - Filed: 2018-10-23 - Published: 2019-05-02 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2017-11-01 - Assignees: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Compressor Corporation - Applicants: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Compressor Corporation - Inventors: Takashi Oda - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10871184B2 ## CPC - F16C 17/03: with tiltably-supported segments, e.g. Michell bearings {(hydrostatic bearings with tiltably supported bearing pads F16C32/0666; made from a plurality of rods F16C33/26; with flexible leaves F16C17/024; hydrodynamic bearings with chambers F16C33/1075)} - F04D 1/06: Multi-stage pumps (F04D1/02, F04D13/10 take precedence) - F04D 17/12: Multi-stage pumps - F04D 29/023: {especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps} - F04D 29/026: {especially adapted for liquid pumps} - F04D 29/046: Bearings - F04D 29/047: hydrostatic; hydrodynamic - F04D 29/057: hydrostatic; hydrodynamic - F16C 17/02: for radial load only - F16C 17/26: Systems consisting of a plurality of sliding-contact bearings - F16C 33/08: Attachment of brasses, bushes or linings to the bearing housing - F16C 33/122: {Multilayer structures of sleeves, washers or liners} - F05B 2240/50: Bearings - F05D 2300/506: Hardness - F16C 2360/44: Centrifugal pumps - F16C: SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS - F04D: NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS (engine fuel-injection pumps F02M; ion pumps H01J41/12; electrodynamic pumps H02K44/02) - F05B: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G - F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS ## Abstract A journal bearing including a plurality of bearing pads having pad surfaces which configured to slidably come into contact with an outer circumferential surface of a rotating shaft and disposed at intervals, a key member provided a part of a pad rear surface which faces radially outward in the bearing pad, having a curved surface which is curved around an axis parallel to the central axis, configured to extend to have the same cross-sectional shape, and formed of a material having a hardness higher than that of a material forming the pad rear surface of the bearing pad, and a housing having a support surface in contact with a part of the curved surface of the key member in the circumferential direction and configured to support the key member and the bearing pad to be swingable from an outer side in a radial direction. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A journal bearing comprising: a plurality of bearing pads having pad surfaces configured to slidably come into contact with an outer circumferential surface of a rotating shaft and disposed at intervals in a circumferential direction around a central axis; a key member provided at a part of a pad rear surface which faces radially outward of the bearing pad, the key member having a curved surface which is curved around an axis parallel to the central axis, the key member being formed of a material having a hardness higher than that of a material forming the pad rear surface of the bearing pad; and a housing having a support surface, which is curved around the central axis, in line contact with a part of the curved surface of the key member in the circumferential direction in a direction of the central axis in which the central axis extends, the housing being configured to support the key member and the bearing pad to be swingable from an outer side in a radial direction of the key member and the bearing pad, wherein the key member has a rectangular shape extending in the direction of the central axis when viewed in the radial direction, the key member is fixed to the pad rear surface by performing punching at a plurality of portions of the key member on a boundary with the pad rear surface, a length of the key member in the direction of the central axis is shorter than a length of the bearing pad in the direction of the central axis, a curvature radius of the curved surface is less than a curvature radius of the support surface, the curved surface is formed continuously in the direction of the central axis with a same shape and the same curvature radius, and the curved surface is continuously formed with the same width between one portion and another portion, which is adjacent to the one portion in the direction of the central axis, of the plurality of portions. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The journal bearing according to claim 1, wherein the bearing pad has a key member mounting surface orthogonal to the radial direction, and the key member has a fixed surface which faces the key member mounting surface and is orthogonal to the radial direction. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The journal bearing according to claim 2, wherein only the curved surface configures to be in contact with the support surface of the housing when the key member and the bearing pad swing. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The journal bearing according to claim 3, further comprising a concave portion formed in the curved surface of the key member and recessed radially inward at an intermediate position of the curved surface in the circumferential direction, and a positioning member configured to protrude radially inward from the support surface and fixed to the key member in a state in which it is inserted into the concave portion. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The journal bearing according to claim 2, further comprising a concave portion formed in the curved surface of the key member and recessed radially inward at an intermediate position of the curved surface in the circumferential direction, and a positioning member configured to protrude radially inward from the support surface and fixed to the key member in a state in which it is inserted into the concave portion. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The journal bearing according to claim 1, wherein only the curved surface configures to be in contact with the support surface of the housing when the key member and the bearing pad swing. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The journal bearing according to claim 6, further comprising a concave portion formed in the curved surface of the key member and recessed radially inward at an intermediate position of the curved surface in the circumferential direction, and a positioning member configured to protrude radially inward from the support surface and fixed to the key member in a state in which it is inserted into the concave portion. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The journal bearing according to claim 1, further comprising a concave portion formed in the curved surface of the key member and recessed radially inward at an intermediate position of the curved surface in the circumferential direction, and a positioning member configured to protrude radially inward from the support surface and fixed to the key member in a state in which it is inserted into the concave portion. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The journal bearing according to claim 1, wherein the curved surface of the key member and the pad rear surface of the bearing pad have the same curvature radius in the circumferential direction. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The journal bearing according to claim 1, wherein the curved surface of the key member has a smaller curvature radius in the circumferential direction than the pad rear surface of the bearing pad. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A rotary machine comprising: a rotating shaft; and a journal bearing according to claim 1 which supports the rotating shaft.