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US 10,948,009 B1Granted
Flex pad bearing pad configuration
AssigneeIngersoll-Rand Industrial U.S., Inc.
InventorsJames Lawrence Robb, Andrew J. Austin, Patrick Lynah
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hydrodynamic bearing in the form of a flex pad bearing includes configurations structured to change a bearing characteristic. One form of the bearing includes a nonlinear back wall that includes a circular arc and a transition, where the back wall extends radially outward of a ligament. The bearing can include an opening for the deposit of a weighted mass, wherein the opening can threadingly receive a threaded weighted mass. In one form a sidewall that includes the back wall segment can have an average outer radius which determines a thickness of the flex pads.
Claims20
An apparatus comprising:
- a flex pad bearing assembly structured to support radial loads through a plurality of flex pads integrally coupled with a flex pad bearing base, the flex pad bearing assembly constructed about a central axis of the flex pad bearing assembly, each of the flex pads including:
- a ligament integrally connected to a flex pad body, the ligament extending from the flex pad bearing base at a first end of the ligament to the flex pad body at a second end of the ligament, the flex pad body having a bearing contact surface forming an arc positioned at a first radius from the central axis of the flex pad bearing assembly, the flex pad body also including a first sidewall circumferentially offset from a second sidewall where the first and second sidewalls extend away from the bearing contact surface toward the second end of the ligament, the first and second sidewalls extending to a location between the bearing contact surface and the second end of the ligament and radially outward from the second end of the ligament.
An apparatus comprising:
- an integral flex pad bearing assembly having a plurality of flex pad bodies distributed around a central axis and connected to a flex pad bearing base circumferentially defined about the integral flex pad bearing assembly, the plurality of flex pad bodies connected to the flex pad bearing base through respective ligaments that extend between the flex pad bearing base and the plurality of flex pad bodies, each of the flex pad bodies having a circular arc bearing contact surface, a first sidewall circumferentially offset from a second sidewall, and a pair of nonlinear back walls that extend respectively from the first sidewall the second sidewall to a ligament associated with the respective flex pad body, wherein the flex pad bearing assembly includes a central passage defined by the bearing contact surfaces and having a passage diameter, wherein each flex pad body includes a thickness defined between the bearing contact surface and an average radial distance and the back segment from the central axis of the flex pad bearing assembly, and wherein a ratio of the thickness to the passage diameter of the flex pad bearing assembly is between 0.36 and 0.48.
A method comprising:
- providing a flex pad bearing stock article having an annular shape and made from a first metallic material, the annular shape including a passage having an inner diameter and also having an outer circumferential extent;
- cutting a flex pad body shape into the flex pad bearing stock article, the cutting including following a path radially outward from the inner diameter to a first location, and following a non-circular arcing path between the first location and a second location denoting a first end of a flex pad ligament, and following a path from the first end of the flex pad ligament to a termination point denoting a second end of the flex pad ligament, the cutting resulting in a flex pad body shape having a ratio of material thickness in the radial direction divided by the inner diameter of between 0.36 and 0.48;
- and
- drilling and tapping a hole into the flex pad bearing stock article before the cutting;
- wherein the cutting includes cutting a plurality of flex pad body shapes to form a plurality of flex pad bodies;
- and
- wherein the drilling and tapping includes drilling and tapping holes into the plurality of flex pad body shapes.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.