Foil bearing assembly including segmented inner foil assembly and compressor including same

A compressor comprising:

• a compressor housing;
• a driveshaft rotatably supported within the compressor housing;
• an impeller connected to the driveshaft and operable to impart kinetic energy to incoming refrigerant gas upon rotation of the driveshaft;
• a bearing housing mounted to the compressor housing and including a sleeve defining a cylindrical bore, wherein the sleeve includes at least one bearing assembly locking feature;
• a mounting structure projecting radially outward from the bearing housing to connect the compressor housing thereto;
• and
• a foil bearing assembly rotatably supporting the driveshaft and positioned within the cylindrical bore, the foil bearing assembly including:
• an outer foil assembly including an outer foil pad extending circumferentially from a first end including a bearing retention feature to a second end, the bearing retention feature cooperatively engaged with the at least one bearing assembly locking feature to maintain the foil bearing assembly within the bearing housing at a fixed rotational position;
• an inner foil assembly including a plurality of inner foil pads attached to the outer foil pad;
• and
• a bump foil assembly positioned directly between the outer foil pad and at least one of the plurality of inner foil pads, wherein the plurality of inner foil pads are spaced circumferentially about the foil bearing assembly, each inner foil pad extending circumferentially from a tab to a free end, and wherein at least one of the inner foil pads is welded to the outer foil assembly along the tab.

A bearing system comprising:

• a bearing housing including:
• a sleeve defining a cylindrical bore and including at least one bearing assembly locking feature;
• and
• a mounting structure for connecting the bearing system to a compressor housing;
• and
• a foil bearing assembly positioned within the cylindrical bore and including:
• an outer foil assembly including at least one outer foil pad extending circumferentially from a first end including a bearing retention feature to a second end, the bearing retention feature cooperatively engaged with the at least one bearing assembly locking feature to maintain the foil bearing assembly within the bearing housing at a fixed rotational position;
• an inner foil assembly;
• and
• a bump foil assembly positioned between the outer foil assembly and the inner foil assembly;
• wherein the inner foil assembly includes a plurality of inner foil pads spaced circumferentially about the foil bearing assembly, each inner foil pad extending circumferentially from a tab to a free end, wherein at least one of the inner foil pads is welded to the outer foil assembly along the tab, wherein the tab of at least one of the inner foil pads is positioned adjacent to the bearing retention feature of the at least one outer foil pad, and wherein the tab positioned adjacent to the bearing retention feature is detached from the at least one outer foil pad.

A bearing system comprising:

• a bearing housing including:
• a sleeve defining a cylindrical bore and including at least one bearing assembly locking feature;
• and
• a mounting structure for connecting the bearing system to a compressor housing;
• and
• a foil bearing assembly positioned within the cylindrical bore and including:
• an outer foil assembly including at least one outer foil pad extending circumferentially from a first end including a bearing retention feature to a second end, the bearing retention feature cooperatively engaged with the at least one bearing assembly locking feature to maintain the foil bearing assembly within the bearing housing at a fixed rotational position;
• an inner foil assembly including a plurality of inner foil pads supporting a driveshaft;
• and
• a bump foil assembly positioned directly between the at least one outer foil pad and at least one of the inner foil pads;
• wherein the plurality of inner foil pads are spaced circumferentially about the foil bearing assembly, each inner foil pad extending circumferentially from a tab to a free end, wherein at least one of the inner foil pads is welded to the outer foil assembly along the tab, and wherein the inner foil assembly is the radially innermost component of the foil bearing assembly, and
• wherein the plurality of inner foil pads includes a major inner foil pad defining a first circumferential arc angle, and wherein the plurality of inner foil pads includes at least one other inner foil pad defining a second circumferential arc angle smaller than the first circumferential arc angle.