# US 12,006,972 B2 · Compliant foil radial bearing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,006,972 B2 - Document ID: US12006972B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/440,608 - Filed: 2019-03-22 - Published: 2022-06-16 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2019-03-22 - Assignees: Bladon Jets Holdings Limited - Applicants: Bladon Jets Holdings Limited - Inventors: Stephen Pye; Vasudeva Nimma; Phillip Heward - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12006972B2 ## CPC - F16C 17/024: {with flexible leaves to create hydrodynamic wedge, e.g. radial foil bearings} - F16C 27/02: Sliding-contact bearings - F16C 43/02: Assembling sliding-contact bearings - F16C 2300/22: High-speed rotation - F16C 2300/54: high-temperature - F16C 2360/23: Gas turbine engines - F16C: SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS ## Abstract A compliant foil radial bearing (100) comprising: a bushing (110) comprising a bore defined therethrough; a spring foil (120, 130) arranged to conform to a radially inner surface of the bore; a fluid foil (140, 150) arranged to conform to a radially inner surface of the spring foil for rotatably receiving a rotor, wherein: the spring foil comprises one or more retaining portions (160) arranged to extend axially and radially outside the radially inner surface of the bore. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A compliant foil radial bearing comprising: a bushing comprising a bore defined therethrough; a spring foil arranged to conform to a radially inner surface of the bore, wherein the spring foil comprises one or more axially oriented strips; and a fluid foil arranged to conform to a radially inner surface of the spring foil for rotatably receiving a rotor, wherein: the spring foil comprises one or more retaining portions arranged to extend axially and radially outside the radially inner surface of the bore, and adjacent strips of the one or more axially oriented strips are coupled via the one or more retaining portions. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The compliant foil radial bearing according to claim 1, wherein: the one or more retaining portions are provided in the form of loops. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The compliant foil radial bearing according to claim 1, wherein: the one or more strips are curved in the circumferential direction. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The compliant foil radial bearing according to claim 1, wherein: the one or more strips and fluid foil are arranged such that each strip contacts the radially inner surface of the bushing at first and second axially oriented bushing contact regions and contacts the fluid foil at an axially oriented fluid foil contact region in between the first and second axially oriented bushing contact regions. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The compliant foil radial bearing according to claim 1, wherein: the ratio between a circumferential width of each strip and a diameter of the bore is between 2 to 12. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The compliant foil radial bearing according to claim 1, wherein: the bushing comprises a seat for receiving one or more retaining portions of the spring foil. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The compliant foil radial bearing according to claim 6, wherein: the seat is disposed axially inside an axial end surface of the bushing. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The compliant foil radial bearing according to claim 6, wherein: the seat comprises one or more stop surfaces for preventing circumferential displacement of the spring foil. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The compliant foil radial bearing according to claim 1, wherein: the spring foil comprises a first set and a second set of retaining portions at opposite axial ends thereof. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The compliant foil radial bearing according to claim 1, comprising: one or more retention members arranged to fit within one or more corresponding grooves in the bushing, wherein: the spring foil comprises one or more axially oriented retaining hooks arranged to wrap around the one or more retention members when inserted in the one or more corresponding grooves in the bushing. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The compliant foil radial bearing according to claim 1, wherein: the spring foil comprises a first spring foil segment and a second spring foil segment. ### Claim 12 A method of manufacturing a spring foil for a compliant foil radial bearing comprising a plurality of axially oriented strips and a plurality of retaining portions, the method comprising: forming a spring foil from a sheet metal blank having I-shaped cutouts between each of the plurality of axially oriented strips, wherein the I-shaped cutouts comprise portions for axial orientation with perpendicular cross bar portions for circumferential orientation at each end thereof, wherein the cross bar portions are arranged at each axial end of the spring foil, and wherein the sheet metal blank is bent to form a plurality of retaining portions at the ends of the I-shaped cutouts and the plurality of retaining portions have an axial width and extend radially outward from the spring foil. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, further comprising forming uniform spacing between the plurality of axially oriented strips. ### Claim 14 A compliant foil radial bearing comprising: a bushing comprising a bore defined therethrough; a spring foil arranged to conform to a radially inner surface of the bore; a fluid foil arranged to conform to a radially inner surface of the spring foil for rotatably receiving a rotor, wherein: the spring foil comprises one or more retaining portions arranged to extend axially and radially outside the radially inner surface of the bore, and the one or more retaining portions are provided in the form of loops. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The compliant foil radial bearing according to claim 14, wherein the spring foil comprises one or more axially oriented strips. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The compliant foil radial bearing according to claim 15, wherein adjacent strips of the one or more axially oriented strips are coupled via the one or more retaining portions. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The compliant foil radial bearing according to claim 14, wherein: the one or more strips and fluid foil are arranged such that each strip contacts the radially inner surface of the bushing at first and second axially oriented bushing contact regions and contacts the fluid foil at an axially oriented fluid foil contact region in between the first and second axially oriented bushing contact regions. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The compliant foil radial bearing according to claim 14, wherein: the ratio between a circumferential width of each strip and a diameter of the bore is between 2 to 12. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The compliant foil radial bearing according to claim 14, comprising: one or more retention members arranged to fit within one or more corresponding grooves in the bushing, wherein: the spring foil comprises one or more axially oriented retaining hooks arranged to wrap around the one or more retention members when inserted in the one or more corresponding grooves in the bushing.