US 12,044,272 B2Granted

Air bearing for use as seal

AssigneeNew Way Machine Components, Inc.

InventorsAndrew Devitt, Richard Duane Pollick

Life of this patent

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Abstract

In order to effect a seal a porous material which comprises one side of two opposing surfaces is used to restrict and evenly distribute externally pressurized gas, liquid, steam, etc. between the two surfaces, exerting a force which is opposite the forces from pressure differences or springs trying to close the two faces together and so may create a non-contact seal that is more stable and reliable than hydrodynamic seals currently in use. A non-contact bearing is also disclosed having opposing surfaces with relative motion and one surface issuing higher than ambient pressure through a porous restriction, wherein the porous restriction is part of a monolithic porous body, or a porous layer, attached to lands containing a labyrinth, the porous restriction and lands configured to not distort more than 10% of a gap created from differential pressure between each side of the porous restriction.

Claims12

Dependent claims

An assembly for providing electrical contact between rotating and stationary components, the assembly comprising:

a brush comprised of a porous media member including a face which contacts an opposing member;
and
a spring which applies a force against the brush,
wherein the brush comprised of a porous media member is an externally-pressurized porous gas bearing with porous restriction, and is configured to receive externally-pressurized gas, whose pressure is adjustable, and distribute the externally-pressurized gas through the face which contacts the opposing member, and wherein porous media member is configured to distributed the externally pressurized gas through the face, wherein the externally pressurized gas distributed through the face acts against the spring force such that an external pressure, by the externally-pressurized gas, multiplied by the contact area is less than the spring force, resulting in an adjustable contact pressure between the brush comprised of a porous media member and the opposing member.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/827,500Filed 23 Mar 2020 · continuation
Priority: 3 Jan 2012
Published: US 2020/0347881 A15 Nov 2020
Granted: 23 Jul 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification25 codes

F16C 32/0618
The gas being supplied under pressure, e.g. aerostatic bearings: via porous material
F04D 17/122
Multi-stage pumps: the individual rotor discs being, one for each stage, on a common shaft and axially spaced, e.g. conventional centrifugal…
F04D 29/057
Bearings: hydrostatic; hydrodynamic
F04D 29/122
Using sealing-rings: especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps

Family

Application61/582,674Us provisional application · filed 3 Jan 2012
Application61/704,927Us provisional application · filed 24 Sep 2012
Application61/728,595Us provisional application · filed 20 Nov 2012
Application13/733,806Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 3 Jan 2013
Application14/085,762Parent of this continuation · filed 20 Nov 2013
US 8,753,014 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 17 Jun 2014
US 2020/0347881 A1Pre-grant publication · published 5 Nov 2020
US 10,598,222 B2Parent of this continuation
Application14/085,762Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2013/0188895 A1Published application
US 2014/0286599 A1Published application
US 12,044,272 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.