Axial bearing arrangement in a hermetic compressor

A magnetic axial bearing arrangement in a reciprocating hermetic compressor, comprising:

• a cylinder block (20) mounted inside a shell (10) and carrying a cylinder (30) and a vertically disposed radial bearing hub (40);
• a crankshaft (50) mounted through the radial bearing hub (40) and having a first end portion projecting outwardly from the radial bearing hub (40) and securing a rotor (61) of an electric motor (60), and an opposite second end portion projecting outwardly from the radial bearing hub (40) and incorporating a peripheral flange (51) and an eccentric portion (52), characterized in that it comprises at least one magnetic axial bearing assembly (100) composed of magnet elements (101) with mutually confronting faces, each magnet element (101) being mounted to a respective part of at least one of the pairs of parts of crankshaft (50) and cylinder block (20) and of cylinder block (20) and rotor (61), there being provided, in at least one of the pairs of parts, confronting mechanical stops which are maintained spaced apart by an axial gap (FA) smaller than a magnetic axial gap (FM) existing between the confronting faces of the magnet elements (101) in order to guarantee that, upon occurring at least one of the conditions of a sufficiently high increase of the compressor temperature and an axial displacement of said parts during transportation of the compressor causing the mutual seating of the confronting mechanical stops, the magnetic axial gap is maintained higher than zero.