Hydrostatic bearing arrangement for pump swashplate having secondary angle
AssigneeParker-Hannifin Corporation
InventorsMatthew H. Simon, Bernard J. Strehlow
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hydraulic axial piston pump is designed with a secondary swashplate angle for providing improved performance and life. The secondary swashplate angle produces a sideload on the swashplate that is reacted by the pump's housing. A hydrostatically balanced thrust bearing is used to counteract the sideload produced by the secondary swashplate angle. The bearing design includes a tiltable pad or shoe supplied with pressurized fluid from the pump's discharge port. The same fluid that supplies the tiltable pad may also supply the pump's cradle bearings.
Claims12
An axial piston pump, comprising:
- a housing having an outlet port passage;
- a rotating group having an axis of rotation disposed in the housing, the rotating group comprising:
- a barrel including a plurality of cylinder bores, and
- a plurality of piston assemblies wherein each of the plurality of piston assemblies includes a piston slideably disposed within one of the cylinder bores;
- wherein the rotating group is in fluid communication with the outlet port passage of the housing;
- a swashplate disposed in the housing and being pivotable about a primary axis that is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the rotating group;
- wherein the swashplate is oriented at a fixed secondary angle with the primary swashplate axis, the secondary swashplate angle causing a side force to be applied to the swashplate during operation of the pump;
- and
- a hydrostatic thrust bearing through which the side force is transferred to the pump housing.
A method of hydrostatically supporting a side load generated by a secondary swashplate angle within a housing of an axial piston pump, comprising:
- providing a rotating group having an axis of rotation within the housing;
- providing a swashplate pivotable about a primary axis and oriented at a fixed secondary angle with the primary swashplate axis, the secondary swashplate angle causing a side force to be applied to the swashplate during operation of the pump;
- and
- transferring the side force through a hydrostatic thrust bearing to the pump housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.