Self regulating fluid bearing high pressure rotary nozzle with balanced thrust force

A nozzle assembly for rotatably spraying high pressure fluid against an object to be cleaned, the assembly comprising:

• a spray head carried by a hollow housing body;
• a hollow tubular shaft member coaxially carried within the housing body and captured between an inlet nut and the body for relative rotation between said shaft member and said housing body,
• a stem on one of the inlet nut and the spray head, said stem forming an inlet bearing area between the stem and the shaft member, said stem and said inlet nut having a central passage to conduct fluid axially from said inlet nut through said stem to said spray head;
• an inner wall of said housing body and a portion of said shaft having complementary tapered surface shapes, together forming a regulating passage therebetween;
• said shaft member having one or more bores communicating between the inlet bearing area and the regulating passage, wherein pressure of fluid within said regulating passage acts axially upon said shaft to counter axial force on said shaft resulting from fluid pressure acting upon the one of the housing body and the shaft member rotating relative to the other of the housing body and the shaft member.

A nozzle assembly for spraying high pressure fluid against an object, the assembly comprising:

• a hollow housing body;
• a hollow tubular shaft member coaxially rotatable within the housing body and having a fluid inlet end within and near one end of said housing body, said shaft member having an outlet end near a second end of the housing body for securing a spray head thereto for rotation with the shaft, said shaft member having a central axial passage to conduct fluid axially from said inlet end through the passage to said outlet end, said body having a high pressure fluid inlet passage communicating with said central passage of said shaft;
• a regulating passage formed between said housing body and said shaft near said outlet end of said shaft;
• and
• a passage communicating between the central passage of the shaft and a portion of the outer surface of the shaft member, wherein said portion of the outer surface of said shaft comprises a surface area having an areal component perpendicular to the axis of said shaft, wherein pressure of said fluid within said regulating passage acts axially upon said shaft to counterbalance axial force on said shaft exerted by fluid pressure acting upon said inlet end of said shaft, wherein the housing body has an inlet bearing area supporting the inlet end of the tubular shaft member and has an annular channel formed in the housing body around the inlet bearing area.

A nozzle assembly for rotatably spraying high pressure cleaning fluid against an object to be cleaned, the assembly comprising:

• a hollow cylindrical housing body;
• a hollow tubular shaft member coaxially carried within the housing body, the shaft member having a fluid inlet end within and near one end of said housing body, said shaft member having an outlet end projecting from a second end of the housing body, the outlet end configured to receive a spray head fastened thereto for rotation of the head with the shaft, said shaft member having a central passage to conduct fluid axially from said inlet end axially through the inlet end to said outlet end, said housing body having a high pressure fluid inlet passage axially communicating with said central passage of said shaft;
• an inner wall of said housing body and a portion of said shaft near said outlet end of said shaft having complementary tapered surface shapes, together forming a regulating passage therebetween;
• said shaft member having one or more bores communicating between the central passage of the shaft member and the regulating passage, wherein pressure of cleaning fluid within said regulating passage acts axially upon said shaft to counter axial force on said shaft resulting from fluid pressure acting upon said inlet end of said shaft;
• and
• wherein the housing body has an inlet bearing area supporting the inlet end of the tubular shaft member and the housing body has an annular channel formed around the inlet bearing area abutting the inlet end portion of the shaft member.