Thrust bearing arrangement
AssigneeBorg-Warner Corporation
InventorJan A. Mulders
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thrust bearing assembly especially adaptable for use with a centrifugal pump and located between the impeller and the impeller driving means and constructed of multiple bearings, each of which is preloaded to a certain value such that under conditions of no upwardly directed thrust load, the upper and lower bearings share a load applied to the upper bearing while a middle bearing is subject only to its preload, and under upwardly directed thrust load conditions, the upper and middle bearings share the upwardly directed thrust load while the lower bearing carries its preload.
Claims5
A generally vertically arranged thrust bearing assembly adapted to operate under conditions which vary from no upwardly directed thrustload to an upwardly directed thrustload, said thrust bearing assembly being operatively associated with a rotating unit and which comprises:
- an upper, middle and lower bearing, each spaced from the others;
- means to preload each of the middle and lower bearings to apply a first-value load thereto;
- and
- means to preload the upper bearing to apply a second and higher value load thereto;
- said bearing assembly being so constructed and arranged that said last-named means transmitts its load to said lower bearing under no upwardly directed thrust load conditions such that said lower bearing shares the load of said upper bearing while said middle bearing continues to carry its preload, and said middle and upper bearings carry the load under the upwardly directed load conditions while at the maximum upwardly load conditions the lower bearing carries only its preload.
A vertical pump assembly comprising an impeller for pumping fluid from an intake to an outlet and a motor for driving said impeller, and a thrust bearing arrangement located between said impeller and said motor, said thrust bearing arrangement comprising
- an upper, middle and lower bearing, each spaced from the others;
- means to preload each of the middle and lower bearings to apply a first-value load thereto;
- and
- means to preload the upper bearing to apply a second and higher value load thereto;
- said bearing assembly being so constructed and arranged that said last-named means transmitts its load to said lower bearing under no upwardly directed thrust load conditions such that said lower bearing shares the load of said upper bearing while said middle bearing continues to carry its preload, and said middle and upper bearings carry the load under the upwardly directed load conditions while at the maximum upwardly load conditions the lower bearing carries only its preload.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.