Slip ring air bearing

Abstract

A compound journal airbearing having a sleeve concentric with a rotor and having an inner surface forming an airbearing space with the surface of the rotor so as to maintain the rotor surface and inner sleeve surface out of contact. The sleeve is supported at each end by the inner race of a bearing whose outer periphery is supported by contact with the interior surface of the stator housing. Pressurized air is supplied to the airbearing space by a passage leading from an air supply through the wall of the stator and sleeve to the airbearing space. The airbearing surface can be shaped to provide both radial and axial support. For this purpose, the airbearing surfaces may be either concave or convex toward the axis of the rotor. Catastrophic failure that would occur with construction of the prior art due to inadvertent contact of rotor and stator surfaces (collapse of the airbearing film) is avoided because the sleeve is able to turn when inadvertent touchdown occurs.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.