Tilting pad thrust bearing arrangement

A tilting pad thrust bearing arrangement for apparatus having a shaft that is rotatable about an axis, the arrangement comprising an annular body and an array of discrete bearing pads, supported on the body by way of a tilt pivot and intervening annular pad supporting spring means, the supporting spring means being in the form of a stack of at least two annular, axially deflectable spring members each being spaced from an adjacent annular surface by an associated circular array of deflection pivots disposed one pivot each between the tilt pivots of adjacent pads and acting as a fulcrum for spring deflection, wherein corresponding deflection pivots of the stacked annular spring members are substantially in alignment in an axial direction, the spring member closest to the bearing pads has a deflection characteristic, in response to axial loading between circumferentially adjacent deflection pivots by each bearing pad, in which a first predetermined level of axial load results in abutment with the adjacent spring member, and said pair of abutting spring members have a deflection characteristic in which a second predetermined level of axial load, higher than said first, results in abutment with the next surface.