초록 ▼

A thrust bearing tilting pad has face with a border region including an engagement surface and defining a pocket with generally longitudinal sidebars and a bottom. The pad has leading and trailing portions, with the face extending generally longitudinally therebetween. The leading and trailing porti

A thrust bearing tilting pad has face with a border region including an engagement surface and defining a pocket with generally longitudinal sidebars and a bottom. The pad has leading and trailing portions, with the face extending generally longitudinally therebetween. The leading and trailing portions can be positioned upstream and downstream, respectively, relative to a direction of movement of a runner. The pad is pivotally supported by (e.g., mechanical and/or hydrostatic) pivot and can cooperate with one or more other pads and fluid within a housing to hydrodynamically and mechanically support the runner in an axial position. In another embodiment, the pad tilts free of mechanical engagement with other pads. The leading portion can define an entrance to the pocket and the sidebars can converge along the direction of motion of the runner. The pocket hydrodynamically increases pressure on the runner during rotation, and generates pressure effecting on the face counteraction force about the pivot and upstream relative to the rotation direction in order to counteract spragging force. The pocket can also have a generally tapered profile or an abrupt step.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A thrust bearing tilting pad pivotally supported and adapted to cooperate with one or more other pads and a fluid within a housing to hydrodynamically and mechanically support a moving surface of a runner attached to a shaft, said tilting pad comprising:a leading portion adapted to be positioned

1. A thrust bearing tilting pad pivotally supported and adapted to cooperate with one or more other pads and a fluid within a housing to hydrodynamically and mechanically support a moving surface of a runner attached to a shaft, said tilting pad comprising:a leading portion adapted to be positioned upstream relative to a direction of movement of the moving surface; a trailing portion adapted to be positioned downstream relative to the direction of movement of the moving surface; a face including a border region and extending generally longitudinally between said leading and said trailing portions, said border region including an engagement surface and defining a pocket for hydrodynamically increasing pressure on the moving surface during movement of the moving surface, said pocket having generally longitudinal sidebars and a bottom; and wherein said pocket extends at least one of a) adjacent to a location about which said thrust bearing tilting pad is pivotable, and b) over said location about which said thrust bearing tilting pad is pivotable.