A plain bearing (410) is fixed to a shaft hole (401) of an impeller (400) of the pump (100) so as to rotatably support the impeller (400) with respect to the shaft (300), and is restricted from moving in an axial direction by an annular restrictor (310) fixed to the shaft (300). On an end face (411) of the plain bearing (410) facing the restrictor (310), a lubrication groove (412) connecting a radially inner side and a radially outer side of the end face (411) to supply cooling water onto the end face (411) for lubrication, and a dynamic pressure generating groove (413) that introduces a flow of cooling water created by rotation of the impeller (400) to generate a dynamic pressure, are provided. The present bearing suppresses an increase in rotation torque of the impeller (400) during high speed rotation.

A noncontacting intershaft seal system includes force generating mechanisms to reduce contact related effects. A sealing system includes an outer shaft that has a hollow interior. An inner shaft extends through the hollow interior of the outer shaft. Spaced apart end plates encircle and rotate with the inner shaft. A gland opening is defined between the inner and outer shafts and between the end plates. A ring is disposed in the gland opening. The end plates and/or the ring include force generating elements that generate force to separate the ring from the end plates, reducing contact related heat generation and wear.

A variable stiffness damper system including an inner spring positioned between a first wall and a second wall, in which the inner spring includes a first member and a second member each coupled together at a distal end by an inner bumper. The first member and the second member are each contoured toward one another. The first member, the second member, and the inner bumper form a cavity therebetween. An outer spring is positioned between the inner spring and the first wall or the second wall. The outer spring includes a spring arm contoured toward the inner spring. The outer spring includes an outer bumper positioned between the inner bumper and the first wall or the second wall. The inner bumper and the outer bumper are selectively couplable to one another based on a load applied to the damper system.

A turbocharger system can include a housing that includes a through bore, a plurality of lubricant bores, a plurality of lubricant bore to through bore openings and a recessed compressor-side surface that defines in part a passage that fluidly couples at least two of the lubricant bores; a rolling element bearing unit disposed at least in part in the through bore of the housing; and, a plate that covers at least a portion of the recessed compressor-side surface of the housing.

A bearing including a bearing pad and a housing is provided. The bearing pad has a thrust face for supporting a vibration along an axial direction of the bearing. Additionally, the housing is formed integrally using an additive manufacturing process and is attached to or formed integrally with the bearing pad. The housing defines a working gas delivery system for providing a flow of pressurized working gas to the thrust face of the bearing pad and a fluid damper cavity. The fluid damper cavity provides a dampening of the axial vibration supported by the thrust face of the bearing pad along the axial direction.

A turbomachine includes a compressor section, a turbine section, and a rotary component. The rotary component is attached to and rotatable with a portion of at least one of the compressor section and the turbine section. The turbomachine additionally includes a seal having a gas bearing. The gas bearing defines an inner surface along a radial direction of the turbomachine, a high pressure end, and a low pressure end. The gas bearing supports the rotary component and also prevents an airflow from the high pressure end to the low pressure end between the rotary component and the inner surface of the gas bearing.

The present disclosure is directed to a gas-lubricated bearing assembly for a gas turbine engine and method of damping same. The bearing assembly includes a bearing pad for supporting a rotary component and a bearing housing attached to or formed integrally with the bearing pad. The bearing housing includes a first fluid damper cavity, a second fluid damper cavity in restrictive flow communication with the first fluid damper cavity via a restrictive channel configured as a clearance gap, and a damper fluid configured within the first and second fluid damper cavities. More specifically, the damper fluid of the present disclosure is configured to withstand the high temperature environment of the engine. Thus, the bearing housing is configured to transfer the damper fluid from the first fluid damper cavity to the second fluid damper cavity via the restrictive channel in response to a force acting on the bearing pad.

A turbocharger includes: a bearing provided in a turbocharger body, and configured to rotatably support a turbine shaft in an insertion hole formed in the bearing; and an opposing portion which faces an end surface of the bearing in an axial direction of the turbine shaft. An end-surface guide portion is provided to any one of an opposing surface of the bearing which faces the opposing portion, and an opposing surface of the opposing portion which faces the bearing. The end-surface guide portion configured to make the insertion hole and an outer peripheral edge of the end surface of the bearing in radial directions of the turbine shaft communicate with each other extends forward in a rotational direction of the turbine shaft from a part of the end surface of the bearing which communicates with the insertion hole.

A turbocharger is provided with an improved bearing which is formed as a floating ring bearing or a semi-floating ring bearing having a conical or hemispherical shape which supports both journal and thrust loads. The floating ring bearing may have conical floating ring bearings (70), (100), (180) that define inner and outer conical bearing surfaces (71), (108), (185) and (72), (109), (186) which cooperate on the inside with corresponding conical journals (75/76), (111/112), (187/188) that rotate with the shaft (53), and cooperate on the outside with a stationary bearing housing (52) to form inner and outer fluid films. Alternatively, the floating ring bearing may have a pair of hemispherical floating ring bearings (85), (140), (210) that have hemispherical inner and outer bearing surfaces (86), (144), (211) and (87), (145), (212) which form inner and outer fluid films. A semi-floating ring bearing may also be provided with these structures.

Aspects of the disclosure are directed to a system associated with an engine of an aircraft, the system comprising: a fluid source that is configured to provide a fluid at a first pressure value, a carbon seal, a seal plate that includes at least one lift-off feature that interfaces to the carbon seal, and a pressure boosting mechanism configured to obtain the fluid from the fluid source, increase the pressure of the fluid to a second pressure value, and provide the fluid at the second pressure value to the at least one lift-off feature.