A bearing and/or seal assembly where pressurized gas (e.g., air) may be arranged to produce a contact-free bearing and/or seal is provided. The assembly includes a permeable body (12) including structural features (13) selectively engineered to convey a pressurized gas (Ps) from an inlet side (20) side of the permeable body to an outlet side (22) of the permeable body to form an annular film of the pressurized gas relative to the rotatable shaft. Disclosed embodiments may be produced by way of three-dimensional (3D) Printing/Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies with practically no manufacturing variability; and may also cost-effectively and reliably benefit from the relatively complex geometries and the features and/or conduits that may be involved to, for example, form the desired distribution pattern or impart a desired directionality to the pressurized gas conveyed through the permeable body of the bearing and/or seal assembly.

An apparatus for adjusting an axial thrust force acting on a rotor of an integrally geared compressor (IGC) is provided. In the present disclosure, the axial thrust force acting on the rotor of the IGC may be adjusted in two opposite directions by tandem seals having different effective sealing diameters, and a thrust force generated in compressors located at both sides of a gear may be effectively offset. Furthermore, since a thrust load acting on the rotor of the IGC is offset, an operating pressure level at which the IGC operates may be increased.

A thrust bearing assembly for a machine includes a stator housing, a fluid film thrust bearing, and a ring bearing. The stator housing surrounds at least a segment of a rotor shaft and one or more runners on the rotor shaft that include a first runner surface and a second runner surface facing in opposite axial directions along the rotor shaft. The fluid film thrust bearing is axially held between a first stator surface of the stator housing and the first runner surface. The fluid film thrust bearing is configured to generate a fluid cushion that blocks the first runner surface from engaging the fluid film thrust bearing. The ring bearing is axially held between a second stator surface of the stator housing and the second runner surface. The ring bearing has an annular contact surface that engages the second runner surface to axially support the rotor shaft.

A rotation system (10) is disclosed having at least one axial gas bearing, containing: a housing (11), a shaft (12) that can be rotated relative to the housing (11), at least one bearing plate (13) attached to the shaft (12), and at least one bearing assembly (14) which supports the bearing plate (13) relative to the housing (11), via an axial gas bearing. The bearing assembly (14) has, from inside to outside, a radially inner region (15) supporting the bearing plate (13), a radially central region (16) and a radially outer region (17) held by the housing (11). The radially inner region (15) contains at least one axial bearing element (19) and at least one retention element (20). The bearing plate (13) is supported by the axial bearing element (19), and the retention element (20) holds the axial bearing element (19) in the axial direction.

A thrust bearing assembly for a machine includes a stator housing, a fluid film thrust bearing, and a ring bearing. The stator housing surrounds at least a segment of a rotor shaft and one or more runners on the rotor shaft that include a first runner surface and a second runner surface facing in opposite axial directions along the rotor shaft. The fluid film thrust bearing is axially held between a first stator surface of the stator housing and the first runner surface. The fluid film thrust bearing is configured to generate a fluid cushion that blocks the first runner surface from engaging the fluid film thrust bearing. The ring bearing is axially held between a second stator surface of the stator housing and the second runner surface. The ring bearing has an annular contact surface that engages the second runner surface to axially support the rotor shaft.

The axial bearing arrangement comprises a first axial bearing plate (12) and a second axial bearing plate (13) each having an annular ring shape, the first axial bearing plate (12) having a first surface (12.1) axially facing the second axial bearing plate (13) and a second surface (12.2) opposite to the respective first surface (12.1), the second axial bearing plate (13) having a first surface (13.1) axially facing the first axial bearing plate (12) and a second surface (13.2) opposite to the respective first surface (13.1); a spacer ring (14) clamped between the first surfaces (12.1, 13.1) of the first and second axial bearing plates (12, 13), the spacer ring (14) defining an axial distance between the first and second axial bearing plates (12, 13); and a bearing sleeve (15) abutting the second surface (13.2) of the second axial bearing plate (13) and being secured to a compressor block (16). The axial bearing arrangement includes an elastic element (22) axially biasing the first and second axial bearing plates (12, 13) and the spacer ring (14) with a predetermined force against an abutment surface (17) of the bearing sleeve (15).

A motor including a base, a stator, a dynamic pressure bearing unit and a rotor are disclosed. The base includes a shaft tube. The shaft tube includes a closed end and an open end. The stator is mounted around the shaft tube. The dynamic pressure bearing unit includes a bearing, a dynamic pressure assembly and a thrust plate. The bearing is received in the shaft tube. The dynamic pressure assembly and the thrust plate are disposed in a position relatively adjacent to the open end of the shaft tube and relatively distant from the closed end of the shaft tube. The dynamic pressure assembly is located between the bearing and the thrust plate. A lubricating fluid layer is disposed between the dynamic pressure assembly and the thrust plate. The rotor is connected to the thrust plate and is rotatably coupled with the bearing.

A preload guide system guides, in a horizontal plane, movement of a rotation structure having journals rotating around a rotation axis having a horizontal rotation shaft. At right-side surfaces of the journals, guide bearing components press predetermined positions on the same side with respect to an axial-direction reference plane and rotatably support the journals. At left-side surfaces of the journals, guide bearing components press positions corresponding to the guide bearing components at the right side surfaces, and rotatably support the journals. The support systems adjust displacement amounts of the guide bearing components such that a sum of the displacement amounts becomes zero.

Apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed to dynamically support axial thrust in pumps. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes a first thrust pad, a second thrust pad, and a thrust disc between the first thrust pad and the second thrust pad, the thrust disc including a first side adjacent to the first thrust pad. a second side adjacent to the second thrust pad, an outer surface, a first channel extending between the outer surface to the first side, and a second channel extending between the outer surface of the thrust disc to the second side.

A method for machining ribs or grooves on a shaft (7) with an axial bearing (24) forming part of the shaft. The ribs or grooves (32, 24a) are obtained on a workpiece portion of the shaft and of the axial bearing, by moving the shaft or at least one tool holder fitted with a machining tool in a longitudinal direction of machining, by the tool performing reciprocating motions with a position in contact and with a position not in contact with the shaft or the axial bearing from the beginning to the end of the workpiece portion or face. The reciprocating motions are synchronised with the sinusoidal programming carried out in the machining unit, along with the desired and programmed arrangement of the ribs or grooves to be produced.