A pair of sliding components are disposed at a relatively rotating position at the time of running a rotary machine and formed in an annular shape in which a sealed liquid is present on one side of an inner radial side and an outer radial side and a gas is present on the remaining side thereof. A sliding surface of a sliding component is provided with a dynamic pressure generation groove which communicates with the side of a gas in a radial direction and which is configured to generate a dynamic pressure between the sliding surfaces by the gas at the time of running the rotary machine. A sliding surface of a sliding component is provided with a groove which extends in a circumferential direction.

In an exemplary embodiment of a sliding component, a sliding face S is provided with a first fluid-side negative pressure generation mechanism 12 including a first negative pressure generation groove 13, and is provided with a second fluid-side negative pressure generation mechanism 14 including second negative pressure generation grooves 15 located on the second-fluid side of the first fluid-side negative pressure generation mechanism 12, and is further provided with a dynamic pressure generation mechanism 10 including dynamic pressure generation grooves 11 on at least one of the first-fluid side and the second-fluid side of the first fluid-side negative pressure generation mechanism 12 and the second fluid-side negative pressure generation mechanism 14, and the first negative pressure generation groove 13 is isolated from the second-fluid side by a land R, and the second negative pressure generation grooves 15 are isolated from the first-fluid side by a land R.

In order to effect a seal a porous material which comprises one side of two opposing surfaces is used to restrict and evenly distribute externally pressurized gas, liquid, steam, etc. between the two surfaces, exerting a force which is opposite the forces from pressure differences or springs trying to close the two faces together and so may create a non-contact seal that is more stable and reliable than hydrodynamic seals currently in use. A non-contact bearing is also disclosed having opposing surfaces with relative motion and one surface issuing higher than ambient pressure through a porous restriction, wherein the porous restriction is part of a monolithic porous body, or a porous layer, attached to lands containing a labyrinth, the porous restriction and lands configured to not distort more than 10% of a gap created from differential pressure between each side of the porous restriction.

A seal assembly to seal fluid under pressure may include a pair of annular mating rings with seal faces. At least one of the seal faces may define a sealing interface between a radially inner edge and a radially outer edge of one of the rings. At least one of the seal faces may include a channel for receiving the fluid under pressure. The channel may include a circumferential channel and one or more radial channels. The radial channels may include a first radial channel extending from the circumferential channel to a first edge of the seal face adjacent the fluid under pressure. The radial channels may include a second radial channel that extends from the circumferential channel toward a second edge of the seal face adjacent a fluid at a lower pressure relative to the fluid under pressure.

A bearing packing according to the invention includes a first packing having an opening portion formed therein, the opening portion allowing a rotary shaft to penetrate through the first packing, and a second packing having an opening portion formed therein, the opening portion allowing the rotary shaft to penetrate through the second packing, and configured to be brought into engagement with the first packing in a direction of the rotary shaft, and a sealed space for sealing a hydrophobic fluid in is defined around a circumference of the rotary shaft that is surrounded by the first packing and the second packing.

A sliding component is provided. At least one sliding face of sliding faces sliding relatively to each other of a pair of sliding parts of annular shapes is provided with positive pressure generation mechanisms with positive pressure generation grooves and negative pressure generation mechanisms with negative pressure generation grooves. The positive pressure generation grooves and the negative pressure generation grooves are separated from the opposite-to-sealed-fluid side by a land. Deep grooves deeper than the groove depth of the positive pressure generation grooves and the negative pressure generation grooves are located at least on the opposite-to-sealed-fluid side of the positive pressure generation grooves and the negative pressure generation grooves. The deep grooves are provided in such a manner as to communicate at least with the sealed fluid side.

A fluid dynamic bearing device 1 includes: a shaft member 2; a bearing sleeve 8 that has the shaft member 2 inserted into the inner periphery thereof; a housing 7 that holds the bearing sleeve 8 on the inner periphery thereof and has a bottomed cylindrical shape having an opening at an end portion on one axial side; and a seal member 9 provided at the opening of the housing 7. The seal member 9 has a disk portion 9a disposed on one axial side of the bearing sleeve 8, and a protrusion (cylindrical portion 9b) protruding to the other axial side from an outer diameter end of the disk portion 9a. An outer peripheral surface 9c of the seal member 9 is fixed to an inner peripheral surface 7a1 of the housing 7.

In order to effect a seal a porous material which comprises one side of two opposing surfaces is used to restrict and evenly distribute externally pressurized gas, liquid, steam, etc. between the two surfaces, exerting a force which is opposite the forces from pressure differences or springs trying to close the two faces together and so may create a non-contact seal that is more stable and reliable than hydrodynamic seals currently in use. A non-contact bearing is also disclosed having opposing surfaces with relative motion and one surface issuing higher than ambient pressure through a porous restriction, wherein the porous restriction is part of a monolithic porous body, or a porous layer, attached to lands containing a labyrinth, the porous restriction and lands configured to not distort more than 10% of a gap created from differential pressure between each side of the porous restriction.

In an exemplary embodiment, a sliding member includes sliding faces S configured to slide in relation to one another, at least one sliding face 5 of the sliding faces being provided with a plurality of dimples 11 having multi-sided shapes whose edges are formed without interruption. A pair of the edges A1-B1, A1-C1 of each of the multi-sided dimples 11, extending radially on opposite sides of a radial axis R of the sliding member, are sloped to become farther apart as they extend toward a high-pressure fluid side, and an edge B1-C1, which connects end points B1, C1 on the high-pressure fluid side of the pair of the edges, is formed such that its length is not greater than the lengths of the pair of the edges A1-B1, A1-C1. The sliding member can reduce friction between the sliding faces and improve sealing performance regardless of the direction of rotation.

The motion system for a CMM includes a measuring axis with an air bearing, a control unit for determining a position of the measuring probe in a reference frame and outputting the position as a measuring result. The first air bearing includes a guideway, slide having a slide surface and a gas outlet within the slide surface. The gas outlet is for providing a gas cushion in a gap between the slide surface and the guideway. A cover is arranged around the slide so a gap is provided between the cover and the guideway and a hollow space is provided between the cover and the slide. A wiper is arranged on the cover. A nozzle unit is supplied by a second gas supply line and for providing a high-pressure gas flow directed onto the guideway.