Patent ID: 6481895
Filing Date: 2002-11-19
Classification: F16C

Abstract:
A half bearing for a rotary shaft having a direction of rotation, comprising:a bearing shell having a concave running surface; at least one thrust flange extending radially from said shell having an axially facing thrust bearing surface extending circumferentially in a sliding direction of said thrust bearing surface corresponding to the direction of rotation of the rotary shaft, said thrust bearing surface having a leading end thereof at one end of said thrust flange and a trailing end thereof at a circumferentially opposite end of said thrust flange relative to said sliding direction; a plurality of circumferentially spaced radially extending oil supply grooves formed in said thrust bearing surface in non-parallel relation to one another, a leading one of said oil supply grooves being disposed in circumferentially spaced adjacent relation to said leading end of said thrust bearing surface, a trailing one of said oil supply grooves being disposed in circumferentially spaced relation to said trailing end of said thrust bearing surface, said oil supply grooves subdividing said thrust bearing surface into a plurality of thrust bearing pads including a leading thrust bearing pad between said leading end and said leading oil supply groove and a trailing pad between said trailing oil supply groove and said trailing end, each thrust bearing pad having a hydrodynamic contour including an inclined ramp surface extending in said sliding direction of said thrust bearing surface and a raised land surface following said inclined ramp surface in said sliding direction; and wherein said circumferential spacing between said trailing oil supply groove and said trailing end is greater than said circumferential spacing between said leading end and said leading oil supply groove and said land surface of said trailing thrust bearing pad is spaced circumferentially from said trailing end of said thrust bearing surface by a distance greater than a distance between said land surface of said leading thrust bearing pad and said leading groove.