Patent ID: 6050727
Filing Date: 2000-04-18
Classification: F16C

Abstract:
A tilting pad journal bearing for supporting a rotatable shaft comprising:a plurality of bearing pad segments disposed in surrounding relation to the shaft, each of the bearing pad segments including opposed ends, an arcuate inner face, a spherical outer face, a circumferentially extending cavity in the outer face, and a conduit to establish fluid communication between the inner face and the cavity;a shell having a spherical inner surface for supporting the bearing pads;a pad stop for placement between adjacent pad segments, each pad stop having a cam section and a means thereon for mounting the pad stop to the shell at a location between adjacent ends of the pad segments, which are relatively convergent as the cam section of the pad stop is approached;a lubricant contained within the bearing from which is hydrodynamically generated a lubricant film when the shaft is rotating that is communicated via the conduit to and accumulated by the cavity of each of the pad segments to provide a hydrostatic support upon which each pad segment may be pivotally supported, the cam section of each pad stop being in confronting relation to one of the opposed ends of each of the pad segments to define a clearance that allows each pad segment to pivot about its center in both the axial and the circumferential directions; andat least one hydrostatic pressure sensor mounted in the inner surface of the shell means and radially opposite the center of the cavity, the sensor providing an output representing the direct loading exerted on the pad by the shaft.