Patent ID: 6019515
Filing Date: 2000-02-01
Classification: F16C

Abstract:
An externally pressurized gas bearing assembly which comprises:a housing;a bearing sleeve fixed in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the housing and having a thrust bearing surface, said thrust bearing surface having a plurality of axial fine feed ports defined in the bearing sleeve, said thrust bearing surface being adapted to axially support a main shaft by means of a compressed gas; anda gas supply circuit defined in the bearing sleeve for supplying the compressed gas, supplied from an outer peripheral surface of the bearing sleeve, to the axial fine feed ports of thrust bearings through an interior of the bearing sleeve,wherein the gas supply circuit in the bearing sleeve comprises axial passages and radial passages each in a corresponding number to the axial feed ports, each of the axial passages having one end portion opening at the thrust bearing surface formed with the axial fine feed ports and the other end portion closed by a plug, and each of the radial passages intersecting the axial passage and having one end portion opening at a journal bearing surface formed with radial fine feed ports.