Patent ID: 8266901

Claim:
An axial thrust offloading device for the axial thrust balance of a machine shaft ( 2 ), including: a thrust balance ring ( 3 ) with a supply channel ( 9 ) for a pressurized medium therein designed, which opens out into an annular space ( 10 ) on the face on the thrust balance ring ( 3 ); a first side disk ( 5 ) and a second side disk ( 6 ), which in each case are arranged to be axially adjacent to, and on opposite sides of, the thrust balance ring ( 3 ) such that a first pressure chamber ( 7 ) and a second pressure chamber ( 8 ) are created, wherein the first pressure chamber ( 7 ) and the second pressure chamber ( 8 ) on the exit flow side are in each case closed off by means of a labyrinth seal ( 17 , 18 ), and on the inlet flow side a connection in each case exists to the annular space ( 10 ) for the inflow of a pressurized medium, via a first restrictor location ( 12 ) for the first pressure chamber ( 7 ) and a second restrictor location ( 13 ) for the second pressure chamber ( 8 ); and a disk-shaped restrictor element ( 11 ) entering into the annular space ( 10 ); wherein the thrust balance ring ( 3 ) and the restrictor element ( 11 ) are so arranged that one of the two components is stationary in the axial direction and the other component follows an axial movement of said machine shaft ( 2 ), wherein by means of a relative axial movement between the thrust balance ring ( 3 ) and the restrictor element ( 11 ) the first restrictor location ( 12 ) and the second restrictor location ( 13 ) are reciprocally opened and closed, so that a pressure difference is created between the first pressure chamber ( 7 ) and the second pressure chamber ( 8 ).