Patent ID: 7301252

Claim:
A magnetic bearing wherein each of first and second bearing members carries a set of bearing elements and said bearing elements of a said set carried by said first member are interleaved with said bearing elements of a said set carried by said second member to define at least six substantially parallel interleaf gaps between successive said elements so that bearing forces can be developed as a result of magnetic shear stresses acting across said gaps, the bearing being arranged so that at least one set of flux lines can come to exist which crosses said interleaf gaps at an angle to a normal to surfaces of the bearing elements that define said interleaf gaps so that a single set of flux lines is caused to follow a zig-zag path as it passes through said interleaved bearing elements, wherein electrically conductive material is arranged within one or more of said interleaved bearing elements to allow flow of electric currents in order to influence a path of magnetic flux across at least one said interleaf gap.