Patent ID: 8622620

Claim:
An air bearing shaft comprising: a shaft body having a first cylindrical portion with a relatively small outer diameter, and a ramped surface that extends at an angle that is non-perpendicular and non-parallel to a central axis of the shaft body, said ramped surface leading into a second cylindrical portion with a diameter greater than the diameter of said first cylindrical portion; twelve air holes formed in said shaft body, and extending into an interior of said second cylindrical portion, a bore diameter being defined to an inner periphery of said second cylindrical portion at said air holes, and a ratio of said bore diameter to a diameter of said air holes is between 6.30 and 6.54; a distance defined from an axial end of said second cylindrical portion remote from said ramped portion, and a ratio of said distance to said diameter of said air holes is between 10.80 and 11.21; and said twelve holes being equally spaced about a circumference of said second cylindrical portion.