Patent ID: 8197144

Claim:
An apparatus for supporting a rotating shaft, comprising: a housing surrounding the shaft; a plurality of tilting pads arranged within the inner circumference of the housing between the housing and the shaft, the plurality of pads extend in contiguous manner circumferentially around the shaft wherein a space exists between adjacent tilting pads; and a plurality of retaining devices each arranged between adjacent tilting pads in the space where the retaining devices prevent circumferential movement of the pads around the inner circumference of the housing due to rotation of the shaft, wherein rotation of a pad of the plurality of pads occurs without circumferential slippage of the pad around the inner circumference of the housing, wherein the plurality of retaining devices are elongate in form, and, in a region where the at least one tilting pad contacts the one retaining device, the one retaining device is circular in cross-section, wherein each retaining device is a cylindrical retaining pin having a conical end, and throughout the rotation of the pad the inclined surface of the conical end follows the path taken by a radially outer edge of the end of the pad in contact with the retaining pin as the pad rocks within the housing due to the vibration of the shaft.