Patent ID: 6921210

Claim:
A thrust bearing for use in journaling a rotating shaft in a lubricated environment subject to thrust loading, said thrust bearing, comprising: first and second bearing halves having arcuate shell portions abutting one another about a longitudinal axis of said bearing, and a pair of longitudinally spaced thrust flanges disposed on each of said bearing halves and extending radially outwardly of said shell portions and presenting longitudinally outwardly facing thrust faces, one of said thrust faces of each of said bearing halves comprising a contoured thrust face having hydrodynamic recessed features driving said contoured thrust face into a plurality of spaced thrust pads and shaped to induce a hydrodynamic flow of lubricating oil across said contoured thrust face during operation of said bearing, and the other of said thrust faces of each of said bearing halves being substantially free of such hydrodynamic recessed features; and wherein said contoured thrust face of said first bearing half is arranged on a longitudinally opposite side of said first bearing half than that of said contoured thrust face of said second bearing half such that said contoured thrust faces face in longitudinally opposite directions.