Compliant fluid foil member for hydrodynamic fluid film thrust bearing

摘要

The compliant fluid foil member for a hydrodynamic fluid film thrust bearing comprises an annular compliant foil disk (154), including a plurality of converging ramps and diverging joggles to form alternating converging and relatively steep diverging wedge channels on the surface of said disk (154). The converging wedge channels are generally scoop-shaped to limit the leakage of process fluid from the sides of the channels. The converging wedge channel ramps formed on the surface of the foil disk, define a plurality of compliant fluid foils (155) having compound curve profiles with concave curvatures radially, flat slopes circumferentially at rest and convex curvatures circumferentially at operating speed when process fluid dynamic forces and spring forces are applied to said compliant fluid foils (155).