摘要 |
A self-replenishing hydrodynamic bearing unit comprises a shaft and housing defining an opening for receiving the shaft for relative unidirectional rotation. A plurality of reservoirs contain a lubricating fluid. A hydrodynamic bearing region lies between the plurality of reservoirs for providing a rotational journal for relative rotation between the shaft and the housing. At least one of the shaft and the housing defines a continuous pattern of herringbone or Vee-shaped pumping grooves or passages which communicate between the plurality of reservoirs for pumping the lubricating fluid during relative rotation. The groove pumping creates a pressurized hydrodynamic bearing lubricant film at the bearing region with each groove generating localized unidirectional directional flow of lubricating liquid between the reservoirs along a predetermined axial direction of rotation, wherein some passages create axial flow in a forward direction and the others create axial flow in a reverse direction. The passages are arranged so that a total of the axial flows from all of the pumping passages is essentially zero.
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