摘要 |
A hydrodynamic bearing and methods of manufacturing the same. The bearing includes a bearing pad structure that may change shape and move in any direction (six degrees of freedom) to form a converging wedge for hydrodynamic operation, and to adjust for any shaft misalignment. The pad is separated from the support member by one or more beam-like members the beams extend substantially parallel to the plane of the face of the pad. The beams allow deflection of the pad by either deflecting or twisting in a torsional mode. The bearings may be made of a wide variety of materials including, plastics, ceramics, powdered metals, composites and metals. The bearings may be manufactured by injection molding, casting, powdered metal die casting, extrusion, electric discharge or laser cutting.
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