BEARING ARRANGEMENT

摘要

A bearing arrangement which is to be used for supporting a rotatable shaft (2) used in a system employing a pressurized medium at a pressure which is partially dependent on the speed of rotation of the shaft (2) includes a main bearing sleeve (7) mounted on a support (3) and surrounding the shaft (2). The working medium is supplied between the shaft (2) and the bearing sleeve (7) to fully support the shaft (2) in the bearing sleeve (7) when the pressure of the working medium exceeds a predetermined value. The bearing arrangement further includes at least one, but possibly more than one, auxiliary bearing (12) including a split bearing ring (16) which has a conical outer circumferential surface (21) and a stationary outer bearing ring (14) surrounding the split bearing ring (16) and having a conical inner ramp surface (20). A resilient spring (22) acts on the split bearing ring (16) in one axial direction of the shaft (2) against pressure forces of working medium to cause the contact surface (21) to slide on the ramp surface (20) with an attendant reduction in the transverse dimensions of the split bearing ring (16) to bring the inner surface of the split bearing ring (16) into supporting contact with the shaft (2) for the auxiliary bearing (12) to furnish at least a portion of the required supporting effect when the pressure of the working medium is below the predetermined value.