摘要 |
A method of manufacturing a foil bearing includes the steps of supporting a metal foil or foils (22) by a plurality of support assemblies (13, 14, 15) equally spaced from each other around a mandrel (20), placing the foil/s under tension, heat treating the foil/s to effect plastic deformation of the foil/s and cooling the foil/s to form a bearing surface of an exact contoured copy of the outer surface of the mandrel. The mandrel is of a larger diameter than a rotary shaft to be positioned in the bearing. Consequently, a predetermined clearance between the bearing surface and the shaft can be obtained. <IMAGE> |