Abstract A bearing for supporting at least first and second members for movement relative to one another comprising a rolling bearing assembly including at least a pair of spaced apart rings having confronting raceways and a plurality of rolling elements in the annular space between said rings, one of said rings being mounted on one of said members, and a hydrostatic bearing assembly cooperatively associated with said rolling bearing assembly and including an element mounted on said other member having a surface confronting said other ring, means defining at least one chamber for a fluid medium under pressure formed by at least one pocket in said surface of said hydrostatic bearing element and the outer surface of said other ring whereby in operation of the bearing under applied load, when said chamber is pressurized, pressurization of said chamber operates to produce a force acting in a line containing the rings and rolling elements and in a direction to counterbalance the applied load and the rings rotate at substantially the same angular rate due to the fact that the friction in the rolling bearing is higher than in said hydrostatic bearing and said other ring engages the surface of said hydrostatic bearing when said chamber is not pressurized whereby said rings rotate relative to one another.
A thrust bearing for supporting at least first and second members for movement relative to one another comprising a rolling bearing assembly including at least a pair of spaced apart rings having confronting raceways and a plurality of rolling elements in the annular space between said rings, one of said rings being mounted on one of said members, and a hydrostatic bearing assembly cooperatively associated with said rolling bearing assembly and including an element mounted on said other member having a surface confronting said other ring, means defining at least one chamber for a fluid medium under pressure formed by at least one pocket in said surface of said hydrostatic bearing element and the outer surface of said other ring whereby in operation of the bearing under applied thrust load, when said chamber is pressurized, pressurization of said chamber operates to produce a force acting in a line containing the rings and rolling elements and in a direction to counterbalance the applied thrust load and the rings rotate at substantially the same angular rate due to the fact that the friction in the rolling bearing is higher than in said hydrostatic bearing and said other ring engages the surface of said hydrostatic bearing when said chamber is not pressurized whereby said rings rotate relative to one another.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
217 words
A thrust bearing for supporting at least first and second members for movement relative to one another comprising a rolling bearing assembly including at least a pair of spaced apart rings having confronting raceways and a plurality of rolling elements in the annular space between said rings, one of said rings being mounted on one of said members, and a hydrostatic bearing assembly cooperatively associated with said rolling bearing assembly and including an element mounted on said other member having a surface confronting said other ring, means defining at least one chamber for a fluid medium under pressure formed by at least one pocket in said surface of said hydrostatic bearing element and the outer surface of said other ring whereby in operation of the bearing under applied thrust load, when said chamber is pressurized, pressurization of said chamber operates to produce a force acting in a line containing the rings and rolling elements and in a direction to counterbalance the applied thrust load and the rings rotate at substantially the same angular rate due to the fact that the friction in the rolling bearing is higher than in said hydrostatic bearing and said other ring engages the surface of said hydrostatic bearing when said chamber is not pressurized whereby said rings rotate relative to one another.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
93 words
A bearing according to claim 1 wherein said rolling bearing comprises inner and outer rings provided with a raceway for the rolling elements on their confronting faces and another ring disposed between said inner and outer rings having raceways on opposite annular faces thereof and wherein rolling elements are provided between said inner ring and said other ring and between said outer ring and said other ring, and wherein said hydrostatic bearing includes an annular element confronting each of said inner and outer rings at the annular face thereof opposite the raceway face.