IP Library › Granted Patent US 12680573
Granted Patent B2
US 12680573 · App. 18/839,148 · Granted Jul 14, 2026

Gas bearing device

Inventors: Takaya Futae (Tokyo, JP); Hideaki Nishida (Tokyo, JP); Shuichi Isayama (Tokyo, JP); Naomichi Shibata (Sagamihara, JP); Shingo Tanaka (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES ENGINE & TURBOCHARGER, LTD.
F16C17/024
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12680573
App. No.
18/839,148
Granted
Jul 14, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A gas bearing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises: a housing which has therein a housing space that houses a rotary shaft and in which a groove portion extending along the axial direction of the rotary shaft is formed in an inner peripheral surface that defines the housing space; a top foil which is provided in an annular gap formed between the inner peripheral surface and the rotary shaft and which has one end portion in the circumferential direction of the rotary shaft inserted in the groove portion; and a backup foil which is provided in the annular gap on the outer side of the top foil so as to surround the top foil, which is configured to elastically support the top foil, and which has one end portion in the circumferential direction of the rotary shaft inserted in the groove portion such that the one end portion is positioned on one side in the groove portion with respect to the one end portion of the top foil. The groove portion includes a pair of side wall surfaces which are disposed so as to face each other and which include one side wall surface positioned on the one side in the groove portion and the other side wall surface positioned on the other side in the groove portion. The gas bearing device further comprises a pressing force application means disposed in the groove portion and configured to press each of the one end portions of the top foil and the backup foil against the other side wall surface.

Claims (31)

1 . A gas bearing device comprising:

a housing internally having an accommodation space for accommodating a rotary shaft, a groove portion extending along an axial direction of the rotary shaft being formed on an inner peripheral surface defining the accommodation space in the housing;

a top foil provided in an annular gap formed between the inner peripheral surface and the rotary shaft, one end portion in a circumferential direction of the rotary shaft being inserted into the groove portion; and

a backup foil provided in the annular gap to surround the top foil on an outer side of the top foil and configured to elastically support the top foil, the backup foil being inserted into the groove portion such that the one end portion in the circumferential direction is located on one side in the groove portion with respect to one end portion of the top foil,

wherein the groove portion includes a pair of side wall surfaces disposed to face each other, the pair of side wall surfaces including

one side wall surface located on the one side in the groove portion,

the other side wall surface located on the other side in the groove portion, and

the gas bearing device further comprises pressing force application means disposed in the groove portion, and configured to press the one end portion of each of the top foil and the backup foil against the other side wall surface,

wherein the pressing force application means includes a spring member configured separately from the backup foil, the spring member being disposed along an extending direction of the groove portion, and

wherein the spring member is a torsion coil spring formed by bending one rod member into a coil shape, the torsion coil spring having a one-side linear portion extending along the one side wall surface at one end portion of the rod member and the other-side linear portion extending along the other side wall surface at the other end portion of the rod member.

2 . The gas bearing device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the other side wall surface has an arithmetic average roughness Ra of 3 μm or greater and 50 μm or smaller.

3 . A gas bearing device comprising:

a housing internally having an accommodation space for accommodating a rotary shaft, a groove portion extending along an axial direction of the rotary shaft being formed on an inner peripheral surface defining the accommodation space in the housing;

a top foil provided in an annular gap formed between the inner peripheral surface and the rotary shaft, one end portion in a circumferential direction of the rotary shaft being inserted into the groove portion; and

a backup foil provided in the annular gap to surround the top foil on an outer side of the top foil and configured to elastically support the top foil, the backup foil being inserted into the groove portion such that the one end portion in the circumferential direction is located on one side in the groove portion with respect to one end portion of the top foil,

wherein the groove portion includes a pair of side wall surfaces disposed to face each other, the pair of side wall surfaces including

one side wall surface located on the one side in the groove portion, and

the other side wall surface located on the other side in the groove portion,

the gas bearing device further comprises pressing force application means disposed

in the groove portion, and configured to press the one end portion of each of the top foil and the backup foil against the other side wall surface, and

wherein the pressing force application means includes an extending portion formed integrally with the backup foil in the one end portion of the backup foil, the extending portion extending from the other side toward the one side in the groove portion.

4 . A gas bearing device comprising:

a housing internally having an accommodation space for accommodating a rotary shaft, a groove portion extending along an axial direction of the rotary shaft being formed on an inner peripheral surface defining the accommodation space in the housing;

a top foil provided in an annular gap formed between the inner peripheral surface and the rotary shaft, one end portion in a circumferential direction of the rotary shaft being inserted into the groove portion; and

a backup foil provided in the annular gap to surround the top foil on an outer side of the top foil and configured to elastically support the top foil, the backup foil being inserted into the groove portion such that the one end portion in the circumferential direction is located on one side in the groove portion with respect to one end portion of the top foil,

wherein the groove portion includes an inclined groove portion in which a distance from a center line of the rotary shaft decreases from one side toward the other side in the axial direction, and

the one end portion of each of the top foil and the backup foil is disposed in the inclined groove portion such that a tip of each of the one end portions abuts on a bottom surface of the inclined groove portion.

5 . The gas bearing device according to claim 4 , further comprising:

a second housing connected to the housing on one side in the axial direction,

wherein the one end portion of each of the top foil and the backup foil is disposed in the inclined groove portion in a state where a pressing force is applied from the one side toward the other side in the axial direction by the second housing.