Retention of ball bearing cartridge for turbomachinery

1. A method of limiting movement of an outer race of a bearing cartridge comprising:

positioning the bearing cartridge in a substantially cylindrical bore of a housing having a longitudinal axis, an inner diameter exceeding an outer diameter of the outer race, a proximate end and a distal end;

limiting axial movement of the outer race at the distal end of the cylindrical bore with a counterbore of the housing, the counterbore substantially coaxial to the cylindrical bore and having an inner diameter less than the outer diameter of the outer race;

limiting axial movement of the outer race at the proximate end of the cylindrical bore with a plate positioned substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis;

limiting azimuthal rotation of the outer race with a pin positioned in a pin opening of the housing accessible via a lubricant drain and received via an opening in the outer race having an axial dimension that, in combination with the plate and the counterbore, provides axial clearance between the outer race and the pin;

providing an annular clearance between the outer race and the bore for forming a first lubricant film;

providing another annular clearance between the outer race and the bore for forming a second lubricant film that comprises a thickness that differs from a thickness of the first lubricant film;

providing a transition region between the annular clearances; and

providing a lubricant passage extending from a well of the outer race for directing lubricant to bearings of the bearing cartridge.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the pin axis substantially intersects the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical bore at a non-orthogonal angle.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing lubricant;

forming the first lubricant film between the outer race and the bore and limiting radial freedom of the bearing using the first lubricant film; and

forming the second lubricant film between the outer race and the bore and damping bearing vibrations using the second lubricant film.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing lubricant, forming the lubricant films and reducing noise, vibration and loading by a thicker of the lubricant films.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing lubricant, forming the lubricant films and limiting radial freedom of the bearing in the bore by a thinner of the lubricant films.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing lubricant and forming the lubricant films wherein the thickness of the first lubricant film is thicker than the thickness of the second lubricant film by a factor of approximately 2.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing lubricant and forming the lubricant films wherein the first lubricant film is thicker than the thickness of the second lubricant film and wherein the second lubricant film forms adjacent to the distal end of the bore or adjacent to the proximate end of the bore.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising

providing lubricant,

forming a pair of lubricant films having approximately the same thickness wherein the pair comprises the second lubricant film,

limiting radial freedom of the bearing in the bore using the pair of lubricant films, and

damping bearing vibration using the first lubricant film wherein the first lubricant film is thicker than the thickness of the pair of lubricant films.

9. A method comprising:

positioning a bearing cartridge in a substantially cylindrical bore of a housing having a longitudinal axis, an inner diameter exceeding an outer diameter of the outer race, a proximate end and a distal end;

limiting axial movement of the outer race at the distal end of the cylindrical bore with a counterbore of the housing, the counterbore substantially coaxial to the cylindrical bore and having an inner diameter less than the outer diameter of the outer race;

limiting axial movement of the outer race at the proximate end of the cylindrical bore with a plate positioned substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis;

limiting rotation of the outer race with a pin positioned in a pin opening accessible via a lubricant drain and received via an opening in the outer race having an axial dimension that avoids transmitting axial thrust loads from the outer race to the pin;

providing a lubricant passage extending from a well of the outer race for directing lubricant to bearings of the bearing cartridge;

providing annular clearances between the outer race and the bore configured to form a pair of lubricant films to limit radial freedom of the bearing cartridge in the bore and to form at least one lubricant film to damp vibrations of the bearing cartridge in the bore; and

providing a transition region between each of the annular clearances that forms a respective one of the pair of lubricant films to limit radial freedom and one of the annular clearances that forms at least one of the at least one lubricant film to damp vibrations.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising providing the annular clearances to position at least one of the at least one lubricant film to damp vibrations between the pair of lubricant films to limit radial freedom.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising providing lubricant and rotating a turbocharger shaft seated in the bearing cartridge.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising limiting radial freedom and damping vibrations while rotating the turbocharger shaft.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the annular clearances configured to form the pair of lubricant films have a radial dimension of approximately one half the annular clearance configured to form one of the at least one lubricant films to damp vibrations.