Housing fixing structure of air foil journal bearing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12331786-B2
Application number	US-202118277255-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2021
Priority date	Mar 17, 2021
Publication date	Jun 17, 2025
Grant date	Jun 17, 2025

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air foil journal bearing in which air is introduced between a foil and a rotor rotating at high speed and generates pressure to support a radial load of the rotor and allow the rotor to rotate smoothly, and more particularly, to a housing fixing structure of an air foil journal bearing that improves durability against external impact or vibration by restricting an axial movement of a bump by means of two opposite ends of the bump and a top foil fixing portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A housing fixing structure of an air foil journal bearing comprising:
a housing having a hollow portion in which a rotor is disposed, the housing comprising a first key groove concavely formed radially outward from an inner circumferential surface of the housing so as to be connected to the hollow portion;
a top foil provided inside the housing, formed in a circumferential direction, and having a pair of first bent portions formed by bending two opposite circumferential ends of the top foil radially outward, the pair of first bent portions being inserted into the first key groove; and
a bump provided between the housing and the top foil and formed in the circumferential direction,
wherein the bump comprises:
an insertion fixing portion formed through the bump so that the first bent portions of the top foil penetrate the insertion fixing portion and are fitted into the first key groove; and
second bent portions formed by bending two opposite circumferential ends of the bump radially outward,
wherein the housing comprises a second key groove disposed to be spaced apart circumferentially from the first key groove and concavely formed radially outward from the inner circumferential surface of the housing so as to be connected to the hollow portion, and
wherein the second bent portions are fitted into the second key groove.

2. The housing fixing structure of claim 1 , wherein a circumferential width of the second key groove is larger than a sum of circumferential thicknesses of the pair of second bent portions, and
wherein the bump is configured such that a second-first bent portion formed at one end and a second-second bent portion formed at the other end are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the circumferential direction and inserted into the second key groove.

3. The housing fixing structure of claim 1 , wherein a circumferential width of the second key groove is larger than a sum of circumferential thicknesses of the pair of second bent portions,
wherein the second bent portions comprises a second-first bent portion formed at one end of the bump, and a second-second bent portion formed at the other end of the bump,
wherein the second-first bent portion comprises:
a first inclined portion bent radially outward and inclined radially outward toward the second-second bent portion; and
a first junction portion bent radially outward from the first inclined portion, and
wherein the second-second bent portion comprises:
a second inclined portion bent radially outward and inclined radially outward toward the second-first bent portion; and
a second junction portion bent radially outward from the second inclined portion and joined to the first junction portion.

4. The housing fixing structure of claim 3 , wherein the bearing further comprises a fixing pin coupled to the second key groove to fix the first and second junction portions.

5. The housing fixing structure of claim 1 , wherein the first bent portion has two opposite axial ends spaced apart inward from two opposite axial ends of the top foil, and an axial width of the insertion fixing portion corresponds to an axial length of the first bent portion.

6. The housing fixing structure of claim 1 , wherein a direction opposite to rotation of the rotor is defined as first direction and a direction of rotation of the rotor is defined as second direction, the bump comprises:
a first region formed along the first direction from the first key groove to the second key groove; and
a second region formed along the second direction from the first flexible key groove to the second key groove, and
wherein a protruding length of a first convex portion formed in the first region and a protruding length of a second convex portion formed in the second region are different from each other.

7. The housing fixing structure of claim 6 , wherein when a circumferential length of the first region is longer than a circumferential length of the second region, the protruding length of the first convex portion is longer than a protruding length of the second convex portion.

8. The housing fixing structure of claim 6 , wherein the bearing is configured such that the protruding lengths of the protruding portions formed in the same region are equal to one another.

9. The housing fixing structure of claim 6 , wherein a difference in length between the first protruding portion formed in the first region and the second protruding portion formed in the second region is 0.01 mm to 0.1 mm.

10. The housing fixing structure of claim 6 , wherein a ratio of a circumferential length of the first region to a circumferential length of the second region is at most 65%: 35% and at least 55%: 45%.

11. The housing fixing structure of claim 1 , wherein a direction opposite to rotation of the rotor is defined as first direction and a direction of rotation of the rotor is defined as second direction, and
the first circumferential distance of the hollow part formed from the first key groove to the second key groove in the first direction is longer than the second circumferential distance of the hollow part formed from the first key groove to the second key groove in the second direction.

Assignees

• Hanon Systems

Inventors

• Sung Yeol Woo
• Kim Hyun Chil
• Park Gunwoong
• Park Min Gyu
• Park Chi Yong
• Yang Hyun Sup
• Lee Jong Sung
• Choi Kyu Sung

Classifications

• F16C17/024 Primary

  with flexible leaves to create hydrodynamic wedge, e.g. radial foil bearings · CPC title

• F16C35/02 Primary

  in the case of sliding-contact bearings · CPC title

• F16C27/02

  Sliding-contact bearings · CPC title

• F16C32/0603

  supported by a gas cushion, e.g. an air cushion · CPC title