Stackable, captive liquid hydro-static axial bearing design

grabcad

A model of a hydro-static bearing design in which hub and perimeter axial load bearing circular sections are stacked alternatively on top of each other, axially, to the desired total number of segments.The alternating hub/core and perimeter sections are kept apart by in-compressible liquid (such as mineral oil or even distilled water if the materials used in construction of the components precludes corrosion concerns) trapped in sealed compartments formed by each pair of alternating sections.Ideally, the sealed compartments should not leak (especially when sufficiently many segments are used as the given same load is spread across a greater surface area the more segments are used, which results in the load bearing liquid experiencing less pressure and thus being less likely to leak) but I nevertheless modelled passage ways in the core/hub sections for the purpose of replacing liquid lost to leakage under load.This also has the additional benefit of enabling a (limited) shock absorbing functionality, as sudden load spikes which cause the alternating sections to be pushed closer together will thereby attempt to squeeze the in-compressible liquid out from in-between the core and perimeter segments.In such cases, the channels in the hub sections, normally intended to be used to replace leaked fluid, would enable a controlled, limited and restricted outflow of liquid from the bearing's chambers, which would permit the dissipation/attenuation of the sudden load spike. The liquid would then be pumped back in to the bearing as soon as the load spike was fully absorbed or subsided.Because of the large surface area of the bearing's internal, load bearing compartments, the working fluid pressure should not experience an un-manageable increase in pressure as a result of load spikes.However, conversely - for the same reason, the alternating segments coming closer together by even just a small amount could result in a relatively large amount of working fluid being displaced from inside the bearing.Envisaged use cases would be high axial load with comparatively relatively low (and, ideally, no) radial load applications where massive axial forces need to be withstood on a sustained, long term basis with as little friction and wear as possible. So ship propeller shaft thrust bearings or generator turbine thrust bearings would probably be a prime application for this design.The perimeter / outer sections are in green and the hub / core sections are in red. The model also includes representation of the circular seals expected to be required to prevent leakage.