Thrust bearings, compressors and air conditioners

Abstract

The present invention discloses a thrust bearing, a compressor and an air conditioner, which relate to the field of compressors and are used to improve the dynamic pressure performance of a thrust bearing. The thrust bearing includes a housing and a throttle. The housing has a through hole, and the through hole of the housing is provided with an inner recess on one side surface along the axial direction, and the bottom of the inner recess is provided with an air vent that runs through the axial direction of the housing. The throttle is fixed in the inner recess, and a first area is provided on the side of the throttle away from the bottom of the inner recess; the first area is constructed to form an air film with varying thickness. The thrust bearing provided by the above technical solution improves the dynamic pressure performance of the thrust bearing, increases the bearing capacity of the thrust bearing, and enhances the impact resistance of the thrust bearing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of compressors, and in particular to a thrust bearing, a compressor and an air conditioner. Background Art

[0002] The compressor includes a gas static thrust bearing and a thrust plate, which fit together. The gas static thrust bearing uses gas as the lubricating medium, and the high-pressure gas flows into the thrust bearing after passing through the throttle. The gas forms an air film with a certain pressure distribution between the thrust bearing and the thrust plate, generating an air film force for balancing the axial force.

[0003] In the related art, a gas static pressure thrust bearing is provided with a throttle on the surface of the thrust bearing, and the throttle includes a slit throttle, a small hole throttle and a porous throttle.

[0004] The inventors have found that there are at least the following problems in the prior art: the bearing capacity of the gas static pressure thrust bearing is determined by the air film force formed after the compressed gas passes through the throttle, and is closely related to the size of the gas supply pressure. The axial force of the refrigeration compressor is closely related to the rotation speed. The compressor working conditions often change, and the rotation speed also changes continuously, causing the axial force of the rotor to fluctuate. However, in the related art, when the gas supply pressure is constant, the size of the air film force between the gas static pressure thrust bearing and the thrust plate is determined, which makes it impossible for the air film force to balance with the axial force, thereby causing the compressor to work unstably. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention provides a thrust bearing, a compressor and an air conditioner, which are used to improve the dynamic pressure performance of the thrust bearing.

[0006] Some embodiments of the present invention provide a thrust bearing, comprising:

[0007] A shell having a through hole, wherein a concave portion is provided on one side surface of the through hole of the shell along the axial direction, and a vent hole penetrating the axial direction of the shell is provided at the bottom of the concave portion; and

[0008] A throttle is fixed in the inner concave portion, and a first area is arranged on a side of the throttle away from the bottom of the inner concave portion; the first area is configured to form an air film with varying thickness.

[0009] In some embodiments, a second area is further provided on a side of the throttle away from the bottom of the inner recess, and the second area is adjacent to the first area;

[0010] Wherein, along the rotation direction of the rotor on which the thrust bearing is installed, the second area is located downstream of the first area.

[0011] In some embodiments, the second region is provided with an air groove.

[0012] In some embodiments, the second region is provided with inwardly recessed air grooves in a row.

[0013] In some embodiments, the air groove is constructed as one of the following: a herringbone groove, a spiral groove, or a trapezoidal groove.

[0014] In some embodiments, the intersection of the two grooves of the herringbone groove is located downstream of other areas of the two grooves themselves.

[0015] In some embodiments, in the rotation direction of the rotor on which the thrust bearing is installed, the thickness of the air film formed in the first region gradually decreases.

[0016] In some embodiments, the first region is configured as an inclined surface, and a side of the first region connected to the second region is higher than the other side of the first region.

[0017] In some embodiments, the inclination angle of the slope is 3° to 6°.

[0018] In some embodiments, a height of one side of the first region connected to the second region is 15 μm to 25 μm higher than the other side of the first region.

[0019] In some embodiments, a plurality of the inner recesses are provided along the circumference of the shell, at least one throttle is fixed in each of the inner recesses, and the vent hole is provided at the bottom of each of the inner recesses.

[0020] In some embodiments, the throttle is made of isostatic graphite.

[0021] Other embodiments of the present invention provide a compressor, comprising a thrust bearing provided by any technical solution of the present invention.

[0022] Still other embodiments of the present invention provide an air conditioner, comprising a compressor provided by any technical solution of the present invention.

[0023] The thrust bearing provided by the above technical solution has a throttle installed in the inner recess of the shell, and the throttle is provided with a first area. After the thrust bearing is installed in the compressor, an air film with varying thickness will be formed between the thrust bearing and the thrust plate. The thickness of the air film will affect the size of the air film force. When the compressor speed is high, the air film force is large; when the compressor speed is low, the air film force is small. The above performance makes the air film force provided by the air film related to the speed of the compressor, so as to improve the dynamic pressure performance of the thrust bearing, increase the bearing capacity of the thrust bearing, and enhance the impact resistance of the thrust bearing. In addition, the thrust bearing adopts gas lubrication, which reduces the energy loss of the thrust bearing and improves the energy utilization rate of the compressor as a whole. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of this application. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0025] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the thrust bearing structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the front view structure of a thrust bearing throttle provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the top view structure of a thrust bearing throttle provided in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Combine the following Figure 1 to Figure 3 The technical solution provided by the present invention is described in more detail.

[0029] See also Figure 1 Some embodiments of the present invention provide a thrust bearing, including a housing 1 and a throttle 2.

[0030] The shell 1 mainly serves to fix the throttle 2 and provide an air supply channel for the throttle 2. The shell 1 has a through hole 11, and the through hole 11 of the shell 1 is provided with an inner recess 12 on one side surface along the axial direction, and the bottom of the inner recess 12 is provided with an air vent 13 that runs through the axial direction of the shell 1. The shell 1 is used to provide support, and the shell 1 is disc-shaped. A through hole 11 is provided in the middle of the shell 1, and the through hole 11 is used to pass the rotating shaft of the compressor. A concave portion 12 that is concave inward is provided on one side surface of the shell 1, and the concave portion 12 is used to install the throttle 2. For example, the throttle 2 is glued and installed in the inner recess 12 by glue.

[0031] The throttle 2 includes two opposite surfaces: a first surface and a second surface. The first surface is in contact with the bottom surface of the inner recess 12, and the second surface is roughly flush with the top of the inner recess 12. A first area 21 is provided on the side of the throttle 2 away from the bottom of the inner recess 12, i.e., the side where the second surface is located. The first area 21 is configured to form an air film with varying thickness. The throttle 2 adopts a fan-shaped structure, with the inner side close to the through hole 11 and the outer side away from the through hole 11. The arc length of the inner side is shorter than the arc length of the outer side.

[0032] The throttle 2 is made of isostatic graphite or sintered porous material. Sintered porous materials include metal and ceramic sintered materials. As porous materials, isostatic graphite materials and sintered porous materials have the characteristics of good temperature resistance, high compressive strength, stable chemical properties, good mechanical processing performance, etc., and can adapt to the working environment of the refrigerant medium of the refrigeration compressor.

[0033] The thrust bearing provided by the above technical solution has a first region 21, and the first region 21 can form an air film with varying thickness. This makes the thrust bearing a static pressure bearing, but also has a good dynamic pressure effect, and also improves the load-bearing capacity of the thrust bearing.

[0034] In some embodiments, the throttle 2 is further provided with a second region 22 on one side away from the bottom of the inner recess 12 (i.e., the side where the second surface is located). The first region 21 and the second region 22 are integrally formed or fixedly connected in other ways (such as sintering, etc.). The second region 22 is a flat plate parallel to the bearing housing 1. The second region 22 is provided with an air groove 22a. Along the rotation direction W of the rotor mounted with the thrust bearing, the second region 22 is located downstream of the first region 21. The rotation direction of the rotor mounted with the thrust bearing is unidirectional, Figure 1 The illustrated situation is a clockwise rotation situation.

[0035] For each throttle 2, the second area 22 on the throttle 2 is arranged at the front end of the first area 21 (i.e., downstream of the rotor rotation direction where the thrust bearing is installed), and the gas flows through the wedge-shaped area and enters the second area 22. Providing the gas groove 22a can effectively increase the dynamic pressure effect of the thrust bearing and enhance the impact resistance of the thrust bearing.

[0036] The thrust bearing provided by the above technical solution is a gas static pressure thrust bearing, but it also has good dynamic pressure effect, good impact resistance and relatively large bearing capacity, so that the dynamic pressure performance and bearing capacity of the thrust bearing are not only related to the gas supply pressure, but also related to the rotational speed of the compressor. The bearing capacity increases with the increase of the gas supply pressure and increases with the increase of the rotational speed, which enables the thrust bearing to better adapt to the requirements of the complex working conditions of the refrigeration compressor for the thrust bearing performance.

[0037] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments, the second region 22 is provided with inwardly concave air grooves 22a in a row. The air grooves 22a with a certain depth are processed in the rotation direction. The second region 22 is provided with two air grooves 22a, and the number of the air grooves 22a close to the center direction is less than the number of the air grooves 22a close to the edge direction. This structure has better dynamic pressure performance.

[0038] The air grooves 22a are, for example, herringbone air grooves, other types of air grooves 22a structures that enhance the dynamic pressure effect, such as spiral air grooves, trapezoidal air grooves, etc. The arrangement of the air grooves 22a can be uniform or staggered. The number and arrangement positions of the air grooves 22a can be flexibly adjusted according to the system's demand for axial force. The spacing, width, and depth of the air grooves 22a are to be determined based on the actual size of the bearing. The depth of the air grooves 22a is very small compared to the thickness of the throttle 2, so it will not affect the effect of the throttle 2. The depth of the air grooves 22a is, for example, 5μm to 20μm, specifically 5μm, 8μm, 10μm, 14μm, 16μm, and 20μm.

[0039] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments, the intersection of the two grooves of the herringbone groove is located downstream of other areas of each air groove 22a. The air groove 22a of the herringbone groove enhances the dynamic pressure effect and improves the impact resistance of the thrust bearing.

[0040] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments, the first region 21 is constructed as an inclined surface, and the side where the first region 21 is connected to the second region 22 is higher than the other side of the first region 21. Along the rotation direction of the rotor on which the thrust bearing is installed, the thickness of the throttle 2 corresponding to the first region 21 gradually increases, and the thickness of the air film gradually decreases. The above-mentioned shape of the first region 21 is also referred to as: the convergence direction of the first region 21 of the throttle 2 is the same as the rotation direction of the thrust bearing. The convergence zone is formed by changing the thickness of the throttle 2. By setting the first region 21 in the rotation direction of the bearing, the thickness of the air film of the thrust bearing gradually decreases in the rotation direction, the air film is convergent, the air film pressure rises, and the bearing capacity increases.

[0041] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments, the inclination angle α of the inclined surface is 3° to 6°.

[0042] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments, the height of the side where the first region 21 and the second region 22 are connected is 15 μm to 25 μm higher than the other side of the first region 21. The size change of the wedge-shaped region is about 20 μm, which is very small compared with the thickness of the restrictor 2. Therefore, the wedge-shaped region has little effect on the thickness of the restrictor 2.

[0043] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2In some embodiments, a plurality of inner recesses 12 are provided along the circumference of the housing 1, at least one throttle 2 is fixed in each inner recess 12, and a vent hole 13 is provided at the bottom of each inner recess 12. The thrust bearing provided by the above technical solution has multiple throttles 2, and the multi-throttle 2 pad structure makes the air supply pressure of the pad more uniform, and the thrust bearing obtains uniform air film pressure in the circumferential direction, and finally makes the pressure of the thrust bearing in the circumferential direction evenly distributed.

[0044] Other embodiments of the present invention provide a compressor, comprising a thrust bearing provided by any technical solution of the present invention.

[0045] The compressor further comprises a thrust plate, and the thrust plate and the side of the thrust bearing where the throttle 2 is arranged are in close contact, and an air film with varying thickness is formed between the thrust plate and the first area 21 of the thrust bearing.

[0046] Still other embodiments of the present invention provide an air conditioner, comprising a compressor provided by any technical solution of the present invention.

[0047] In the description of the present invention, it is necessary to understand that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the protection content of the present invention.

[0048] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein, but these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A thrust bearing, characterized in that: include: A shell (1) having a through hole (11) extending therethrough, wherein a concave portion (12) is provided on one side surface of the through hole (11) of the shell (1) along an axial direction, and a vent hole (13) extending through the shell (1) in an axial direction is provided at the bottom of the concave portion (12); and A throttle (2) is fixed in the inner recess (12); a first area (21) is provided on a side of the throttle (2) away from the bottom of the inner recess (12); the first area (21) is configured to form an air film with varying thickness; A second area (22) is further provided on a side of the throttle (2) away from the bottom of the inner recess (12), and the second area (22) is adjacent to the first area (21); Wherein, along the rotation direction of the rotor on which the thrust bearing is installed, the second region (22) is located downstream of the first region (21); The second region (22) is provided with an air groove (22a); the air groove (22a) is configured as a herringbone groove; The intersection of the two grooves of the herringbone groove is located downstream of other areas of the two grooves themselves.

2. The thrust bearing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second area (22) is provided with inwardly recessed air grooves (22a) in a row.

3. The thrust bearing according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the rotation direction of the rotor on which the thrust bearing is mounted, the thickness of the air film formed in the first region (21) gradually decreases.

4. The thrust bearing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first region (21) is configured as an inclined surface, and a side where the first region (21) is connected to the second region (22) is higher than the other side of the first region (21).

5. The thrust bearing according to claim 4, characterized in that: The inclination angle of the inclined surface is 3° to 6°.

6. The thrust bearing according to claim 4, characterized in that: The height of one side where the first region (21) and the second region (22) are connected is 15 μm to 25 μm higher than the other side of the first region (21).

7. The thrust bearing according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of the inner recesses (12) are arranged along the circumference of the housing (1), at least one throttle (2) is fixed in each of the inner recesses (12), and a vent hole (13) is arranged at the bottom of each of the inner recesses (12).

8. The thrust bearing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the throttle (2) is isostatically pressed graphite or sintered porous material.

9. A compressor, characterized in that: It comprises the thrust bearing described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. An air conditioner, characterized in that: Comprising the compressor as claimed in claim 9.

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