Importance

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Abstract

A bearing for a gear pump including a bearing dam which has a surface, an inlet face relief located on the bearing dam, and a discharge face relief located on the bearing dam. A bearing dam wall is located between the inlet face relief and the discharge face relief and a bleed hole arrangement. The bleed hole arrangement includes a blind passage located on the discharge face relief, and a second passage positioned perpendicular to and connected to the blind passage. The second passage extends to the surface of the bearing dam. In an alternative embodiment, the second passage is of a stepped configuration. The bleed hole arrangement reduces cavitation on the bearing and gear surfaces by pulsing fuel into an inter-tooth volume formed between the gear teeth during gear rotation. The fuel is pulsed into the inter-tooth volume so as to introduce a small amount of fluid to reduce fluid accelerations and, hence, minimizing the formation of vapor cavities within the volume thus minimizing the amount of cavitation erosion on the gear teeth and bearing dams.

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First Claim