A self-pressurizing compliant gas thrust bearing includes a resilient support system having a multi-stage spring arrangement for supporting a flexible foil. The compliant and resilient support system enables the bearing to accomodate extreme transient loads, local thermal distortions, shaft misalignment and runout.

A hydrodynamic process or gas bearing is disclosed which includes an integral thrust disk defining a plurality of foil elements, the radially outer edge of the disk being displaced from the major bearing surface to form a circumferential step having a varying height profile. The integral thrust disk may in the alternative or in addition, include a plurality of radially outwardly extending tabs to locally increase the flexural rigidity of the disk.

The leading edges of the segmented corrugated springs of each of the two bump foils of a hydrodynamic thrust bearing are offset such that the leading edge in the upper segmented corrugated springs are circumferentially spaced relative to the leading edge of the lower segmented corrugated springs that is underlying each respective segment of the bump foils. In some embodiments the leading edge of the bump foil is attached and the trailing edge is free to move axially and in other embodiments the reverse occurs where the trailing edge of the bump foil is attached and the leading edge is free to move axially.

Cooling is provided for a foil journal bearing by means of flow openings in the individual overlapping foils without adversely affecting the compliance of the foils.

A spring cluster disc (14) for a foil thrust bearing (10) is provided with a plurality of sets (52) of springs (62,64,66). The springs are configured to provide varying spring force and thus varying stiffness in radial and circumferential directions.