Seizure-free, highly fluid tight and lightweight vane compressor

Claim 1

A vane compressor comprising: a cylindrical peripheral wall member having an endless camming inner peripheral surface; first and second end wall members secured to opposite ends of said cylindrical peripheral wall member and defining a pump housing in cooperation therewith; a cylindrical rotor rotatably fitted within said pump housing in concentricity with said cylindrical peripheral wall member, said cylindrical rotor having an outer peripheral surface thereof formed with a plurality of axial slits; a plurality of vanes each inserted in a different one of said axial slits of said rotor for radial sliding motions therein; a liner member disposed on said cylindrical peripheral wall member along a substantially whole endless camming inner peripheral surface thereof, said liner member being formed in a separate body from said peripheral wall member and formed of a material having a higher resistance against abrasion than said wall member, said liner member having an inner peripheral surface thereof formed with at least one break extending thereacross and through a whole thickness thereof, said liner member being elastically radially outwardly unfoldable due to the presence of said break and having a whole surface thereof elastically permanently urging said cylindrical peripheral wall member in radially outward directions; and means for preventing circumferential dislocation of said liner member; said endless camming inner peripheral surface of said cylindrical peripheral wall member having opposite inner peripheral surface portions defining a minimum inner diameter thereof therebetween, said opposite inner peripheral surface portions being formed with first and second elongate recesses opening in said endless camming inner peripheral surface and extending thereacross and parallel with the axis of said rotor; said cylindrical peripheral wall member including passage means for guiding compression fluid pumped out of said pump housing into said elongate recesses; said liner member extending across said recesses over circumferential lengths thereof and being partially urgedly bent by said rotor and located in said elongate recesses, each of said recesses and said liner member cooperating to define a space therebetween; whereby said compression fluid pumped out of said pump housing is introduced into said space through said passage means to keep said liner member and said rotor in close contact with each other.