Combined insulator and conductor assembly for bearings with encased insulator

A combined insulator and conductor assembly for a bearing disposable between a shaft and a housing, the bearing having an inner ring, an outer ring with opposing first and second axial ends, and a plurality of rolling elements between the rings, the shaft having an outer circumferential surface and the housing having an inner circumferential surface, the insulator and conductor assembly comprising:

• an annular insulator configured to be disposed about the bearing outer ring and to prevent electric current flow between the outer ring and the housing;
• and
• an annular conductor having an outer radial end, the outer end being disposed at least partially about the insulator and configured to engage with the housing inner surface, and an inner radial end configured to engage with the shaft outer surface so as to provide a conductive path between the shaft and the housing through the conductor inner and outer radial ends;
• wherein the conductor includes:
• a conductive carrier having a cylindrical portion providing the conductor outer radial end, the cylindrical portion having an inner circumferential surface disposed about the insulator outer surface and an outer circumferential surface configured to be disposed against and conductively engage with the housing inner surface, and a disk portion extending radially inwardly from the cylindrical portion so as to be axially adjacent to the bearing inner and outer rings, the disk portion having an inner radial end spaced radially outwardly from the shaft and defining a central opening configure to receive a portion of the shaft;
• and
• an annular conductive brush subassembly coupled with the carrier disk portion and including a centerline and a plurality of electrically conductive fibers, the conductive fibers being spaced circumferentially about the centerline and extending radially inwardly from the inner end of the carrier disk portion, each conductive fiber having an inner end configured to contact the shaft outer surface so as to provide a conductive path between the shaft and the carrier.