Snap ring mounted conductive assembly for bearings

An electrically conductive assembly for preventing current flow through the raceways of a bearing having an inner ring disposed about a shaft and an outer ring disposed within a bore of an outer member, the shaft or the outer member being rotatable about a central axis through the shaft, an annular retention groove being formed in an inner circumferential surface of the outer member or of the bearing outer ring, the conductive assembly comprising:

• a mounting ring including a flat, arcuate plate portion disposable within the retention groove and formed of an electrically conductive elastic material, the mounting ring having an outside diameter and the arcuate plate portion having two circumferential ends spaced circumferentially apart and being deflectable radially inwardly such that each one of the two circumferential ends displaces toward the other one of the two circumferential ends to reduce the outside diameter of the ring for installation into the retention groove, an arcuate gap being defined between the two circumferential ends of the arcuate plate portion when the mounting ring is installed within the groove, the arcuate gap defining an angle about the centerline and the angle having a value of at least thirty degrees;
• and
• an arcuate conductor having a centerline and including an arcuate conductive retainer, the retainer having an outer radial end, an inner radial end, an annular channel extending radially outwardly from the inner radial end, and a plurality of conductive fibers spaced circumferentially about the centerline, each fiber having an outer radial end disposed within the channel of the retainer and at least one inner radial end engageable with the shaft or the bearing inner ring such that an electrically conductive path extends between the shaft and the outer member through the arcuate conductor and the mounting ring.

An electrically conductive assembly for preventing current flow through the raceways of a bearing having an inner ring disposed about a shaft and an outer ring disposed within a bore of an outer member, the shaft or the outer member being rotatable about a central axis through the shaft, an annular retention groove being formed in an inner circumferential surface of the outer member or of the bearing outer ring, the conductive assembly comprising:

• a mounting ring disposeable within the retention groove and formed of an electrically conductive elastic material, the mounting ring having an outside diameter and two circumferential ends spaced circumferentially apart and being deflectable radially inwardly such that each one of the two circumferential ends displaces toward the other one of the two circumferential ends to reduce the outside diameter of the ring for installation into the retention groove;
• and
• an arcuate conductor having a centerline, an outer radial end attached to the mounting ring, an inner radial end engageable with the shaft or the bearing inner ring such that an electrically conductive path extends between the shaft and the outer member through the arcuate conductor and the mounting ring;
• wherein the arcuate conductor has first and second axial ends and the mounting ring has a centerline and includes an outer arcuate portion, a plurality of support tabs extending radially inwardly from the outer arcuate portion and spaced circumferentially about the centerline, the first axial end of the conductor arcuate retainer being disposed against the plurality of support tabs, and a plurality of retainer tabs spaced circumferentially about the centerline such that each retainer tab is disposed between two of the support tabs, each retainer tab being bent axially and radially inwardly from the outer axial portion so as to be engaged with the second axial end of the conductor arcuate retainer.