Low-friction fabric bearing
AssigneeTextron Inc.
InventorsRichard J. Matt, Richard T. Thompson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention contemplates a fabric-lined bearing wherein the fabric is of knitted construction, from yarn consisting primarily of low-friction filaments and high-strength filaments, and wherein the exposed filaments at the bearing interface are primarily oriented to be generally transverse to the predominant direction of intended motion under load at the bearing interface.
Claims18
A low-friction bearing element for slidable support of a load along a particular desired directional path of movement, said element comprising an annular body with inner and outer axially extending surfaces, one of said surfaces being in said path and characterized by an exposed face of a cured resin-impregnated tubular knitted fabric of loosely twisted yarn consisting of TFE filaments and aromatic polyamide filaments, the exposed filaments at said face being primarily oriented in a direction generally transverse to the said particular desired directional path of movement.
A low-friction bearing fabric for application to a variety of bearing configurations including (a) an annulus wherein a face of the fabric is at a surface for sliding generally along a first directional path of movement with respect to the axis of the annulus and (b) an annulus wherein a face of the fabric is at a sliding surface for sliding generally along a second directional path of movement which is generally transverse to the first path, said fabric comprising a tube knitted from a loosely twisted yarn consisting of TFE filaments and aromatic polyamide filaments, said fabric being characterized on one side by exposed filaments which are primarily oriented in the direction of the tube axis and on the other side by exposed filaments which are primarily oriented normal to and circumferential of the tube axis;
- whereby, for a first bearing configuration in which the predetermined directional path of sliding movement is primarily rotational and therefore involves generally circumferentially directed sliding motion, a selected length of the fabric may be manipulated to establish at the bearing face primarily filaments oriented in the direction of the tube axis;
- and further whereby, for a second bearing configuration in which the predetermined directional path of sliding movement is primarily longitudinal, a selected length of the same fabric may be manipulated to establish at the bearing face primarily filaments oriented generally circumferentially of the tube axis;
- thus enabling the same knitted tube to serve both bearing configurations with maximum efficacy.
A low-friction bearing element for slidable support of a load along a particular directional path of movement, said element comprising a body with a bearing surface characterized by two dimensions at least one of which is in the direction of said path of movement, said bearing surface being characterized by an exposed face of a cured resin-impregnated knitted fabric of loosely twisted yarn consisting of TFE filaments and aromatic polyamide filaments, the exposed filaments at said face being oriented in a direction generally transverse to the direction of said one dimension.
A low-friction bearing element for slidable support of a load along a particular desired directional path of movement, said element comprising an annular body with inner and outer axially extending surfaces, one of said surfaces being in said path and characterized by an exposed face of a cured-resin-impregnated tubular knitted fabric of loosely twisted yarn consisting of TFE filaments and high-strength bondable filaments, the exposed filaments at said face being primarly oriented in a direction generally transverse to the said particular desired directional path of movement.
A low-friction bearing fabric for application to a variety of bearing configurations including (a) an annulus wherein a face of the fabric is at a surface for sliding generally along a first directional path of movement with respect to the axis of the annulus and (b) an annulus wherein a face of the fabric is at a sliding surface for sliding generally along a second directional path of movement which is generally transverse to the first path, said fabric comprising a tube knitted from a loosely twisted yarn consisting of TFE filaments and high-strength bondable synthetic filaments, said fabric being characterized on one side by exposed filaments which are primarily oriented in the direction of the tube axis and on the other side by exposed filaments which are primarily oriented normal to and circumferential of the tube axis;
- whereby, for a first bearing configuration in which the predetermined directional path of sliding movement is primarily rotational and therefore involves generally circumferentially directed sliding motion, a selected length of the fabric may be manipulated to establish at the bearing face primarily filaments oriented in the direction of the tube axis;
- and further whereby, for a second bearing configuration in which the predetermined directional path of sliding movement is primarily longitudinal, a selected length of the same fabric may be manipulated to establish at the bearing face primarily filaments oriented generally circumferentially of the tube axis;
- thus enabling the same knitted tube to serve both bearing configurations with maximum efficacy.
A low-friction bearing element for slidable support of a load along a particular directional path of movement, said element comprising a body with a bearing surface characterized by two dimensions at least one of which is in the direction of said path of movement, said bearing surface being characterized by an exposed face of a cured resin-impregnated knitted fabric of loosely twisted yarn consisting of TFE filaments and high-strength bondable filaments, the exposed filaments at said face being oriented in a direction generally transverse to the direction of said one dimension.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.