Gears and gear assemblies

Abstract

Improvements in gears and gear teeth structures for use in driving assemblies, such as machines, vehicles and the like, wherein the teeth portions of the gears and, in certain instances, other portions thereof, are coated with a hard synthetic diamond material deposited thereagainst as carbon atoms derived from a fluid, such as methane gas, when high energy radiation, such as microwave radiation, is beamed through the gas against the surfaces of the gears and gear teeth thereof. In certain instances, the hard diamond material coating the gear teeth and the spaces therebetween, is overcoated with a thin layer of chromium which serves to protect the diamond surfaces of the teeth during use so as to prevent destruction of the diamond layer by physical attrition caused by stress and abrasive particles engaging the teeth during use of the gears. In a particular form of the invention, two or more gears having their teeth similarly coated with synthetic diamond material are assembled in meshing engagement with each other and a coating of chromium disposed on the outer surfaces of the diamond material coating the teeth serves to lubricate and protect the diamond coating against destruction or attrition as the gears mesh and are driven with respect to each other.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.