Method for making a corrosion resistant bearing

A method for making an antifriction bearing assembly comprising:

• forming a housing with a bearing seat;
• forming an outer ring for disposal within the bearing seat;
• forming an inner ring;
• plating at least a portion of at least one of the inner or outer rings with a sacrificial metallic plating layer, wherein the sacrificial plating layer includes a porous zinc alloy;
• coating at least a portion of the sacrificial plating layer with a mechanical protection layer, wherein the mechanical protection layer includes a plurality of dissimilar layers applied sequentially over at least a portion of the sacrificial metallic plating layer;
• and
• disposing a plurality of bearing elements between the outer ring and inner ring.

A method for making a component for an antifriction bearing, the bearing including an inner ring, an outer ring and a plurality of bearing elements disposed between the inner and outer rings to permit free relative rotation of the inner ring and the outer rings, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) forming a metal substrate for the component;
• (b) plating at least a portion of the component substrate with a galvanic plating layer to inhibit corrosion of the component substrate, the galvanic plating layer including a porous zinc alloy;
• and
• (c) coating at least a portion of the component with a polymeric protection layer to limit exposure of the component substrate or the galvanic plating layer, wherein the polymeric protection layer includes a plurality of dissimilar layers applied subsequently over at least a portion of the galvanic plating layer.