Bearing with amorphous boron carbide coating

An anti-friction bearing having a first race with a first raceway, a second race with a second raceway presented opposite, yet spaced from, the first raceway, and a plurality of rolling elements located between the first and second raceways, such that when the first race rotates relative to the second race, the rolling elements will roll along the raceways, wherein at least one of the first raceway, second raceway, and rolling element is coated with an amorphous boron-carbide coating;

• there being an interfacial layer between the bearing surface to be coated and the boron-carbide coating and a transition area between the metal interfacial layer and the boron-carbide coating;
• the interfacial layer comprising a metal applied to the surface;
• the transition area having a thickness approximately equal to the thickness of the interfacial layer.

An anti-friction bearing having a first race with a first raceway, a second race with a second raceway presented opposite, yet spaced from, the first raceway, and a plurality of rolling elements located between the first and second raceways, such that when the first race rotates relative to the second race, the rolling elements will roll along the raceways, wherein at least one of the first raceway, second raceway,;

• and rolling element is coated with an amorphous boron-carbide coating;
• there being an interfacial layer between the bearing surface to be coated and the boron-carbide coating;
• the interfacial layer comprising boron and carbon atoms which have been diffused into the bearing surface.

An anti-friction bearing having a first race with a first raceway, a second race with a second raceway presented opposite, yet spaced from, the first raceway, and a plurality of rolling elements located between the first and second raceways, such that when the first race rotates relative to the second race, the rolling elements will roll along the raceways, wherein at least one of the first raceway, second raceway, and rolling element is provided with a coating consisting essentially of an amorphous boron-carbide coating and a doping agent;

• the doping agent being chosen from the group consisting of doping agent is semi-conducting elements, metallic elements, a gas, a semimetal, and combinations thereof, wherein the coating has a density greater than 90% of the density of crystalline B4C.