Roller bearing in a deep-drilling apparatus
AssigneeFAG Kugelfischer AG
InventorsGünter Herles, Dieter Göbel, Richard Mützel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A ball-bearing unit for a bearing of a deep-drilling apparatus having bearing races made from steel with balls disposed therebetween. Contaminated drilling medium passes into the space between the bearing races. Load-bearing balls made from ceramic alternate with separating balls of smaller diameter made from steel between the bearing races to extend significantly the service life of the ball-bearing unit.
Claims12
A ball-bearing assembly which rotatably supports a hollow shaft in a stationary housing of a deep-drilling apparatus comprising a bearing unit having:
- radially separated inner and outer bearing races made of a first material suitable for forming a bearing raceway,
- the inner race being constructed and configured to be mounted in fixed relationship on the outside of the hollow shaft, and the outer race being constructed and configured to be mounted in fixed relationship on the inside of the stationary housing;
- a plurality of solid ceramic or ceramic coated load-bearing balls disposed in a raceway formed between the inner and outer races;
- a plurality of separating balls formed of a second material and disposed in the raceway in alternating relationship with the load-bearing balls, the separating balls being of a smaller diameter than the load-bearing balls;
- and
- the inner and outer races being so constructed and configured to provide communication between the hollow shaft and the bearing unit which permits drilling fluid flowing down the hollow shaft to enter the bearing unit to serve as a coolant and a lubricant.
An assembly of axially extending four point ball-bearing units rotatably supporting a hollow shaft in a stationary housing of a deep-drilling apparatus, each of the bearing units comprising:
- radially separated first inner and outer bearing races made of a first material suitable for forming a bearing race;
- radially separated second inner and outer bearing races made of the first material and positioned axially adjacent to the first inner and outer bearing races;
- a plurality of solid ceramic or ceramic coated load-bearing balls disposed in a raceway formed between the first and second inner and outer races;
- a plurality of separating balls formed of a second material and disposed in the raceway in alternating relationship with the load-bearing balls, the separating balls being of a smaller diameter than the load-bearing balls;
- and
- a passage which provides communication between the hollow shaft and the bearing assembly which permits drilling fluid flowing down the hollow shaft to enter the bearing assembly to serve as a coolant and a lubricant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.