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US 9,309,923 B1Granted
Bearing assemblies including integrated lubrication, bearing apparatuses, and methods of use
AssigneesUS Synthetic Corporation, Waukesha Bearings Corporation
InventorsBrent A. Lingwall, Richard Raymond Shultz, Leonidas C. Leite
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments disclosed herein are directed to bearing assemblies that include integrated lubrication, bearing apparatuses including such bearing assemblies, and related methods. For example, a lubricated bearing assembly may include a lubricant that may lubricate the bearing surface thereof during operation of the lubricated bearing assembly and/or bearing apparatus including the lubricated bearing assembly.
Claims17
A bearing assembly, comprising:
- a support ring;
- a plurality of superhard bearing elements mounted on the support ring, each of the plurality of superhard bearing elements including a superhard bearing surface;
- one or more lubricant bodies moveable relative to the superhard bearing surfaces of the plurality of superhard bearing elements, each of the one or more lubricant bodies including a lubrication surface;
- and
- one or more biasing elements positioned under at least one of the one or more lubricant bodies and configured to move the one or more lubricant bodies away from the support ring.
2 more elements
A bearing apparatus, comprising:
- a first bearing assembly including one or more bearing surfaces;
- and
- a second bearing assembly including:
- a plurality of superhard bearing surfaces;
- one or more lubricant bodies, each of which includes a lubrication surface, the one or more lubricant bodies being moveable relative to the superhard bearing surfaces of the plurality of superhard bearing elements;
- and
- one or more biasing elements configured to move at least one of the one or more lubricant bodies relative to the superhard bearing surfaces.
4 more elements
A method of operating a bearing apparatus, the method comprising:
- producing a relative rotation between a first bearing assembly and a second bearing assembly, while maintaining first superhard bearing surfaces of the first bearing assembly engaged with second superhard bearing surfaces of the second bearing assembly;
- forcing a lubrication surface of one or more lubricant bodies toward the second bearing assembly;
- and
- transferring lubricant from the one or more lubricant bodies to the first superhard bearing surfaces and the second superhard bearing surfaces.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.