Bearing element and method of manufacturing a bearing element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10041538-B2
Application number	US-201415101927-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2014
Priority date	Dec 6, 2013
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

A bearing element may include a bearing element substrate and a sliding layer applied to a surface of the bearing element substrate. The sliding layer may be formed of a sliding layer material. A surface roughness (Ra) of the surface of the bearing element substrate may be less than 1 μm. The sliding layer material may include a polymeric material and iron oxide. The sliding layer may have at least three layers of the sliding layer material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A bearing element, comprising:
a bearing element substrate; and
a sliding layer applied to a surface of the bearing element substrate, the sliding layer being formed of a sliding layer material;
wherein a surface roughness (Ra) of the surface of the bearing element substrate is less than 1 μm;
wherein a surface roughness (Rz) of the surface of the bearing element substrate is less than 1 μm;
wherein the sliding layer material includes:
a polymeric material; and
iron oxide; and
wherein the sliding layer has at least three layers of the sliding layer material.

2. A bearing element according to claim 1 , wherein the sliding layer material comprises one of Fe 2 O 3 or Fe 2 O 4 .

3. A bearing element according to claim 1 , wherein the sliding layer material comprises iron oxide in one of powder form or flaked form.

4. A bearing element according to claim 3 , wherein the sliding layer material comprises iron oxide particles having an average particle size of between 0.5 μm and 10 μm.

5. A bearing element according to claim 3 , wherein the sliding layer material comprises iron oxide flakes having an average particle size of between 0.5 μm and 15 μm.

6. A bearing element according to claim 3 , wherein the sliding layer material comprises iron oxide flakes having an average aspect ratio of about 1:4.

7. A bearing element according to claim 3 , wherein the sliding layer material comprises iron oxide flakes randomly arranged and randomly orientated throughout the polymeric material.

8. A bearing element according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of each of the at least three layers of the sliding layer material is substantially equal.

9. A bearing element according to claim 1 , wherein the total thickness of the sliding layer material is between about 3 μm and about 12 μm.

10. A bearing element according to claim 1 , further comprising a steel back underlying the bearing element substrate.

11. A bearing element according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises an iron, aluminium or bronze alloy.

12. A bearing element according to claim 1 , wherein the polymeric material comprises polyamide imide.

13. A bearing element according to claim 1 , wherein one of:
at least one of the at least three layers of the sliding layer material comprises a different percentage by volume of iron oxide than at least one other layer of the sliding layer material;
a percentage volume of iron oxide in a middle layer of the sliding layer material is different than a percentage volume of iron oxide in at least one outer layer of the sliding layer material; or
a percentage volume of iron oxide in the sliding layer decreases with each layer of the sliding layer material from the substrate.

14. A method of manufacturing a bearing element, comprising:
providing a bearing element substrate;
roughening a surface of the bearing element substrate to have a surface roughness (Ra) which is less than 1 μm and a surface roughness (Rz) less than 1 μm;
providing a sliding layer material having:
a polymeric material; and
iron oxide;
applying the sliding layer material to the bearing element substrate to form a sliding layer, wherein the sliding layer material is applied to the bearing element substrate in at least three passes, each pass including:
applying a layer of the sliding layer material to the bearing element substrate; and
drying the layer of the sliding layer material; and
curing the sliding layer material.

15. A method of manufacturing a bearing element according to claim 14 , wherein the sliding layer material is sprayed onto the substrate.

16. A method of manufacturing a bearing element according to claim 14 , wherein the sliding layer material is sprayed onto the substrate by a spray lance which is rotated relative to the substrate.

17. A method of manufacturing a bearing element according to claim 16 , wherein a plurality of semi-cylindrically shaped bearing element substrates is arranged so as to form a hollow, substantially cylindrical, stack of bearing element substrates, and the rotating spray lance is advanced linearly along the cylindrical stack so as to apply the sliding layer material to the plurality of semi-cylindrically shaped bearing element substrates in a single operation.

18. A method of manufacturing a bearing element according to claim 17 , wherein the spray lance is angled at between about 30 and about 70 degrees to a normal to the stack of bearing element substrates.

19. A method of manufacturing a bearing element according to claim 18 , wherein a spray cone produced by the spray lance is divided equally by the normal to the surface of the bearing element substrates.

20. A method of manufacturing a bearing element according to claim 17 , wherein the rotating spray lance is advanced linearly along the stack of bearing element substrates at variable linear velocity.

21. A method of manufacturing a bearing element according to claim 17 , further comprising indexing the stack of bearing elements between each pass.

22. A method of manufacturing a bearing element according to claim 16 , wherein the spray lance is rotated at between 500 and 1500 rpm.

23. A method of manufacturing a bearing element according to claim 14 , wherein the thickness of each of the at least three layers of the sliding layer material is substantially equal.

24. A method of manufacturing a bearing element according to claim 14 , wherein one of:
at least one of the at least three layers of the sliding layer material comprises a different percentage by volume of iron oxide than at least one other layer of the sliding layer material;
wherein the percentage volume of iron oxide in a middle layer of the sliding layer material is different to the percentage volume of iron oxide in at least one outer layer of the sliding layer material; or
wherein the percentage volume of iron oxide in the sliding layer decreases with each layer of the sliding layer material from the substrate.

25. A method of manufacturing a bearing element according to claim 14 , further comprising degreasing the surface of the bearing element substrate.

26. A method of manufacturing a bearing element according to claim 14 , further comprising washing the surface of the bearing element substrate.

27. A method of manufacturing a bearing element according to claim 14 , further comprising pre-heating the bearing element substrate before at least one pass of the bearing element substrate.

28. A method of manufacturing a bearing element according to claim 14 , further comprising pre-heating of the sliding layer material before at least one pass of the bearing element substrate.

29. A semi-cylindrical bearing element comprising:
a bearing element substrate; and
a sliding layer applied to a surface of the bearing element substrate, the sliding layer being formed of a sliding layer material;
wherein a surface roughness (Ra) of the surface of the bearing element substrate is less than 1 μm;
wherein a surface roughness (Rz) of the surface of the bearing element substrate is less than 1 μm;
wherein the sliding layer material comprises:
a polymeric material; and
iron oxide; and
wherein the sliding layer comprises at least three layers of the sliding layer material.

Assignees

• Mahle Int Gmbh
• Mahle Engine Systems Uk Ltd

Inventors

• Gorges Roger
• De Blaquiere James P
• Phipps Natalie

Classifications

• F16C33/208

  Methods of manufacture, e.g. shaping, applying coatings · CPC title

• F16C33/206 Primary

  with three layers · CPC title

• F16C17/022

  with a pair of essentially semicircular bearing sleeves · CPC title

• F16C9/04

  Connecting-rod bearings; Attachments thereof · CPC title

• F16C2240/54

  Surface roughness · CPC title