Bearing assemblies including integrated lubrication, bearing apparatuses, and methods of use

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9790992-B1
Application number	US-201715492301-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 20, 2017
Priority date	Dec 5, 2014
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. 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; and
one or more lubricant bodies each of which includes graphite and are 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.

2. The bearing assembly of claim 1 further comprising one or more biasing elements positioned adjacent to at least one of the one or more lubrication bodies and configured to move the at least one of the one or more lubrication bodies away from the support ring.

3. The bearing assembly of claim 2 wherein each of the one or more biasing elements includes a spring.

4. The bearing assembly of claim 1 wherein the one or more lubricant bodies include at least one lubricant body that laterally surrounds one or more of the plurality of superhard bearing elements.

5. The bearing assembly of claim 4 wherein the at least one lubricant body extends to a periphery of the support ring.

6. The bearing assembly of claim 4 wherein the at least one lubricant body laterally surrounds each of the plurality of superhard bearing elements.

7. The bearing assembly of claim 1 wherein the one or more lubricant bodies include at least one lubricant body that is located at least partially within at least one of the plurality of superhard bearing elements.

8. The bearing assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of superhard bearing elements includes multiple lubricant bodies of the one or more lubricant bodies located at least partially therein.

9. The bearing assembly of claim 1 wherein the one or more lubricant bodies include a chamfer extending between a periphery thereof and the lubrication surface.

10. The bearing assembly of claim 1 wherein the superhard bearing surfaces and the one or more lubricant surfaces lie substantially on the same imaginary surface.

11. 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;
wherein each of the plurality of superhard bearing elements includes at least one lubricant body having a lubrication surface, the least one lubricant body being movable relative to the superhard bearing surface;
wherein the at least one lubricant body includes graphite and one or more transition metals.

12. The bearing assembly of claim 11 wherein at least some of the plurality of superhard bearing elements each includes a biasing element positioned adjacent to the at least one lubrication body thereof and configured to move the at least one lubricant body away from the support ring.

13. The bearing assembly of claim 11 wherein the at least one lubricant body is located at least partially within a corresponding one of the plurality of superhard bearing elements.

14. The bearing assembly of claim 11 wherein the at least one lubricant body includes multiple lubricant bodies.

15. The bearing assembly of claim 11 wherein the superhard bearing surface and the at least one lubricant surface of a corresponding one of the plurality of superhard bearing elements lie substantially on the same imaginary surface.

16. The bearing assembly of claim 11 wherein the one or more transition metals include at least one of tungsten or molybdenum.

17. The bearing assembly of claim 11 wherein the one or more transition metals are included in one or more metal compounds.

18. The bearing assembly of claim 17 wherein the one or more metal compounds include at least one of tungsten disulfide or molybdenum disulfide.

19. A bearing apparatus, comprising:
a rotor bearing assembly including one or more first bearing surfaces; and
a stator bearing assembly including:
a plurality of superhard bearing elements each including a second bearing surface; and
one or more lubricant bodies including graphite and one or more transition metals and defining one or more lubrication surfaces, the one or more lubrication surfaces lying substantially on the same imaginary surface with the second bearing surfaces.

20. The bearing apparatus of claim 19 wherein the stator bearing assembly includes one or more urging elements configured to move the one or more lubricant bodies.

Assignees

• Us Synthetic Corp
• Waukesha Bearings Corp

Inventors

• Lingwall Brent A
• Shultz Richard Raymond
• Leite Leonidas C

Classifications

• F16C33/043 Primary

  Sliding surface consisting mainly of ceramics, cermets or hard carbon, e.g. diamond like carbon [DLC] · CPC title

• F16C2204/46

  Alloys based on molybdenum · CPC title

• F16C17/04

  for axial load only · CPC title

• F16C2206/02

  Carbon based material · CPC title

• F16C2352/00

  Apparatus for drilling · CPC title