A bearing is disclosed that includes a support housing or casing in which is located a body of elastomeric material. A plurality of wear members are positioned to be supported by the body of elastomeric material and to receive the load placed on the bearing. The elastomeric body allows the wear inserts to adjust individually to the load placed on the wear members, which greatly increases the life of the bearing. The wear members are made of a self-lubricating type material, such as one of the fluorocarbons or polyphenylene sulfide resin.
Segment bearings for use in large rotating machines utilize support elements in the forms of pins, pipes or the like. These support elements are arranged between a friction bearing segment and a supporting segment and are constructed with varying compressive strengths. The variation of compressive strength is selected such that a parallel shift of the bearing surface occurs during loading of the friction bearing segments.
A molded plastic housing for a small electric motor having a radial end wall and an axially projecting portion for mounting the stator and journalling the motor shaft. An annular stator is mounted on and about the projecting portion and shaft bearings are mounted in axially spaced relationship in interference fit respectively at end sections of the housing portion and in direct engagement with the molded plastic. Reduced diameter and reduced thickness zones at the end sections provide for resilient and firm bearing retention and alignment. Four (4) circumaxially spaced slots at each end section with flats radially inwardly thereof provide for the reduced thickness and reduced diameter. The bearings engage the flats in an interference fit.
A product lubricated thrust bearing includes an annular bearing disc made from a hard bearing material such as silicon carbide and having a plurality of radial lubrication grooves in at least one of a front and rear face thereof to define a plurality of bearing segments. A polymeric layer is bonded to the rear face of the annular bearing disc, and provision is made for preventing the bearing disc from slipping relative to the bore of the bearing carrier in which the thrust bearing is mounted. The bearing disc may be cracked along the radial lubrication grooves to allow the bearing segments to axially float. A metal disc may also be bonded to the polymeric layer opposite the bearing disc to reinforce the polymeric layer and to facilitate prevention of slippage of the bearing disc.
A bidirectional thrust bearing assembly is used between a downhole fluid motor and a rock bit for drilling oil wells. The bearing assembly has a stationary housing with radial journal bearing sleeves and a rotatable drive shaft also having radial bearing sleeves. A pair of oppositely facing thrust bearing rings are mounted in the housing. A second pair of thrust bearing rings are mounted on the shaft so as to have faces opposing the bearing faces on the first pair of rings. Belleville springs resiliently bias a pair of the thrust bearing rings apart and carry the thrust load between such rings. Each ring has a plurality of inserts of hard material, preferably polycrystalline diamond, at the bearing surface. Means are provided for circulating drilling fluid from the motor through the thrust bearing faces for forming hydrodynamic fluid bearing films in the bearing interfaces.
Apparatus for supporting an individual is employable as either a creeper or a stepladder and includes two platform portions connected by locking hinges which selectively alternatively lock the platform portions in co-planar condition or in a configuration where the platform portions define an angle therebetween of less than 180 degrees.
