Bearing assembly

Claim 1

IN A SWIVEL PIPE JOINT INCLUDING INTERFITTED MALE AND FEMALE MEMBERS RESPECTIVELY PROVIDED WITH OUTWARDLY AND INWARDLY DIRECTED SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCUMFERENTIALLY EXTENDING GROOVES, A BEARING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A RADIALLY SPLIT RESILIENTLY DIAMETRICALLY EXPANDABLE ANNULAR INNER RACE HAVING ENDS WHICH OVERLAP WHEN THE RACE IS DIAMETRICALLY UNSTRESSED, SAID INNER RACE HAVING AN INSIDE DIAMETER, WHEN THE ENDS OF THE RACE ARE OVERLAPPED, WHICH IS LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE GROOVE IN THE MALE MEMBER MEASURED DIAMETRICALLY OF THE MALE MEMBER; A RADIALLY SPLIT RESILIENTLY DIAMETRICALLY CONTRACTIBLE ANNULAR OUTER RACE HAVING ENDS WHICH DEFINE A GAP HAVING A PREDETERMINED LENGTH, THE OUTER DIAMETER OF THE OUTER RACE, WHEN THE ENDS THEREOF ARE SPACED SAID PREDETERMINED LENGTH APART, BEING GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE GROOVE IN THE FEMALE MEMBER MEASURED DIAMETRICALLY OF THE FEMALE MEMBER, SAID FEMALE MEMBER HAVING AN ACCESS HOLE COMMUNICATING WITH ITS GROOVE, SAID INNER RACE BEING RELEASABLY FITTED IN THE GROOVE IN THE MALE MEMBER IN SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCUMSCRIBING RELATION TO SAID MALE MEMBER AND IN CONSTRICTIVE ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH AND SO THAT A GAP IS PROVIDED BETWEEN THE ENDS OF THE INNER RACE, SAID OUTER RACE BEING RELEASABLY FITTED IN THE GROOVE IN THE FEMALE MEMBER SO AS TO BE CONSTRICTED BY THE FEMALE MEMBER WITH THE GAP IN THE OUTER RACE IN REGISTRY WITH SAID ACCESS HOLE AND WITH SAID GAP IN THE OUTER RACE BEING SHORTER THAN SAID PREDETERMINED LENGTH, AND BALLS ROLLABLY POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID INNER AND OUTER RACES AND BEING MOVABLE INTO AND OUT OF THEIR POSITIONS BETWEEN SAID RACE THROUGH THE GAP IN THE OUTER RACE AND SAID ACCESS HOLE, SAID FEMALE MEMBER INCLUDING A CAP CONNECTED IN SAID HOLE, SAID CAP HAVING A WALL OVERLYING THE ENDS OF THE OUTER RACE, SAID CAP ALSO HAVING AN END PROJECTING BETWEEN THE ENDS OF THE OUTER RACE IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID ENDS, THE END OF THE CAP ALSO PROVIDING A CHANNEL WHICH CONSTITUTES A CONTINUATION OF THE OUTER RACE, SAID INNER AND OUTER RACES BEING THEREBY RESPECTIVELY IN TENSION AND COMPRESSION WHEREBY UPON EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION OF THE MALE AND FEMALE MEMBER OF THE JOINT UNDER TEMPERATURE CHANGES, SAID RACES EXPAND AND CONTRACT BUT STILL REMAIN IN THEIR CONSTRICTED CONDITIONS IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME RADIALLY SPACED RELATION TO EACH OTHER TO FACILITATE CONTINUED ROLLABLE MOVEMENT OF THE BALLS BETWEEN THE RACES.