US4200541A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Bearing materials
Assignee: National Research Development Corp UK
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Filing: 1977-12-02
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Granted: 1980-04-29
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Expires: 1997-12-02
Abstract
Abstract The specification discloses advantageous dry bearing materials in which a material having characteristics making it useful as a dry bearing material has on its contacting or bearing surface a multiplicity of closely spaced, small, blind holes each filled with solid lubricant. It has been found that the holes should be less than 1 mm in diameter and have a center to center spacing of less than 1 mm and the specification discloses a phosphor bronze material of the invention using a polytetrafluoroethylene/lead solid lubricant of useful properties.
Inventors
- 👤 George H. Kinner
- 👤 John K. Lancaster
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 06:31
CPC Classifications
F; F16; F16C; F16C33/00; F16C33/02; F16C33/04; F16C33/06; F16C33/10; F16C33/1025; F16C33/103; C; C10; C10M; C10M111/00; F16C33/12; C10M2201/00; C10M2201/04; C10M2201/05; C10M2201/06; C10M2201/065; C10M2201/066; C10M2201/10; C10M2201/102; C10M2211/00; C10M2211/06; C10M2213/00; C10M2213/02; C10M2213/06; C10M2213/062; C10M2217/00; C10M2217/02; C10M2217/04; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S384/00; Y10S384/90; Y10S384/912; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/12; Y10T428/12479
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
85 words
A material suitable for use in a dry bearing or as a lining in a dry bearing which comprises a matrix of metal having a multiplicity of closely spaced, small blind holes introduced at selected uniformly spaced sites in its bearing surface, said holes being confined essentially to said bearing surface and said matrix being otherwise non-porous, the said holes being filled with a solid lubricant, said holes having an average diameter less than 1 mm and an average center-to-center spacing less than 1 mm.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
85 words
A material suitable for use in a dry bearing or as a lining in a dry bearing which comprises a matrix of metal having a multiplicity of closely spaced, small blind holes introduced at selected uniformly spaced sites in its bearing surface, said holes being confined essentially to said bearing surface and said matrix being otherwise non-porous, the said holes being filled with a solid lubricant, said holes having an average diameter less than 1 mm and an average center-to-center spacing less than 1 mm.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
A material as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the said holes have a diameter of less than 1 mm and a spacing between centres of less than 1 mm.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
76 words
A material suitable for use in a dry bearing or as a lining in a dry bearing which comprises a matrix of metal having characteristics making it suitable for use as a bearing material having a multiplicity of closely spaced small, blind holes uniformly distributed over its bearing surface, the said holes being filled with a solid lubricant, and having an average diameter less than 1 mm and an average center-to-center spacing less than 1 mm.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
76 words
A material suitable for use in a dry bearing or as a lining in a dry bearing which comprises a matrix of metal having characteristics making it suitable for use as a bearing material having a multiplicity of closely spaced small, blind holes uniformly distributed over its bearing surface, the said holes being filled with a solid lubricant, and having an average diameter less than 1 mm and an average center-to-center spacing less than 1 mm.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
14 words
A material as claimed in claim 3 and wherein the matrix metal is bronze.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
19 words
A material as claimed in claim 3 and wherein the solid lubricant is a fluorocarbon or a lamellar solid.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
18 words
A material as claimed in claim 5 and wherein the solid lubricant is polytetrafluoroethylene and includes an additive.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
13 words
A material as claimed in claim 6 and wherein the additive is lead.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
15 words
A material as claimed in claim 3 and wherein the solid lubricant is molybdenum disulphide.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
22 words
A material as claimed in claim 3 and wherein the solid lubricant is molybdenum disulphide together with a synthetic resin as binder.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
14 words
A material as claimed in claim 9 and wherein the binder is a polyimide.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
16 words
A dry bearing component wherein the bearing surface is a material as claimed in claim 3.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
19 words
A dry bearing wherein at least one of the bearing surfaces is a material as claimed in claim 3.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
90 words
A method of producing a material suitable for use as a dry bearing material according to claim 1 which includes the steps of a. selecting a metal matrix material having characteristics making it suitable for use as a bearing material, b. providing a multiplicity of closely spaced, small blind holes in a surface of material selected in step (a), said holes having an average diameter less than 1 mm and an average center-to-center spacing less than 1 mm, c. filling the said holes provided in step (b) with solid lubricant.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
17 words
A method as claimed in claim 13 and wherein the step (b) is a metal etching process.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
98 words
A method as claimed in claim 14 and wherein the etching process comprises the steps of (a) applying a photoresist to the surface of the metal matrix, (b) placing thereon a negative having a pattern of opaque spots corresponding to the desired multiplicity of closely spaced, small, blind holes, (c) exposing the negative and photoresist to an appropriate light source, (d) removing the negative and contacting the photoresist with a developer to remove unexposed photoresist, (e) applying an etching agent for the metal matrix, (f) removing the remaining photoresist, and (g) filling the holes with a solid lubricant.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
61 words
A dry bearing component having a lubricated surface including an integral metal matrix having chemically etched into the bearing surface thereof a multiplicity of closely spaced, small, blind holes uniformly spaced over the metal surface, the said holes being filled with a solid lubricant, having an average diameter less than 1 mm and an average center-to-center spacing less than 1 mm.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
61 words
A dry bearing component having a lubricated surface including an integral metal matrix having chemically etched into the bearing surface thereof a multiplicity of closely spaced, small, blind holes uniformly spaced over the metal surface, the said holes being filled with a solid lubricant, having an average diameter less than 1 mm and an average center-to-center spacing less than 1 mm.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
33 words
A material as claimed in claim 1 wherein said holes have an average diameter of about 0.39 to about 0.42 mm and an average center-to-center spacing of about 0.40 to about 0.46 mm.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
33 words
A material as claimed in claim 3 wherein said holes have an average diameter of about 0.39 to about 0.42 mm and an average center-to-center spacing of about 0.40 to about 0.46 mm.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein said holes have an average diameter of about 0.39 to about 0.42 mm and an average center-to-center spacing of about 0.40 to about 0.46 mm.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
33 words
A material as claimed in claim 16 wherein said holes have an average diameter of about 0.39 to about 0.42 mm and an average center-to-center spacing of about 0.40 to about 0.46 mm.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
73 words
A dry bearing component having a lubricated surface including an integral metal matrix having chemically etched into the bearing surface thereof a multiplicity of closely spaced, small, blind holes having an average diameter in the range of about 0.39 to about 0.42 mm and an average center-to-center spacing in the range of about 0.40 to about 0.46 mm, said holes being uniformly spaced over the metal surface and filled with a solid lubricant.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
73 words
A dry bearing component having a lubricated surface including an integral metal matrix having chemically etched into the bearing surface thereof a multiplicity of closely spaced, small, blind holes having an average diameter in the range of about 0.39 to about 0.42 mm and an average center-to-center spacing in the range of about 0.40 to about 0.46 mm, said holes being uniformly spaced over the metal surface and filled with a solid lubricant.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1983-04-29 | 1983-10-29 | 1984-04-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1987-04-29 | 1987-10-29 | 1988-04-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1991-04-29 | 1991-10-29 | 1992-04-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |