High reliability bearing structure
First Claim
1. A bearing assembly comprising:
- first and second bearing members adapted for movement relative to each other;
said first bearing member comprising, an outer layer adapted to wear in response to said relative movement between said first and said second bearing members; and
an inner layer in contact with said outer layer, said inner layer comprising a base portion having a first hardness and a plurality of spaced apart wear indicating regions each having a second hardness, said first hardness being different than said second hardness; and
wherein said wear indicating regions are adapted to produce a vibration during movement of said first and second bearing members relative to each other after sufficient wear of said outer layer which at least partially exposes said wear indicating regions.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides bearing assemblies and methods of manufacturing bearing assemblies which allow for reliable, non-intrusive wear detection. In one embodiment, a bearing assembly (10) includes first and second bearing members (12, 14) adapted for movement relative to each other. The first bearing member includes an outer layer (24) that is adapted to wear in response to the relative movement between bearing members, and an inner layer. The inner layer includes a base portion (28) having a first hardness and a plurality of spaced apart wear indicating regions (30) having a second hardness, whereby the first hardness and second hardness are different. The wear indicating regions are adapted to produce a vibration after sufficient wear of the outer layer.
15 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A bearing assembly comprising:
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first and second bearing members adapted for movement relative to each other;
said first bearing member comprising, an outer layer adapted to wear in response to said relative movement between said first and said second bearing members; and
an inner layer in contact with said outer layer, said inner layer comprising a base portion having a first hardness and a plurality of spaced apart wear indicating regions each having a second hardness, said first hardness being different than said second hardness; and
wherein said wear indicating regions are adapted to produce a vibration during movement of said first and second bearing members relative to each other after sufficient wear of said outer layer which at least partially exposes said wear indicating regions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A bearing assembly comprising:
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a housing adapted to support first and second bearing members, said first and said second bearing members being adapted for movement relative to each other;
said first bearing member comprising, an outer layer adapted to wear in response to said relative movement between said first and said second bearing members; and
an inner layer in contact with said outer layer, said inner layer comprising a base portion having a first hardness and a plurality of spaced apart wear indicating regions each having a second hardness, said first hardness being different than said second hardness; and
wherein said wear indicating regions are adapted to produce a vibration during movement of said first and second bearing members relative to each other after sufficient wear of said outer layer which at least partially exposes said wear indicating regions.
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16. A bearing assembly comprising:
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a housing adapted to support first and second bearing members, said first and said second bearing members being adapted for movement relative to each other;
said first bearing member comprising, an outer layer adapted to wear in response to said relative movement between said first and said second bearing members; and
an inner layer in contact with said outer layer, said inner layer comprising a base portion having a first hardness and a plurality of spaced apart wear indicating regions each having a second hardness, said first hardness being different than said second hardness;
wherein said wear indicating regions are adapted to produce a vibration after sufficient wear of said outer layer; and
a vibration detector operably attached to said housing, said detector being adapted to detect vibrations caused by said wear indicating regions. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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Specification