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Bearings and mechanical seals enhanced with microstructures

  • US 6,280,090 B1
  • Filed: 09/14/2000
  • Issued: 08/28/2001
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1997
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A journal bearing comprising a stator and a journal interior to said stator, said stator having a face in contact with said journal, and said journal having a face in contact with said stator, wherein at least one of said faces:

  • (a) comprises a plurality of microstructures covering between about 10% and about 70% of the area of said face, wherein each of said microstructures comprises a distal end and a proximal end;

    (b) the proximal end of each of said microstructures is connected to said face;

    (c) the distal end of each of said microstructures is not connected to a shield, wall, or other object that inhibits heat transfer;

    (d) the distance between the proximal and distal ends of each of said microstructures is between about 0.05 mm and about 1.0 mm, and the aspect ratio of each of said microstructures is between about 0.2 and about 20;

    wherein the aspect ratio of a microstructure is the ratio of the distance between the proximal end and the distal end to the characteristic dimension of the microstructure;

    wherein the characteristic dimension of the microstructure is the diameter of the microstructure in a plane perpendicular to a line between the proximal end and the distal end of the microstructure; and

    (e) wherein, if a lubricant is applied to said face, then in the presence of a load between said journal and said stator, said microstructures and the spaces between adjacent microstructures are adapted to cause the lubricant to flow to substantially all portions of said face subject to the load;

    whereby heat transfer at the interface of said journal and said stator is substantially greater than would be the heat transfer between an otherwise identical stator and an otherwise identical journal, both of which lacked said microstructures; and

    whereby, if a lubricant is applied to said face, the friction between said journal and said stator is substantially less than would be the friction between an otherwise identical stator and an otherwise identical journal, both of which lacked said microstructures.

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