Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

The Timken Company

Gary L Doll

Jeffrey A Sell

Ryan D Evans

Joseph Pierre Heremans

Charles A Peck

Stephen Joel Harris

Swathy Swathirajan

Yang Li

Wen Jin Meng

Larry E Henneman, Jr

Joseph V Mantese

Gerald P Fox

Anita Miriam Weiner

Randy P Kruse

Carl R Ribaudo

Richard A Knepper

Stephen P Johnson

Brian K Fuller

Doug H Smith

Gary E Kreider

Richard J Fowler

Joseph P Greathouse

Martin Scott Galehouse

Thomas Underwood

Nickolas A Grossi

Paul J Shiller

David A Pierman

Kevin C Baucom

Elizabeth P Cooke

A method of coating spherical components with a coating process in which the spherical components have a surface area includes positioning the spherical components within a containment boundary on a moving member and positioning the moving member within a chamber. The method includes reducing the pressure within the chamber to less than one atmosphere. The method also includes revolving the moving member about a longitudinal axis. The method further includes oscillating the moving member in a direction of the longitudinal axis and commencing the coating process. The oscillating and revolving produce motion of the spherical components within the containment boundary such that an entirety of the surface area of each component is exposed to the coating process.

Method and table assembly for applying coatings to spherical components

A structure () for containing a volume of lubricant additive gel () which is disposed within a mechanical system, in close proximity to a wear critical surface, and which is configured to provide a release of the contained additives into a flow of lubricant over time or as a function of temperature in a site-specific manner to minimize wear or reduce oil oxidation due to harsh operating conditions. The structure defines a cage or capsule with screen or mesh sides () having multiple perforations or openings through which the flow of lubricant may circulate. Within the contained volume of the structure (), additives are disposed in a gel matrix (), and are release over time or as a function of temperature, through the perorations or openings, in close operative proximity to wear critical surfaces of the mechanical system such as a bearing assembly or gear arrangement.

Apparatus and method for controlled release of lubricant additives in bearing and gear assemblies

The wear resistance of a bi-directional tapered roller bearing is improved by applying a tribological coating to both the small and large end faces of the roller and to at least one of the rib faces of the bearing assembly.

Bi-directional tapered roller bearing assembly with improved wear resistance

A thermally stable tribological coating is applied to the outer surface of a moveable bearing outer ring in a bearing assembly for an x-ray tube rotating anode and/or the surface of a housing bore of the X-ray tube rotating anode which receives the bearing assembly. If the tribological coating is applied to the outer surface of the bearing outer ring, it is made of a material that is metallurgically incompatible with the material from which the housing containing the bearing is made. The coating includes one or more of the following: Cr, W, Mo, or Nb, or nitrides, carbides, oxides, or sulfides of Cr, W, Mo, or Nb.

X-ray tube rotating anode assembly bearing

A method of enhancing the operating life of roller bearings assemblies (B) subject to oil-out conditions is disclosed. The method comprises applying a tribological metal carbide reinforced amorphous hydrocarbon coating layer () over either the sliding surfaces (SS) or the rolling surfaces (RS) of the bearing assembly rolling elements (RE), but is preferably applied at least to the sliding surfaces of the rolling element. The coating has a thickness determined according to the equation: Formula (I), where d=coating thickness P=is the ratio of force applied to the rollers/contact area; n=the number of rollers; (t&#x2212;t)=the desired operating time after oil-out condition starts; and K' is the Archard constant. 

Method of protecting roller element bearing assemblies against oil-out conditions and bearing assemblies made thereby

A process for improving the durability of a differential, where the differential has a pinion shaft and a pinion, the pinion shaft having a surface that contacts the surface of the inner diameter of the pinion. The process comprises bonding to the surface of the pinion shaft or the pinion or both, in the region of the interface between the pinion shaft and pinion, a coating having both a lower coefficient of friction and higher seizure resistance than that of the substance of the pinion shaft when in contact with the substance of the pinion.

Differential with thin film coating at cross shaft and processes for manufacturing the same

A rolling element bearing comprises an inner ring () and an outer ring () each provided with a raceway (), said rings having land regions () on opposite sides of their raceways, and a series of rolling elements () which are in rolling contact with the raceways and which are mutually spaced by a cage (), said cage () engaging the land regions () of said ring, said cage () being coated with a wear and friction reducing coating over its full surface.

Coated rolling element bearing cages

Engineered surface treatments are applied to different types of hydraulic motors and pumps to improve the life of the contacting surfaces in said motors and pumps. The engineered surface treatments are selected from texture modifications and tribiological coatings and selectively applied to one or both of the contacting surfaces to reduce friction and improve fatigue life under poor lubrication operating conditions.

Hydraulic motors and pumps with engineered surfaces

A full complement antifriction bearing includes an inner race, an outer race, and rolling elements organized in a circular row between the races without a cage or retainer for separating the rolling elements. While the absence of a cage or retainers enable the bearing to have the maximum number of rolling elements and thus transfer greater loads, adjacent rolling elements contact each other. Each rolling element or every other rolling element is covered with a tribological coating that retards adhesive wear and reduces friction.

Full complement antifriction bearing

The raceways and/or rolling elements of an anti-friction bearing are coated with an amorphous boron-carbide coating having a dense microstructure. The coating has a thickness of about 0.1 &mgr;m to about 5 &mgr;m and is applied at low substrate temperatures and high adatom mobilities. Prior to applying the boron-carbide coating, an interfacial layer is applied to the bearing surface to help the boron-carbide coating to adhere to the surface. The interfacial layer is a metal layer that is deposited on the bearing surface, or a layer of boron and carbon atoms which are diffused into the bearing surface. If a metal interfacial layer is used, then, there is a gradual transition between the interfacial layer of pure metal and the boron-carbide coating. When the bearing assembly is coated in this manner, the bearing assembly will have a longer lifetime, have a cooler operation and higher rotational speeds, have an increased power density, and exhibit greater debris resistance than uncoated bearing assemblies.

Bearing with amorphous boron carbide coating

A protective coating is applied to an inner or an outer member of a rotary fluid bearing by sputtering to minimize scuffing, wear and premature failure of the members during starts and stops of the bearing. The coating may include titanium, tungsten, chromium, amorphous carbon with or without metallic impurities, and hydrogenated amorphous carbon with or without metallic impurities. One of the members is formed in two sections to accommodate assembly of the bearing and these sections abut at end faces. Features on each end face are imparted to the other end face in a compression coining process to facilitate rapid and repeatable alignment of the two sections when separated and rejoined during subsequent manufacturing steps.

Rotary fluid bearing coatings and coining and processes for manufacturing the same

The present invention contemplates a PEM fuel cell having electrical contact elements (including bipolar plates/septums) comprising a titanium nitride coated light weight metal (e.g., Al or Ti) core, having a passivating, protective metal layer intermediate the core and the titanium nitride. The protective layer forms a barrier to further oxidation/corrosion when exposed to the fuel cell's operating environment. Stainless steels rich in CR, Ni, and Mo are particularly effective protective interlayers.

Corrosion resistant PEM fuel cell

This invention includes the discovery that poorly crystallized hexagonal-like films of boron nitride with sp.sup.2 bonding can be converted by ion implantation to amorphous, cubic-like, boron nitride with sp.sup.3 bonding. Preferably the sp.sup.2 bonded film has a considerable amount of residual stress. The discovery that sp.sup.2 bonded BN can be converted to sp.sup.3 bonded BN may prove to be a significant advancement in coating technology for the electronics, machine tool, biomedical, and automotive industries. This discovery is important in that growth processes compatible with high volume production can be used to grow sp.sup.2 bonded BN (e.g., sputtering, e-beam evaporation, and CVD), then implantation procedures can be used to subsequently change the film to sp.sup.3 bonding. The amorphous, cubic-like, BN films can be grown on silicon wafers. This technique is also well-suited for metallic and plastic substrates because both the deposition and implantation processes occur at low temperatures. Coatings applied to metallic substrates such as carbonized steels and aluminum alloys must be processed at temperatures typically less than 150 C.

Conversion of hexagonal-like BN to cubic-like BN by ion implantation

The invention generally includes a new technique for making cubic boron nitride films with low contamination from other forms of boron nitride such as hexagonal and amorphous boron nitride. Films including either hexagonal or amorphous boron nitride are etched in a gas atmosphere including a halogen and/or hydrocarbon radical, preferably a methyl radical (CH.sub.3 ). Such atmospheres may be a plasma etching atmosphere also including hydrogen and hydrogen atoms. The etching technique is successful in removing hexagonal or amorphous boron nitride and leaving cubic boron nitride, or in converting hexagonal or amorphous boron nitride into cubic boron nitride, thus increasing the concentration of cubic boron nitride in the film. Interestingly, little or no etching of hexagonal or amorphous boron nitride occurs using only hydrogen or hydrogen atoms.

Growing community of inventors

Utica, MI, United States of America

Gary L Doll