A housing unit for a caster assembly comprising a hollow housing body forming an inner cavity. A first bearing is connected to the hollow housing body, the first bearing defining a rotational axis through its center, and configured to rotatably support a first portion of a stem supporting a caster for rotation about the rotational axis. A support assembly is connected to the hollow housing body, the support assembly being spaced from the first bearing, the support assembly having bearing segments concurrently defining a plain bearing around the rotational axis, the plain bearing configured to rotatably support a second portion of the stem during rotation about the rotational axis. A pressure-applying component is operatively mounted to the support assembly, the pressure-applying component being selectively displaceable to displace the at least one of the bearing segments toward or away from the second portion of the stem, to increase or decrease a pressure of the bearing segments on the second portion of the stem. The support assembly and the first bearing are configured to rotatably support the stem of the caster to form a swivel joint.

A housing unit for a caster assembly comprising a hollow housing body forming an inner cavity. A first bearing is connected to the hollow housing body, the first bearing defining a rotational axis through its center, and configured to rotatably support a first portion of a stem supporting a caster for rotation about the rotational axis. A support assembly is connected to the hollow housing body, the support assembly being spaced from the first bearing, the support assembly having bearing segments concurrently defining a plain bearing around the rotational axis, the plain bearing configured to rotatably support a second portion of the stem during rotation about the rotational axis. A pressure-applying component is operatively mounted to the support assembly, the pressure-applying component being selectively displaceable to displace the at least one of the bearing segments toward or away from the second portion of the stem, to increase or decrease a pressure of the bearing segments on the second portion of the stem. The support assembly and the first bearing are configured to rotatably support the stem of the caster to form a swivel joint.

A heterogeneous composite consisting of near-nano ceramic clusters dispersed within a ductile matrix. The composite is formed through the high temperature compaction of a starting powder consisting of a core of ceramic nanoparticles held together with metallic binder. This core is clad with a ductile metal such that when the final powder is consolidated, the ductile metal forms a tough, near-zero contiguity matrix. The material is consolidated using any means that will maintain its heterogeneous structure.

A heterogeneous composite consisting of near-nano ceramic clusters dispersed within a ductile matrix. The composite is formed through the high temperature compaction of a starting powder consisting of a core of ceramic nanoparticles held together with metallic binder. This core is clad with a ductile metal such that when the final powder is consolidated, the ductile metal forms a tough, near-zero contiguity matrix. The material is consolidated using any means that will maintain its heterogeneous structure.

The invention relates to a bearing assembly (10) comprising at least one first bearing element (12) and a second bearing element (14) which are rotatably connected relative to each other along a common longitudinal axis (14). The bearing assembly (10) comprises a brake device (18) which inhibits the rotation of the two bearing elements (12) relative to each other by means of a frictional force produced by the brake device (18), wherein the brake device (18) has at least one frictional element (20) and at least one clamping device (22), by means of which the frictional element (20) is permanently clamped against one of the two bearing elements (12). The bearing assembly also comprises a coupling device (30) which can be moved between an open state and a closed state. In the closed state, the brake device (18) is engaged, whereby when the two bearing elements (12) rotate relative to each other, the rotation is inhibited by the frictional force produced by the brake device (18), and in the open state, the brake device (18) is disengaged.

A sliding member of the present invention includes a base material and a coating layer that is formed on the base material. The coating layer includes a particle aggregate that contains precipitation hardened copper alloy particles. The precipitation hardened copper alloy particles contain cobalt (Co) and silicon (Si) The sliding member has high coating strength and superior wear resistance.

A sliding member includes a resin overlay layer on a sliding surface side coming into sliding contact with a mating member. The resin overlay layer has a surface roughness parameter Rk satisfying 0.4≤Rk≤1.2, and a surface area ratio S=S2/S1 calculated when an area of an arbitrary measurement field of view is designated by S1 and a surface area of the measurement field of view is designated by S2 satisfies 2.5≤S≤4.5.

A method and apparatus for determining crush height of a plain bearing shell, including a light source for forming illuminating light to the plain bearing shell; a sensor device configured to capture an image; at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: capture a first image of the plain bearing shell in a first mode, wherein no external compression stress in a circumference direction of the plain bearing shell is formed; generate plain bearing data based on the first captured image; maintain housing reference data including at least diameter information of a bore for receiving the plain bearing shell; and determine crush height of the plain bearing shell based on the plain bearing data and the housing reference data.

A rotary-body support structure includes: a rotary body including a rotary shaft and a contact portion spirally wound around the rotary shaft; and bearing parts that rotatably support the rotary body. The amount of engagement of the rotary body with a contact body that is in contact with the contact portion of the rotary body changes when the rotary body moves toward one side in a rotation axis direction.

The invention relates to a monotectic aluminum plain bearing alloy having bismuth inclusions, which alloy is suitable for plastic deformation and consists of 1 to 20 wt % bismuth, at least one element selected from 0.05 to 7 wt % copper, 0.05 to 15 wt % silicon, 0.05 to 3 wt % manganese, 0.05 to 5 wt % zinc as a primary alloying element and, in combination, 0.005 to 0.4 wt % titanium, 0.005 to 0.7 wt % zirconium, 0.001 to 0.1 wt % boron as additional alloying elements, and optionally one or more further additional elements, the remainder aluminum. The plain bearing alloy is ultra-fine-grained and has superplastic-like properties.