A combined electrical insulator and conductor assembly for a bearing disposable between a shaft and a housing includes an annular insulator disposable about the bearing outer ring and configured to prevent electric current flow between the outer ring and the housing and including a plurality of projections extending axially along and spaced circumferentially about a centerline. A conductor includes a conductive disk with an outer radial end engageable with the housing inner surface, an inner radial end defining a central opening for receiving the shaft and openings each receiving a separate one of the plurality of projections of the insulator such that the disk is axially displaceable relative to the insulator. An annular conductive brush subassembly is coupled with the conductive disk and includes a plurality of electrically conductive fibers contactable with the shaft outer surface so as to provide a conductive path between the shaft and the disk.

A sensorized rolling element for a bearing having inner and outer races and a plurality of rolling elements disposed between the inner and outer races and includes a rolling element body having an interior surface defining a cavity, the body being disposable between the inner race and the outer race. A wireless transmitter is disposed within the cavity of the rolling element body and a piezoelectric device is disposed within the cavity so as to contact the inner surface of the rolling element body. The piezoelectric device includes a body formed of piezoelectric material and at least two electrodes electrically coupling the piezoelectric body with the wireless transmitter. The piezoelectric device is configured to generate electrical charge for powering the transmitter when the rolling element body deflects under loading applied by the inner race and/or outer race and may also be used to detect loading on the rolling element body.

The present invention provides bearing cage retainer for a rolling element rotor bearing in a vacuum pump. The bearing cage retainer being configured to have an operational arrangement in which, at the maximum longitudinal axial displacement limit of the outer race in the direction of the retainer, the bearing cage retainer is disengaged from the bearing cage, and a failure configuration characterised by the dislocation of the bearing cage by a longitudinal axial displacement of the bearing cage relative to the outer race in the direction of the retainer and in which the bearing cage retainer engages said bearing cage and the bearing cage maintains the separation of the rolling elements within the bearing.

The present invention provides bearing cage retainer for a rolling element rotor bearing in a vacuum pump. The bearing cage retainer being configured to have an operational arrangement in which, at the maximum longitudinal axial displacement limit of the outer race in the direction of the retainer, the bearing cage retainer is disengaged from the bearing cage, and a failure configuration characterised by the dislocation of the bearing cage by a longitudinal axial displacement of the bearing cage relative to the outer race in the direction of the retainer and in which the bearing cage retainer engages said bearing cage and the bearing cage maintains the separation of the rolling elements within the bearing.

The invention relates to a rolling bearing with two bearing rings and rolling elements running between same, and a sensor for detecting movements and/or positions of the bearing rings relative to one another, wherein the sensor is fastened to one of the bearing rings and is directed towards a measurement surface on the other bearing ring, wherein said measurement surface comprises a contour projection projecting towards the sensor and/or a contour recess open towards the sensor in the form of a groove or blind hole, which projection or groove influences the measurement signal of the sensor and the movement of which relative to the sensor transverse to the main signal direction of the sensor modifies the measurement signal of the sensor.

The invention relates to a rolling bearing with two bearing rings and rolling elements running between same, and a sensor for detecting movements and/or positions of the bearing rings relative to one another, wherein the sensor is fastened to one of the bearing rings and is directed towards a measurement surface on the other bearing ring, wherein said measurement surface comprises a contour projection projecting towards the sensor and/or a contour recess open towards the sensor in the form of a groove or blind hole, which projection or groove influences the measurement signal of the sensor and the movement of which relative to the sensor transverse to the main signal direction of the sensor modifies the measurement signal of the sensor.

A sensor bearing unit includes a bearing having a first ring and a second ring centered on an axis, an impulse ring secured to the first ring and a sensor device secured to the second ring for detecting rotational parameters of the impulse ring. The impulse ring is secured into a groove formed on a cylindrical surface of the first ring which is located radially on a side of the first ring opposite the second ring.

A sensor bearing unit includes a bearing having a first ring and a second ring centered on an axis, and an impulse ring secured to the first ring of the bearing. The impulse ring includes a radial portion mounted in axial contact against a lateral face of the first ring of the bearing and at least one opening extending through the thickness of the radial portion such that a part of the lateral face of the first ring of the bearing is exposed through the at least one opening.

A mechanical system includes a sensor bearing unit and a fixed support part. The sensor bearing unit includes a bearing including a first ring and a second ring centered on an axis, an impulse ring secured to the first ring of the bearing, and a sensor device for detecting rotational parameters of the impulse ring. The sensor device has a sensor housing secured to the second ring of the bearing and a cable output that extends radially and is located circumferentially two spaced protrusions of the fixed support part.

Provided is a friction design method capable of estimating sliding friction generated between mutual sliding surfaces of two sliding members lubricated with lubricant with high precision. The friction design method sets a friction coefficient μ in a sliding surface model corresponding to mutual sliding surfaces of two sliding members (2 and 3) lubricated with lubricant (step S1), and, based on a correlation between the friction coefficient μ and an oil film parameter (Λ(Rk) or Λ(Rk+Rpk)) calculated using a core portion level difference (Rk) or a sum of the core portion level difference (Rk) and reduced peak height (Rpk) as a parameter representing surface roughness in the sliding surface model (step S2), sets a target value for surface roughness of the sliding surfaces required to be controlled as a product (steps S3 to S6).