In order to effect a seal a porous material which comprises one side of two opposing surfaces is used to restrict and evenly distribute externally pressurized gas, liquid, steam, etc. between the two surfaces, exerting a force which is opposite the forces from pressure differences or springs trying to close the two faces together and so may create a non-contact seal that is more stable and reliable than hydrodynamic seals currently in use. A non-contact bearing is also disclosed having opposing surfaces with relative motion and one surface issuing higher than ambient pressure through a porous restriction, wherein the porous restriction is part of a monolithic porous body, or a porous layer, attached to lands containing a labyrinth, the porous restriction and lands configured to not distort more than 10% of a gap created from differential pressure between each side of the porous restriction.

The present invention relates to hydrodynamic bearings, X-ray tubes, X-ray systems, and a method of manufacturing a hydrodynamic bearing for an X-ray tube. The rotor of a hydrodynamic bearing is supported, in steady-state operation, by the pressure of lubricant which is pumped through grooves in the rotor. When the rotor is speeding up or slowing down, the pumping force will not be sufficient to lift the rotor clear of a stationary bushing, and damage, caused by direct contact of the metal surfaces of the bearing, can occur. Providing special coatings on the bearing surfaces can ameliorate this effect.

A cage for a double row roller bearing assembly is disclosed. The cage includes an annular rim and two pluralities of webs. A first plurality of roller pockets are defined between adjacent ones of a first plurality of webs. Each of the webs of the first plurality of webs includes two first prongs and a first slot defined between the two first prongs. A first partial cylindrical guide surface is arranged on each first lateral surface of the first plurality of webs, and a first undercut is defined between each of the first lateral surfaces and the annular rim. Two adjacent ones of the first prongs are elastically deformable away from one another for insertion of a roller. A second plurality of webs are also provided with the same features as the first plurality of webs.

Rotary bell cup atomizing apparatus driven by a turbine mounted on a rotatable motor shaft supported within an air bearing assembly is provided. The air bearing assembly includes a cylindrical main air bearing supporting the motor shaft, a proximal, annular, disk-shaped thrust bearing and a distal, annular, disk-shaped thrust bearing supporting the turbine, and including vibration-damping O-rings positioned adjacent the bearings. In operation, air supplied to the apparatus drives the turbine and supports the turbine and motor shaft such that all rotating surfaces of the atomizing apparatus are supported in air, and universal, 3-dimensional vibration damping, both axial and radial, of all rotating components is provided.

A cage for a double row roller bearing assembly is disclosed. The cage includes an annular rim and two pluralities of webs. A first plurality of roller pockets are defined between adjacent ones of a first plurality of webs. Each of the webs of the first plurality of webs includes two first prongs and a first slot defined between the two first prongs. A first partial cylindrical guide surface is arranged on each first lateral surface of the first plurality of webs, and a first undercut is defined between each of the first lateral surfaces and the annular rim. Two adjacent ones of the first prongs are elastically deformable away from one another for insertion of a roller. A second plurality of webs are also provided with the same features as the first plurality of webs.

A carbon material for bearings includes a porous carbon base material and an impregnation material. The impregnation material is made of resin or metal, and with which the carbon base material is impregnated. The carbon material for bearings includes a plurality of pores. When a pore distribution in the carbon material for bearings is measured by a mercury penetration method using a mercury porosity meter, a cumulative pore volume of pores having a diameter larger than 0.1 m is not more than 8 mm.sup.3/g.

A low-friction coating includes: an aliphatic hydrocarbon group showing a peak in a region of 2,900 cm.sup.1 to 3000 cm.sup.1 in an infrared absorption spectrum; a carbonyl group showing a peak in a region of 1,650 cm.sup.1 to 1,800 cm.sup.1 in an infrared absorption spectrum; an aromatic component (C.sub.7H.sub.7.sup.+) showing a peak at mass 91.1 in a positive ion spectrum obtained by TOF-SIMS; and a condensed ring based component (C.sub.9H.sub.7.sup.+) showing a peak at mass 115.2 in the positive ion spectrum obtained by TOF-SIMS.

In order to effect a seal a porous material which comprises one side of two opposing surfaces is used to restrict and evenly distribute externally pressurized gas, liquid, steam, etc. between the two surfaces, exerting a force which is opposite the forces from pressure differences or springs trying to close the two faces together and so may create a non-contact seal that is more stable and reliable than hydrodynamic seals currently in use. A non-contact bearing is also disclosed having opposing surfaces with relative motion and one surface issuing higher than ambient pressure through a porous restriction, wherein the porous restriction is part of a monolithic porous body, or a porous layer, attached to lands containing a labyrinth, the porous restriction and lands configured to not distort more than 10% of a gap created from differential pressure between each side of the porous restriction.

Embodiments disclosed herein are directed to bearing assemblies that include integrated lubrication, bearing apparatuses including such bearing assemblies, and related methods. For example, a lubricated bearing assembly may include a lubricant that may lubricate the bearing surface thereof during operation of the lubricated bearing assembly and/or bearing apparatus including the lubricated bearing assembly.

The invention relates to plain thrust bearings, wherein one working surface of which is made of siliconized graphite (or other antifriction material with similar characteristics) and can be used in assemblies of electrical machines and hydraulic machines having thrust bearings of a large size (with a diameter up to 900 mm), preferably electric motors driving a main circulation pump assembly (MCPA) of reactor assemblies, for example, in nuclear power plants. The plain thrust bearing comprises interleaving bearing bands and slots on the side facing to a set of sector. The bearing disk is provided with mounting surfaces, wherein external and internal rings securing the sectors made of antifriction material through elastic elements are mounted on the mounting surfaces. The sectors are fixed to deter them from rotation relative the bearing ring by intermediate bars arranged between the sectors, wherein the bars are fixed by inserting their pins into the openings in the bearing disk. The sectors made of antifriction material are provided with steps for the external and internal rings, wherein upper parts of the sectors are provided with roundings and lower parts of the sectors are provided with slots for mutual axial fixation. A sector's lead-in edge is shaped approximately as a parabolic curve. Cooling and lubricating is carried out through interleaving channels formed by the bars, the sectors, the external and the internal rings.