An electroconductive roll includes a core member, a rubber base material disposed around the core member, and a surface layer disposed around the rubber base material. The surface area of the surface layer per unit projected area is equal to or greater than 1.255, and is equal to or less than 6.635.

Embodiments disclosed herein are directed to tilting pad bearing assemblies, bearing apparatuses including the tilting pad bearing assemblies, and methods of using the bearing apparatuses. The tilting pad bearing assemblies disclosed herein include a plurality of tilting pads. At least some of the superhard tables exhibit a thickness that is at least about 0.120 inch and/or at least two layers having different wear and/or thermal characteristics.

A bearing member 1 is provided with a coating layer 3 on an inner circumferential surface of a shaft hole 1A into which a shaft body 2 is to be fitted. The coating layer 3 is composed of a metal base material 3A and a heat conductive material 3B that is dispersed in the base material 3A and that has a thermal conductivity relatively higher than that of the base material 3A. The heat conductive material 3B has lengths Lb and Lc in directions B and C along a surface of the coating layer 3, longer than a length La in a thickness direction A of the coating layer 3, whereby thermal conductive characteristics in the directions B and C along the inner circumferential surface of the shaft hole 1A are enhanced. Thus, heat dissipation is improved, whereby temperature rise due to sliding contact with the shaft body 2 is suppressed, and seizure resistance is improved.

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.

The sliding member according to the embodiment includes a silicon nitride sintered body that includes silicon nitride crystal grains and a grain boundary phase, in which a percentage of a number of the silicon nitride crystal grains including dislocation defect portions inside the silicon nitride crystal grains among any 50 of the silicon nitride crystal grains having completely visible contours in a 50 μm×50 μm observation region of any cross section or surface of the silicon nitride sintered body is not less than 0% and not more than 10%. The percentage is more preferably not less than 0% and not more than 3%.

A sliding member includes a back-metal layer including an Fe alloy and a sliding layer including a copper alloy including 0.5 to 12 mass % of Sn and the balance of Cu and inevitable impurities. The sliding layer has a cross-sectional structure perpendicular to a sliding surface of the sliding layer. The cross-sectional structure includes first copper alloy grains that are in contact with a bonding surface of the back-metal layer and second copper alloy grains that are not in contact with the bonding surface. The first copper alloy grains has an average grain size D1 and the second copper alloy grains has an average grain size D2. D1 and D2 satisfy the following relations: D1 is 30 to 80 m; and D1/D2=0.1 to 0.3.

A sliding member includes a back-metal layer including an Fe alloy and a sliding layer including a copper alloy including 0.5 to 12 mass % of Sn and the balance of Cu and inevitable impurities. A cross-sectional structure of the sliding layer includes first copper alloy grains in contact with a bonding surface and second copper alloy grains not in contact with the bonding surface. The first and second grains have an average grain size D1 and D2 respectively. D1 is 30 to 80 m; and D1/D2=0.1 to 0.3. In the cross-sectional structure, the second grains includes third grains that includes internal grains therein that are not in contact with a grain boundary of the third grains. A total area S1 of the third grains and a total area of the second copper alloy grains S2 satisfy: S0/S2=0.25 to 0.80.

A bearing providing a plurality of rolling elements and at least one raceway for the rolling elements. The at least one raceway or the rolling elements include a tungsten carbide coating. In some embodiments, the tungsten carbide coating may be a Nano-structured tungsten carbide coating. In some embodiments, the at least one raceway or the rolling elements may comprise a steel substrate covered with the tungsten carbide coating. Embodiments also relate to a method for producing a bearing. The method includes coating a plurality of rolling elements or at least one raceway for the rolling elements with a tungsten carbide coating. In some embodiments, the tungsten carbide coating may be a Nano-structured tungsten carbide coating.

A multi-layer sliding bearing element made from a composite material includes a supporting metal layer and a further layer formed of a cast alloy of a leadfree copper base alloy, in which sulfide precipitates are contained. The copper base alloy contains between 0.1 wt. % and 3 wt. % sulfur, between 0.01 wt. % and 4 wt. % iron, up to 2 wt. % phosphorus, at least one element from a first group consisting of zinc, tin, aluminum, manganese, nickel, silicon, chromium, indium of in total between 0.1 wt. % and 49 wt. %, and at least one element from a second group consisting of silver, magnesium, indium, cobalt, titanium, zirconium, arsenic, lithium, yttrium, calcium, vanadium, molybdenum, tungsten, antimony, selenium, tellurium, bismuth, niobium, palladium, wherein the summary proportion of the elements of the second group amounts to between 0 wt. % and 2 wt. %, and the balance is constituted by copper.

Embodiments disclosed herein are directed to tilting pad bearing assemblies, bearing apparatuses including the tilting pad bearing assemblies, and methods of using the bearing apparatuses. The tilting pad bearing assemblies disclosed herein include a plurality of tilting pads. At least some of the superhard tables exhibit a thickness that is at least about 0.120 inch and/or at least two layers having different wear and/or thermal characteristics.