Bearings assemblies are provided that include polycrystalline diamond bearing surfaces that are engaged with opposing, metal bearing surfaces that include more than trace amounts of diamond solvent-catalyst. In the bearings, the opposing bearing surface is slidingly engaged with the polycrystalline diamond bearing surface along a diamond contact area of the polycrystalline diamond bearing surface, and the polycrystalline diamond bearing surface is a continuous surface along the diamond contact area. Also provided are methods of making and using the bearing assemblies.

Bearings and valves are provided that include diamond engagement surfaces that are engaged with opposing, metal engagement surfaces that include diamond solvent-catalyst. Also provided are methods of making and using the bearings and valves.

A radial positioning device is disclosed. The radial positioning device can include a body. The body can include a circumferential surface having a spring location and at least one interface portion operable to interface with a mating component. The body can also have a recess with a depth that varies relative to the circumferential surface about the body. The radial positioning device can also include a spring disposed in the recess. The spring can have a radial dimension greater than the depth of the recess at the spring location. The spring can be operable to contact the mating component at the spring location and compress in the radial dimension to provide a spring force that biases the at least one interface portion and the mating component against one another.

A radial positioning device is disclosed. The radial positioning device can include a body. The body can include a circumferential surface having a spring location and at least one interface portion operable to interface with a mating component. The body can also have a recess with a depth that varies relative to the circumferential surface about the body. The radial positioning device can also include a spring disposed in the recess. The spring can have a radial dimension greater than the depth of the recess at the spring location. The spring can be operable to contact the mating component at the spring location and compress in the radial dimension to provide a spring force that biases the at least one interface portion and the mating component against one another.

A steering system has a steering rod longitudinally displaceable in a housing and a steering motor acting on the steering rod via a ball screw drive. The steering rod has a recirculating ball thread interacting via spherical transmission elements with a transmission nut driven by the steering motor and that is rotatably mounted by a bearing arrangement with a pivot bearing having an inner ring to which a mechanism wheel is fixedly attached. The transmission nut is pivotably mounted on the mechanism wheel about a pivot axis oriented perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the steering rod, and has a curved joint section which interacts with a curved joint section of the mechanism wheel to form a pivoting bearing. In order to realize low-friction movement capability of the pivoting bearing, at least one of the joint sections has a sliding coating, and/or a lubricant is arranged between the joint sections.

A steering system has a steering rod longitudinally displaceable in a housing and a steering motor acting on the steering rod via a ball screw drive. The steering rod has a recirculating ball thread interacting via spherical transmission elements with a transmission nut driven by the steering motor and that is rotatably mounted by a bearing arrangement with a pivot bearing having an inner ring to which a mechanism wheel is fixedly attached. The transmission nut is pivotably mounted on the mechanism wheel about a pivot axis oriented perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the steering rod, and has a curved joint section which interacts with a curved joint section of the mechanism wheel to form a pivoting bearing. An elastically deformed spring ring arranged between the joint sections provides freedom from play of the pivoting joint.

A bearing assembly may be provided for mounting a rotor which can be rotated about a rotational axis. In particular, for a rotary fluid pump or rotary blood pump comprising: a main body, a bearing element which can be displaced relative to the main body in the direction of the rotational axis for receiving the rotor, and an adjusting device which is connected to the bearing element for displacing the bearing element in the direction of the rotational axis by a predefined distance, wherein the predefined distance is <=500 micrometres.

A bearing assembly may be provided for mounting a rotor which can be rotated about a rotational axis. In particular, for a rotary fluid pump or rotary blood pump comprising: a main body, a bearing element which can be displaced relative to the main body in the direction of the rotational axis for receiving the rotor, and an adjusting device which is connected to the bearing element for displacing the bearing element in the direction of the rotational axis by a predefined distance, wherein the predefined distance is <=500 micrometres.

A fluid pump conveys a fluid, such as blood. A fluid channel that is bounded by a channel wall and a rotor arranged in the fluid channel and that is rotatably mounted about a pivot point of the bearing with a mechanical, hydrodynamic and/or hydrostatic, axial and radial bearing. The fluid channel has a spherical section and the rotor has a rotor body and a conveying element that is arranged within the spherical section of the fluid channel and configured to generate a substantially spherical rotational area of the rotor. The spherical center of the spherical section of the fluid channel and the spherical center of the spherical rotational area substantially coincide with the pivot point so that a minimum distance between the rotor and the channel wall is maintained in the spherical section upon a tilting of the rotor.

A rotor bearing for bearing a rotor hub on a nacelle housing of a nacelle for a wind turbine has at least one inner ring element and at least one outer ring element, wherein at least one sliding bearing element is arranged between the inner ring element and the outer ring element, which sliding bearing element is fastened to the inner ring element or to the outer ring element. On the sliding bearing element, a sliding surface is formed, which cooperates with a counterface, which is coupled with that ring element, to which the sliding bearing element is not fastened. The counterface is designed to be resilient.