A sliding member includes an overlay layer made of a resin on a side of a sliding surface of a bearing alloy layer. When a valley void volume Vvv (μm.sup.3/μm.sup.2) in the sliding surface of the overlay layer is defined as Vv1, Vv1 is in a range of 0.015≤Vv1≤0.200.

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 charging roller includes a conductive support, and a roller body to rotate about the conductive support. The roller body includes a conductive elastic layer to contact the conductive support, and a conductive resin layer located around the conductive elastic layer to form a surface of the roller body. The surface has ten-point average roughness Rzjis of approximately 20 μm to 30 μm. The conductive resin layer contains polyrotaxane.

A pitch bearing for coupling a rotor blade to a hub of a wind turbine includes an outer race mountable to the hub and an inner race rotatable relative to the outer race and mountable to the rotor blade. The inner race is formed by first and second ring components, each of the first and second ring components having an outer annular face and an inner annular face. The first and second ring components are joined together at the inner annular faces such that the inner annular faces are opposed and opposite each other. A layer of friction enhancing material is inserted/disposed between the opposed inner annular faces, the friction enhancing material including an abrasive particulate component that increases a coefficient of friction to minimize slippage between the first and second ring components.

A thrust roller bearing includes a plurality of radially arranged rollers, and a pair of annular washers having raceway surfaces on which the rollers roll, the raceway surfaces being arranged to face each other. The roller is made of high-carbon chromium bearing steel, and contains 1.1 mass % to 1.6 mass % of carbon and 0.1 mass % to 0.6 mass % of nitrogen in a range of 0.1 mm from a surface. A surface compressive residual stress is smaller than −900 MPa, a surface roughness is 0.01 to 0.10 in terms of Rvk and 0.01 to 0.08 in terms of Rk, and a Vickers hardness of the surface is 860 to 980. At least one of the washers is made of carbon steel, and surface roughnesses of the raceway surfaces are 0.05 to 0.20 in terms of Rvk and 0.08 to 0.15 in terms of Rk.

A difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of arithmetic mean roughness Ra of an annular surface region in contact with a larger flange surface, in a larger end face of the tapered roller, is not greater than 0.02 μm. A value of a ratio R/R.sub.BASE is not smaller than 0.75 and not greater than 0.87 where R represents a set radius of curvature of the larger end face of the tapered roller and R.sub.BASE represents a distance from a point which is an apex of a cone angle of the tapered roller to the larger flange surface of the inner ring. A ratio R.sub.process/R is not lower than 0.5 where R.sub.process represents an actual radius of curvature after grinding of the larger end face of the tapered roller and R represents a set radius of curvature.

A radial bearing assembly is provided. The radial bearing assembly includes polycrystalline diamond elements, each having an engagement surface in sliding engagement with an opposing engagement surface. The opposing engagement surface includes a diamond reactive material. The radial bearing assembly may be deployed in a variety of components and applications, including in rotor and stator assemblies. Also provided are methods of use of the radial bearing assembly, as well as methods of designing the radial bearing assembly.

A charging 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 ten point height of irregularities R.sub.Z of a surface of the surface layer is equal to or greater than 6.5 micrometers, and is equal to or less than 11.7 micrometers. The mean spacing between peaks S.sub.m of the surface of the surface layer is equal to or greater than 16.5 micrometers and is equal to or less than 18.8 micrometers.

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.