The present invention provides an all-ceramic joint bearing used in a high-temperature, corrosion and oxidation-prone environment, which mainly includes an inner ring and an outer ring which are made of zirconia, alumina or silicon carbide ceramic materials. The all-ceramic joint bearing is assembled into a whole through corresponding assembly technologies. An inner side of the outer ring is an inner arc surface, and the inner ring is an outer arc surface. A width of the inner ring is 3-5 mm greater than that of the outer ring, and a movable swing angle of the inner ring is 0-21. The joint bearing made of the ceramic materials has an optimized structure by utilizing the ceramic material characteristics of high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, high hardness, non-magnetic permeability, wear resistance and self-lubrication.

A gas turbine engine with a rotor having a shaft mounted to the engine with a plurality of electrically insulating bearings is provided. The electrically insulating bearings are coupled to the shaft to support the rotor in the engine. There is at least one electrically conductive bearing coupled to the shaft and that further support the rotor in the engine. An electrically conductive path is defined between the rotor and an electrical ground of the engine. The electrically conductive path is defined through the electrically conductive bearing to reach the electrical ground of the engine. A method for electrostatically discharging a rotor supported in the gas turbine engine is also provided.

A sliding member includes a bearing alloy layer, a solid lubricant layer, particles and a covering portion. The solid lubricant layer is provided on a sliding surface side of the bearing alloy layer and is deposited on the bearing alloy layer. The particles form the solid lubricant layer and are made of metal sulfide. The covering portion is provided over outermost surfaces of the particles on the sliding surface side and are made of metal oxide including the same metal element as a metal element constituting the particles.

A method including substituting an atmosphere in a space, in which a sliding surface formed of a metal or a ceramic material, and a slid surface are disposed, with a gas atmosphere containing a hydroxyl group-containing compound and at least one of hydrogen and nitrogen, and relatively sliding the sliding surface against the slid surface by a Hertzian contact stress of 1.0 GPa or more in the space under the gas atmosphere containing the hydroxyl group-containing compound at least one of hydrogen and nitrogen. As a result, it is possible to form, on the sliding surface, a low-friction coating that stably exhibits a significantly low friction coefficient, for example, of 10.sup.4 order (less than 0.001).

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.

A ceramic ball material according to an embodiment including: a spherical portion; and a band-shaped portion formed over a circumference of a surface of the spherical portion. The ceramic ball material has a ratio Rtb/Rts of 1.0 or more, where Rtb denotes a maximum cross-sectional height of a roughness profile on an outer peripheral surface of the band-shaped portion; and Rts denotes a maximum cross-sectional height of roughness on an outer peripheral surface of the spherical portion.

A cage (5) for separating rolling bodies (2) for a bearing (1), particularly for a timepiece bearing, the cage having first openings (50) for receiving rolling bodies and at least one first contact zone (56) intended to come into contact with a bearing ring and having at least one first hollow formation (52).

An insulated bearing assembly for coupling a shaft with an outer member includes an inner race disposed upon the shaft and an outer race disposed about the inner race and having an outer circumferential surface and axial ends. An annular insulator is formed of an electrically insulative and thermally conductive material and is coupled with either the outer race or the inner race such that the insulator is generally disposed between the outer race and the outer member or between the inner race and the shaft. A polymeric member has an annular portion(s) disposed against one of the two axial ends of the coupled outer race or inner race and an axial portion(s) extending from the annular portion and coupled with the insulator member so as to retain the insulator member coupled with the outer race or the inner race when the bearing assembly is separate from the outer member.

A bearing component, such as a bearing roller or a bearing ring, has an exterior surface and includes at least one interior region made of a recycled material which region is spaced from and does not form any part of the exterior surface. The recycled material and the unrecycled material may each include silicon nitride and/or sialon and/or silicon carbide and/or a ceramic material. Also a method of forming the component.

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.