Force coupling or torque coupling assemblies, apparatuses, systems, and methods include assemblies that each include superhard contact elements. At least some of the superhard contact elements may be configured to remain in contact with each other when a force is applied between the assemblies.

A ball-socket type tilting pad journal bearing configured to reduce friction between a tilting pad and a pivot includes a housing body, a plurality of tilting pads disposed inside the housing body, and a plurality of pivots fixed on an inner surface of the housing body. An oil collection unit for collecting oil is provided in at least one of an outer circumferential surface of each of the pivots and a socket of each of the tilting pads.

A bearing configured to actively damp vibration of a shaft in a turbine. In one implementation, the bearing can include actuating members that move in a manner that changes properties of fluid, typically a thin film of lubricant, disposed in the bearing to facilitate rotation of the shaft. These changes effectively manipulate the stiffness and damping of the thin film according to a time periodicity that matches a parametric anti-resonance of the bearing. In turn, the resulting interaction of vibrating modes is favorable to damp vibration amplitudes at critical speeds.

A bearing device includes: a rotary shaft being rotatable around an axis; a bearing pad that supports an outer peripheral surface of the rotary shaft; a nozzle that is disposed on an upstream side of the bearing pad in a rotational direction of the rotation shaft and has a supply hole; a pair of side plates that face the outer circumferential surface of the rotation shaft on an upstream side of the nozzle in the rotational direction and are disposed on both sides of the nozzle in the axial direction, the pair of side plates having a discharge hole; and a guide surface that faces the upstream side in the rotation direction and extends in the axial direction over an entire length of the bearing pad in the axial direction, wherein the guide surface is circumferentially positioned between the supply hole and the discharge hole.

Provided is a fluid film bearing, especially for a rotor hub in a wind turbine, including an inner part that supports a rotating outer part, wherein the inner part includes multiple radial pads distributed along the outer circumference of the inner part, each of the radial pads having at least one radial pad sliding surface, wherein the radial pad sliding surfaces support at least one outer part sliding surface of the outer part in the radial direction.

Embodiments of the invention relate to bearing apparatuses in which one bearing surface of the bearing apparatus includes diamond, while another bearing surface includes a non-diamond superhard material (e.g., silicon carbide). For example, a bearing apparatus may include a bearing stator assembly and a bearing rotor assembly. The bearing stator assembly and bearing rotor assembly each include a support ring and one or more superhard bearing elements generally opposed to one another. The bearing surface(s) of the rotor or stator may include diamond, while the bearing surface(s) of the other of the rotor or stator do not include diamond. Another bearing apparatus may include both thrust- and radial bearing components. The generally opposed thrust-bearing elements may include diamond, while the generally opposed radial bearing elements may not include diamond, but include a non-diamond superhard material, such as silicon carbide.

Provided is a fluid film bearing, for a rotor hub in a wind turbine, including a first and second part rotatably connected to each other, wherein the first part forms a first annular sliding surface that extends in the circumferential direction of the bearing along the first part, wherein the second part includes a support structure and first pads distributed along the circumference of the support structure, wherein a respective pad sliding surface of each of the first pads or of a first subgroup of the first pads supports the first annular sliding surface, wherein each first pad includes a mounting section that is mounted to a backside of the support structure, a contact section that is either forming the respective pad sliding surface or carrying a coating that forms the respective pad sliding surface and a connecting section that connects the contact section with the mounting section.

A journal bearing includes an oil supply nozzle, having an oil distribution part which extends in an axial direction of the rotation shaft and supplies lubricating oil, and a pad, provided at the rear side of the oil supply nozzle, in a rotational direction of the rotation shaft and supporting the rotation shaft rotatably. The inner periphery face of the pad, which opposes the outer periphery face of the rotation shaft, has an opening side face, in which the radial direction spacing between the inner periphery face and the outer periphery face of the rotation shaft becomes smaller, from the front end face of the pad, located at the front side in the rotational direction of the rotation shaft, toward the rear side in the rotational direction, and between the oil distribution part and the pad, the journal bearing has a bubble discharge path which discharges air bubbles.

A thrust bearing pad includes a relatively low wear and low friction contact layer disposed on a metallic substrate. The metallic substrate allows a manufacturer to couple the thrust bearing pad to a corresponding metallic thrust bearing in a relatively secure manner while the contact layer extends the operating life of the thrust bearing and minimizes maintenance.

A fluid film bearing, includes a first and second part, wherein the first part includes at least two annular sliding surfaces, wherein the second part includes a respective group of pads for each of the annular sliding surfaces, wherein a respective pad sliding surface of each pad in a respective group supports the respective annular sliding surface, wherein the pads of each group are distributed in the circumferential direction along the second part, wherein at least one pad of a selected one of the groups is arranged such that spacing of the pads in the selected group along the circumference is irregular and/or wherein the selected or a selected one of the groups includes two different types of pads and/or wherein the pads of the or a selected one of the groups are offset in the circumferential direction with respect to the pads of a further one of the groups.