Articulable joints having diamond bearing surfaces engaged with metal bearing surfaces are provided herein. The articulable joints provide multiple degrees of freedom to components, such as drivelines, and bear loads in multiple directions. The articulable joints include diamond bearing surfaces slidingly engaged with opposing metal bearing surfaces that include more than trace amounts of diamond solvent-catalyst.

A sintered friction material for brake having a high friction coefficient, with which reduction of the friction coefficient is prevented at high temperature and stable brake performance is maintained. It comprises: a metal matrix of Ni or Ni+Fe (small amount); a solid lubricant (a); and a friction adjusting material (b) including: metal or alloy particles (b1) having an average particle size of 50 μm or more and containing at least one selected from W, Mo, Cr, and FeW; and inorganic particles (b2) containing at least one selected from oxides, nitrides, carbides, and intermetallic compounds. An average particle size d.sub.b1 of b1 and an average particle size d.sub.b2 of b2 satisfy d.sub.b1<d.sub.b2. Dispersing, in the metal matrix, b1 and b2 satisfying particular conditions as the friction adjusting material can produce a geometrical structure (particle structure with a high filling density) suitable for preventing plastic deformation of the sintered friction material.

The invention relates to a power unit, in particular for a hybrid vehicle, including a reciprocating-piston engine and at least one generator drivingly connected to the engine, wherein the engine has at least two pistons guided in at least two cylinders in a tandem arrangement, and two crankshafts, which are connected to the pistons by connection rods that run in opposite directions, and are mechanically coupled in the same phase. The engine includes a hub-hub connection with a first connection joining a first hub to a second hub such that an angular position between the first hub and the second hub is continuously adjustable on installation. The hub-hub connection also has a second connection in the form of a connection disk configured, dimensioned and arranged with support surfaces, on each of which the first hub and the second hub rest. The connection disk has a matrix with hard material elements embedded therein, in particular diamond chips, which are arranged in the support surfaces for frictional engagement of the hubs.

A braking arrangement includes a torque plate, a torque button, and a sacrificial bushing. The torque button comprises a head portion and a shaft portion, wherein the head portion is configured to extend at least partially into a torque pocket of an end plate of a brake stack and the shaft portion is configured to extend through an aperture disposed in a back leg of the torque plate. The bushing is configured to be removably coupled between the shaft portion of the torque button and the back leg of the torque plate.

A system, and associated method, for reducing oxidation of a friction disk may include a braking assembly comprising the friction disk and a coolant loop coupled to the braking assembly, with the coolant loop being configured to circulate liquid coolant from the braking assembly. That is, the coolant loop may be configured to reduce the temperature of the braking assembly, thus reducing the rate/extent of oxidation of the friction disks and potentially enabling the concentration of oxygen around the braking assembly to be reduced.

A friction material presents a friction-generating surface and a bonding surface opposite the friction-generating surface. The friction material includes unbranched fiber having a diameter of from 0.5 to 50 μm and a length of from 0.2 to 15 mm, branched fiber having a diameter of from 1 to 50 μm, and a resin disposed throughout the friction material. The friction material is substantially free of particles and defines a plurality of pores having a pore size distribution with a D10 value of from 5 to 15 μm, a D50 value of from 15 to 30 μm, and a D90 value of from 30 to 60 μm.

A method for densifying one or more porous substrates with pyrolytic carbon by chemical vapour infiltration, includes admitting, at the inlet of the densification furnace, a reactive gaseous phase including at least one pyrolytic carbon precursor; reacting at least a fraction of the reactive gaseous phase with the porous substrate or substrates; extracting, at the outlet of the densification furnace, gaseous effluents originating from the reactive gaseous phase; reintroducing, with the reactive gaseous phase admitted at the inlet of the densification furnace, at least a fraction of the gaseous effluents extracted at the outlet of the furnace, wherein the fraction of the gaseous effluents introduced with the reactive gaseous phase includes at least one polyaromatic hydrocarbon compound.

Magnet assemblies for electromechanical assemblies of elevator systems are described. The magnet assemblies include a magnet and first and second block assemblies arranged on opposite sides of the magnet. In some configurations, the block assemblies each include a respective friction engagement surface and are formed of layers of sheet metal, with a portion of the layers having blade teeth that form a friction engagement surface for engagement with a guide rail. In some configurations, each of the block assemblies are formed from powder metal sintering and include a monolithic tooth configuration configured to form a friction engagement surface for engagement with a guide rail. In some configurations each of the block assemblies includes an abrasive coating configured to form a friction engagement surface for engagement with a guide rail.

Example bicycle disc brake rotors are described herein. An example disc brake rotor described herein includes a core having a brake surface core portion and a single-piece brake track coupled to the brake surface core portion. The brake track is constructed of stainless steel. The brake track includes a first track on a first side of the brake surface core portion, a second track on a second side of the brake surface core portion, and a connecting portion extending over a peripheral edge of the brake surface core portion between the first and second tracks.

A method of fabricating a brake component made from a ceramic matrix composite is disclosed. In various embodiments, the method includes infiltrating a carbon fabric with a slurry containing a ceramic powder and a sintering aid; laying up the carbon fabric in a desired geometry to form a raw component; warm pressing the raw component to form a green component; and sintering the green component via a spark plasma sintering process to form a sintered component.