Abstract:
In a rotary wing aircraft tail rotor head assembly having a ball bearing on a spindle at the head of a rotor wing, the ball bearing contains slug ball separators between the balls in the bearing. The separator may be made from PEEK, PTFE, or polyimide. The ball-to-ball separation between two balls of like diameter provided by the separator may about 3.2 to about 64% of the diameter of one of the balls. A separator may have an annular configuration that defines a passage therethrough, the passage having two ends and the interior of the separator being tapered to define a maximum diameter at each end and a minimum diameter therebetween. The taper of the chamfered surface of the slug ball separator may define a conical angle of about 75° to about 120°. A ball bearing as described herein may also be used in a rotary wing aircraft swashplate having a stationary plate, a rotating plate; and a thrust bearing between the stationary plate and the rotating plate.
Abstract:
A ball bearing for a cryogenic application including an inner ring and an outer ring positioned around the inner ring. The inner ring and the outer ring define a raceway therebetween. The ball bearing includes a plurality of rolling balls disposed in the raceway and a slug separator positioned between and slidingly engaging each of adjacent pairs the rolling balls. The slug separator defines an exterior surface thereon, which has a recess extending at least partially into the slug separator. The recess is configured to flow cryogenic fluid therethrough.
Abstract:
A bearing is provided that includes a first ring having at least one first raceway defined by a radially inward facing surface of the first ring; and a second ring concentric with the first ring and having at least one second raceway defined by a radially outward facing surface of the second ring. The bearing includes a plurality of rolling elements disposed between the first and second rings. The rolling elements rollingly engage the first and second raceways. The first ring has a first gap therein and the second ring has a second gap therein. One or more race reliefs extend into the first raceway and/or the second raceway.
Abstract:
An improved swashplate assembly of the main rotor of an AH-64 Apache helicopter includes a stationary swashplate and a rotating swashplate and a ball bearing between the swashplates, the ball bearing having an outer ring, an inner ring, two sets of balls between the inner ring and the outer ring, and a wire loop cage between the inner ring and the outer ring. The improvement includes that the inner ring, the outer ring and the balls are formed from an M50 alloy.
Abstract:
An improved swashplate assembly of the main rotor of an AH-64 Apache helicopter includes a stationary swashplate and a rotating swashplate and a ball bearing between the swashplates, the ball bearing having an outer ring, an inner ring, two sets of balls between the inner ring and the outer ring, and a wire loop cage between the inner ring and the outer ring. The improvement includes that the inner ring, the outer ring and the balls are formed from an M50 alloy.
Abstract:
A ground-based power generator that produces hot gas and that has a hot gas valving system includes a butterfly valve in a gas flow conduit. The generator is improved in that the butterfly valve is mounted in the conduit by a ball-roller bearing.
Abstract:
A rolling bearing has a first ring, a second ring concentric with the first ring, and a plurality of rolling elements disposed between the first and second rings, the first ring and the second ring both being generally annular and having gaps therein. A rotating mechanism has a support structure, a rotating structure, and a rolling bearing as described herein mounted on the support structure and engaging the rotating structure. A rotating mechanism having a CTE and a non-split ring bearing having a bearing CTE that is significantly less than the mechanism CTE can be improved by replacing the non-split ring bearing with a bearing having a similar CTE and a gap in the inner ring and in the outer ring.