BEARING APPARATUSES INCLUDING DUAL MATERIAL BEARING SURFACES

摘要

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.

主权项

1. A bearing apparatus, comprising:
a bearing stator including a stator support ring and one or more superhard stator bearing elements mounted to the stator support ring, each of the one or more superhard stator bearing elements including a superhard stator bearing surface; a bearing rotor including a rotor support ring and one or more superhard rotor bearing elements mounted to the rotor support ring, each of the one or more superhard rotor bearing elements including a superhard rotor bearing surface generally opposing the superhard stator bearing surface; and wherein:
the one or more superhard stator bearing surfaces; orthe one or more superhard rotor bearing surfacesincludes polycrystalline diamond and at least one of the other of the one or more superhard stator bearing surfaces or at least one of the one or more superhard rotor bearing surfaces comprises a non-diamond superhard material.