| 摘要 |
The raceways (18, 20) and/or rolling elements (15) of an anti-friction bearing (10) are coated with an amorphous boron-carbide coating having a dense microstructure. The coating has a thickness of about 0.1mm to about 5mm and is applied at low substrate temperatures and high adatom mobilities. Prior to applying the boron-carbide coating, an interfacial layer is applied to the bearing surface to help the boron-carbide coating to adhere to the surface. The interfacial layer is a metal layer that is deposited on the bearing surface, or a layer of boron and carbon atoms which are diffused into the bearing surface. If a metal interfacial layer is used, then, there is a gradual transition between the interfacial layer of pure metal and the boron-carbide coating. When the bearing assembly is coated in this manner, the bearing assembly will have a longer lifetime, have a cooler operation and higher rotational speeds, have an increased power density, and exhibit greater debris resistance than uncoated bearing assemblies. |
