Wear surface for facilitating lubrication of elements in engagement therewith

Claim 2

A wear surface for engaging a face of an element movable relative thereto in the presence of a lubricating medium; said surface comprising a multiplicity of generally triangular lands separated from one another by a substantially continuous depression, each land being peripherally defined by angularly related walls, at least two of the walls along each land merging at a blunted corner which forms the leading edge of the land as the wear surface and element move relative to each other, whereby the lubricating medium will flow through the depression and will be forced out of the depression and across the lands by the movement of the engaging face of the element across the blunted leading corners of the lands.

Claim 3

A wear surface according to claim 1 wherein the blunted corner is curved.

Claim 4

A wear surface according to claim 2 wherein the angularly related walls are angularly related sidewalls which intersect at an apex and are located oblique to the direction of relative movement, and a base wall which extends generally in the direction of relative movement; and wherein the curved corner joins the base wall and one of the sidewalls so as to form the leading edge of the land, whereby the leading sidewall will function as an impeller and pump the lubricant in the general direction in which the apex points.

Claim 5

A wear surface according to claim 2 wherein the triangular lands are arranged in rows which extend generally in the direction of relative movement; and wherein the apexes of one row project beyond the base walls extending along the lands in another row.

Claim 6

A wear surface according to claim 4 wherein both sidewalls extending along each land merge into the base wall also extending along that land at curved corners, wherein the lands are further arranged in rows which extend generally transverse of the direction of relative movement; and wherein the curved corners in each transverse row project beyond the curved corners in adjacent transverse rows.

Claim 7

A wear surface according to claim 4 wherein the shortest dimension of each land is between approximately 0.005 and 0.040 inches; wherein the effective depth of the side and base walls is between approximately 10 and 100 microinches; and wherein the element supported by the lands extends transversely of the direction of relative movement across at least three rows of lands.

Claim 8

A wear surface according to claim 4 wherein the apexes of a majority of the triangular lands point in one direction; and wherein the apexes of the remaining triangular lands point in the opposite direction, whereby at least one of the sidewalls along the reversely oriented lands will insure distribution of the lubricant across the face of the element which engages the lands.

Claim 9

A wear surface according to claim 2 wherein both of the sidewalls along each land merge into the base wall along that land at curved corners; wherein the lands are arranged in rows which extend generally in the direction of relative movement; and wherein the sidewalls along the triangular lands align with the sidewalls along adjacent triangular lands in adjacent circumferential rows so that the triangular lands form a simple geometric array.

Claim 10

A wear surface according to claim 3 which is cylindrical and rotates relative to the element about an axis of rotation which is coaxial with the axis of the cylindrical wear surface; and wherein the element engaging the wear surface is a radial lip seal of an elastomeric cOnstituency.

Claim 11

A wear surface according to claim 3 wherein the wear surface is generally planar and rotates relative to the element about an axis of rotation perpendicular to the plane of the wear surface, and wherein the element engaging the wear surface is a parallel face seal of an elastomeric constituency.

Claim 12

A wear surface according to claim 1 and further characterized by a filler material in the depression, the filler material being less resistant to wear than the material forming the lands, whereby, during relative movement of the engaging element along the lands and filler material, the filler material between the lands will wear and to a limited extent reestablish the depression beneath the supported element so that lubricant can flow through the reestablished depression and lubricate the portion of the element which engages the lands.

Claim 13

A wear surface for engaging a face of an element movable relative thereto in the presence of a lubricating medium; said surface comprising a substantially interrupted surface area and a substantially continuous intervening surface area both presented toward the movable element, the interrupted surface area comprising a multiplicity of triangular surfaces substantially separated from each other by the intervening surface area, one of the surface areas being located closer to the movable element than the other surface area so that one surface area is raised and the other is depressed, each triangular surface being substantially surrounded by the intervening surface area and each further being defined at its edges by a pair of angularly related sidewalls and a base wall, the sidewalls intersecting at an apex and being presented oblique to the direction of relative rotation so that one of the sidewalls functions as a pump impeller and pumps the lubricant generally in a direction transverse to the direction of relative movement, the base wall extending generally in the direction of relative movement, the triangular surfaces being arranged in rows which extend generally in the direction of relative movement and the apexes of one row of triangular surfaces projecting beyond the base walls of the adjacent row of triangular surfaces.

Claim 14

A wear surface for engaging a face of an element movable relative thereto in the presence of a lubricating medium; said surface comprising a substantially interrupted surface area and a substantially continuous intervening surface area both presented toward the movable element, the interrupted surface area comprising a multiplicity of triangular surfaces substantially separated from each other by the intervening surface area, one of the surface areas being located closer to the movable element than the other surface area so that one surface area is raised and the other is depressed, each triangular surface being substantially surrounded by the intervening surface area and each further being defined at its edges by a pair of angularly related sidewalls and a base wall, the sidewalls intersecting at an apex and being presented oblique to the direction of relative rotation so that one of the sidewalls functions as a pump impeller and pumps the lubricant generally in a direction transverse to the direction of relative movement, the base wall extending generally in the direction of relative movement, the triangular surfaces being arranged in rows which extend generally in the direction of relative movement and the apexes of one row of triangular surfaces projecting beyond the base walls of the adjacent row of triangular surfaces.

Claim 15

A wear surface according to claim 12 wherein the triangular surfaces are further arranged in rows which extend transversely of the direction of relative movement, and wherein the ends of the base walls in each transverse row extend beyond the ends of the base walls in adjacent transverse rows.

Claim 16

A wear surface according to claim 12 wherein the apexes of a majority of the triangular surfaces point in one direction; and wherein the apexes of the remaining triangular surfaces point in the opposite direction, whereby the sidewalls extending along the reversely oriented triangular surfaces will distribute the lubricant across the entire face of the removable element which engages the wear surface.

Claim 17

A wear surface according to claim 12 and further characterized by a filler material covering the depressed surface area and initially extending outwardly to at least the raised surface area, the filler material being less resistant to wear than the material from which the raised surface area is formed, whereby during relative movement of the element along the wear surface, the filler material covering the depressed surface area will wear, and to a limited extent establish a depression beneath the element.

Claim 18

A wear surface according to claim 12 wherein the sidewalls extending along the triangular surfaces merge into the back walls at curved corners.

Claim 19

A wear surface according to claim 12 wherein the interrupted surface area is raised and the intervening surface area is depressed, whereby the triangular surfaces form lands and the intervening surface area forms a depression surrounding the lands.

Claim 20

A wear surface according to claim 12 disposed on the thrust rib of a bearing having roller elements, the wear surface being engaged by roller elements.

Claim 21

A wear surface according to claim 12 disposed on the thrust rib of the cone of a tapered roller bearing and engaged by the large diameter end faces of the tapered rollers.