Low-friction fabric bearing

Claim 2

A low-friction bearing element for slidable support of a load along a particular desired directional path of movement, said element comprising an annular body with inner and outer axially extending surfaces, one of said surfaces being in said path and characterized by an exposed face of a cured resin-impregnated tubular knitted fabric of loosely twisted yarn consisting of TFE filaments and aromatic polyamide filaments, the exposed filaments at said face being primarily oriented in a direction generally transverse to the said particular desired directional path of movement.

Claim 3

The bearing element of claim 1, in which the TFE filaments and the aromatic polyamide filaments are in the proportion of 35 to 45 percent TFE by volume.

Claim 4

The bearing element of claim 1, wherein a predominantly circumferential component characterizes the particular desired directional path of movement, and wherein the exposed filaments at said face are primarily oriented in the direction of the tubular axis of the fabric.

Claim 5

The bearing element of claim 3, in which contour of said face is cylindrical.

Claim 6

The bearing element of claim 3, in which the contour of said face is spherical.

Claim 7

The bearing element of claim 3, in which the contour of said face is characterized by a helical progression of threads.

Claim 8

The bearing element of claim 3, in which the contour of said face comprises contiguous cylindrical and radial-plane surfaces.

Claim 9

The bearing element of claim 3, in which the contour of said face is conical.

Claim 10

The bearing element according to claim 3, wherein said fabric is at the inner surface of said body, a circumferentially developed tensed resin-impregnated glass-filament winding around the impregnated fabric in radially compressed relation to said fabric, said fabric and the tensed winding being thus retained by a cured resin impregnant of both said winding and said fabric.

Claim 11

The bearing element of claim 1, wherein a predominantly axial directional component characterizes the path of sliding movement, the exposed filaments at said face being primarily oriented generally circumferentially of said face.

Claim 12

The bearing element of claim 6, in which the contour of said face is cylindrical.

Claim 13

The bearing element of claim 10, in which the contour of said face is a polygon of constant section.

Claim 14

The bearing element of claim 10, in which the contour of said face is characterized by contiguous cylindrical and radial surfaces wherein the radial surface is in a plane extending in the longitudinal direction of the axis of the cylindrical surface.

Claim 15

A low-friction bearing fabric for application to a variety of bearing configurations including (a) an annulus wherein a face of the fabric is at a surface for sliding generally along a first directional path of movement with respect to the axis of the annulus and (b) an annulus wherein a face of the fabric is at a sliding surface for sliding generally along a second directional path of movement which is generally transverse to the first path, said fabric comprising a tube knitted from a loosely twisted yarn consisting of TFE filaments and aromatic polyamide filaments, said fabric being characterized on one side by exposed filaments which are primarily oriented in the direction of the tube axis and on the other side by exposed filaments which are primarily oriented normal to and circumferential of the tube axis; whereby, for a first bearing configuration in which the predetermined directional path of sliding movement is primarily rotational and therefore involves generally circumferentially directed sliding motion, a selected length of the fabric may be manipulated to establish at the bearing face primarily filaments oriented in the direction of the tube axis; and further whereby, for a second bearing configuration in which the predetermined directional path of sliding movement is primarily longitudinal, a selected length of the same fabric may be manipulated to establish at the bearing face primarily filaments oriented generally circumferentially of the tube axis; thus enabling the same knitted tube to serve both bearing configurations with maximum efficacy.

Claim 16

A low-friction bearing fabric for application to a variety of bearing configurations including (a) an annulus wherein a face of the fabric is at a surface for sliding generally along a first directional path of movement with respect to the axis of the annulus and (b) an annulus wherein a face of the fabric is at a sliding surface for sliding generally along a second directional path of movement which is generally transverse to the first path, said fabric comprising a tube knitted from a loosely twisted yarn consisting of TFE filaments and aromatic polyamide filaments, said fabric being characterized on one side by exposed filaments which are primarily oriented in the direction of the tube axis and on the other side by exposed filaments which are primarily oriented normal to and circumferential of the tube axis; whereby, for a first bearing configuration in which the predetermined directional path of sliding movement is primarily rotational and therefore involves generally circumferentially directed sliding motion, a selected length of the fabric may be manipulated to establish at the bearing face primarily filaments oriented in the direction of the tube axis; and further whereby, for a second bearing configuration in which the predetermined directional path of sliding movement is primarily longitudinal, a selected length of the same fabric may be manipulated to establish at the bearing face primarily filaments oriented generally circumferentially of the tube axis; thus enabling the same knitted tube to serve both bearing configurations with maximum efficacy.

Claim 17

A low-friction bearing element for slidable support of a load along a particular directional path of movement, said element comprising a body with a bearing surface characterized by two dimensions at least one of which is in the direction of said path of movement, said bearing surface being characterized by an exposed face of a cured resin-impregnated knitted fabric of loosely twisted yarn consisting of TFE filaments and aromatic polyamide filaments, the exposed filaments at said face being oriented in a direction generally transverse to the direction of said one dimension.

Claim 18

A low-friction bearing element for slidable support of a load along a particular directional path of movement, said element comprising a body with a bearing surface characterized by two dimensions at least one of which is in the direction of said path of movement, said bearing surface being characterized by an exposed face of a cured resin-impregnated knitted fabric of loosely twisted yarn consisting of TFE filaments and aromatic polyamide filaments, the exposed filaments at said face being oriented in a direction generally transverse to the direction of said one dimension.

Claim 19

A low-friction bearing element for slidable support of a load along a particular desired directional path of movement, said element comprising an annular body with inner and outer axially extending surfaces, one of said surfaces being in said path and characterized by an exposed face of a cured-resin-impregnated tubular knitted fabric of loosely twisted yarn consisting of TFE filaments and high-strength bondable filaments, the exposed filaments at said face being primarly oriented in a direction generally transverse to the said particular desired directional path of movement.

Claim 20

A low-friction bearing element for slidable support of a load along a particular desired directional path of movement, said element comprising an annular body with inner and outer axially extending surfaces, one of said surfaces being in said path and characterized by an exposed face of a cured-resin-impregnated tubular knitted fabric of loosely twisted yarn consisting of TFE filaments and high-strength bondable filaments, the exposed filaments at said face being primarly oriented in a direction generally transverse to the said particular desired directional path of movement.

Claim 21

A low-friction bearing fabric for application to a variety of bearing configurations including (a) an annulus wherein a face of the fabric is at a surface for sliding generally along a first directional path of movement with respect to the axis of the annulus and (b) an annulus wherein a face of the fabric is at a sliding surface for sliding generally along a second directional path of movement which is generally transverse to the first path, said fabric comprising a tube knitted from a loosely twisted yarn consisting of TFE filaments and high-strength bondable synthetic filaments, said fabric being characterized on one side by exposed filaments which are primarily oriented in the direction of the tube axis and on the other side by exposed filaments which are primarily oriented normal to and circumferential of the tube axis; whereby, for a first bearing configuration in which the predetermined directional path of sliding movement is primarily rotational and therefore involves generally circumferentially directed sliding motion, a selected length of the fabric may be manipulated to establish at the bearing face primarily filaments oriented in the direction of the tube axis; and further whereby, for a second bearing configuration in which the predetermined directional path of sliding movement is primarily longitudinal, a selected length of the same fabric may be manipulated to establish at the bearing face primarily filaments oriented generally circumferentially of the tube axis; thus enabling the same knitted tube to serve both bearing configurations with maximum efficacy.

Claim 22

A low-friction bearing fabric for application to a variety of bearing configurations including (a) an annulus wherein a face of the fabric is at a surface for sliding generally along a first directional path of movement with respect to the axis of the annulus and (b) an annulus wherein a face of the fabric is at a sliding surface for sliding generally along a second directional path of movement which is generally transverse to the first path, said fabric comprising a tube knitted from a loosely twisted yarn consisting of TFE filaments and high-strength bondable synthetic filaments, said fabric being characterized on one side by exposed filaments which are primarily oriented in the direction of the tube axis and on the other side by exposed filaments which are primarily oriented normal to and circumferential of the tube axis; whereby, for a first bearing configuration in which the predetermined directional path of sliding movement is primarily rotational and therefore involves generally circumferentially directed sliding motion, a selected length of the fabric may be manipulated to establish at the bearing face primarily filaments oriented in the direction of the tube axis; and further whereby, for a second bearing configuration in which the predetermined directional path of sliding movement is primarily longitudinal, a selected length of the same fabric may be manipulated to establish at the bearing face primarily filaments oriented generally circumferentially of the tube axis; thus enabling the same knitted tube to serve both bearing configurations with maximum efficacy.

Claim 23

A low-friction bearing element for slidable support of a load along a particular directional path of movement, said element comprising a body with a bearing surface characterized by two dimensions at least one of which is in the direction of said path of movement, said bearing surface being characterized by an exposed face of a cured resin-impregnated knitted fabric of loosely twisted yarn consisting of TFE filaments and high-strength bondable filaments, the exposed filaments at said face being oriented in a direction generally transverse to the direction of said one dimension.

Claim 24

A low-friction bearing element for slidable support of a load along a particular directional path of movement, said element comprising a body with a bearing surface characterized by two dimensions at least one of which is in the direction of said path of movement, said bearing surface being characterized by an exposed face of a cured resin-impregnated knitted fabric of loosely twisted yarn consisting of TFE filaments and high-strength bondable filaments, the exposed filaments at said face being oriented in a direction generally transverse to the direction of said one dimension.