US 12,135,060 B2
Member for guiding a mobile element in oscillation or rotation
Fabrice Prost, Saint-Etienne (FR); and Pierrick Pavallier, Perreux (FR)
Assigned to HYDROMECANIQUE ET FROTTEMENT, Andrezieux-Boutheon (FR)
Appl. No. 17/611,267
Filed by HYDROMECANIQUE ET FROTTEMENT, Andrezieux-Boutheon (FR)
PCT Filed May 15, 2020, PCT No. PCT/FR2020/050818
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 15, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/234533, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 26, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 1905386 (FR), filed on May 22, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0260115 A1, Aug. 18, 2022
Int. Cl. F16C 33/12 (2006.01); F16C 33/10 (2006.01)
CPC F16C 33/12 (2013.01) [F16C 33/102 (2013.01); F16C 2202/04 (2013.01); F16C 2223/14 (2013.01); F16C 2223/30 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A guiding member for guiding a mobile element in oscillation or rotation, comprising a body made of a hardened metallic material, said metallic material being steel, provided with a bore for receiving the mobile element, comprising a grease supply and cavities not connected to the grease supply and distributed discontinuously in the bore and capable of acting as grease reserves, wherein the bore defines:
a bearing surface outside of the cavities and the grease supply, and
a non-bearing surface in the cavities and the grease supply,
wherein the bore has a cylindrical inner surface, and comprises at least one zone with cavities having a depth that is between 2 and 5 mm, and a grease quantity in the cavities not connected to the grease supply per bearing surface of between 0.05 and 0.3 g/cm2, wherein said grease quantity per bearing surface of between 0.05 and 0.3 g/cm2 is not supplied by the grease supply, and wherein a surface coating is applied to the bearing surface and in the cavities and wherein the bore has a superficial layer treated against seizing over a diffusion depth of less than or equal to 0.6 mm, the superficial layer having a hardness greater than or equal to 500 Hv1 over a depth of between 5 and 50 μm.
 
9. A method for manufacturing a guiding member for guiding a mobile element in oscillation or rotation, characterised in that the method comprises the following successive steps:
a) manufacturing a body made of a metallic material, said metallic material being steel provided with a bore for receiving the mobile element, comprising a grease supply and cavities not connected to the grease supply and distributed discontinuously in the bore and capable of acting as grease reserves;
wherein the bore has a cylindrical inner surface and defines:
a bearing surface outside of the cavities and the grease supply, and
a non-bearing surface in the cavities and the grease supply;
the bore comprising at least one zone with cavities having a depth of between 2 and 5 mm;
b) performing a hardening treatment on the bore, at least in said zone, the bore having a superficial layer treated against seizing over a diffusion depth of less than or equal to 0.6 mm, the superficial layer having a hardness greater than or equal to 500 Hv1 over a depth of between 5 and 50 μm;
c) applying a surface coating to the bearing surface and in the cavities, and applying grease in the bore, at least in said zone, with a quantity of grease in the cavities not connected to the grease supply per bearing surface of between 0.05 and 0.3 g/cm2 in said zone, wherein said grease quantity per bearing surface of between 0.05 and 0.3 g/cm2 does not include the grease contained in the grease supply.