Encapsulated Ball Bearings for Rotary Micro Machines

Abstract

We report on the first encapsulated rotary ball bearing mechanism using silicon microfabrication and stainless steel balls. The method of capturing stainless steel balls within a silicon race to support a silicon rotor both axially and radially is developed for rotary micro machines and MEMS ball bearing tribology studies. Initial demonstrations show speeds up to 6.8 krpm without lubrication, while speeds up to 15.6 krpm with lubrication are possible. Qualitative analysis is used to explain start-up behavior and investigate the wear of the stainless steel ball and silicon race.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2007
Accession Number
ADA523557

Entities

People

  • Bruce Geil
  • C. M. Waits
  • Reza Ghodssi

Organizations

  • University of Maryland

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Ball Bearings
  • Bearings
  • Electron Microscopy
  • Elements
  • Engineering
  • Fabrication
  • Friction
  • Lubrication
  • Manufacturing
  • Materials
  • Microfabrication
  • Scanning Electron Microscopy
  • Silicon Dioxide
  • Stainless Steel
  • Steel
  • Test Methods
  • Tribology

Readers

  • Nanofabrication and Microfabrication.
  • Tribology (the study of the boundary interaction between sliding surfaces, lubrication, wear and friction).