Non-Lubricated Diamond-Coated Bearings Reinforced by Carbon Fibers to Work in Lunar Dust, Phase I

We propose to develop low cost diamond composite bearings utilizing our new high pressure technology for carbon fiber reinforced 3-D C/C composites and mixtures of pitch, fullerenes and nanotubes. Functionally graded bearings will be engineered to function without lubrication and to operate in Lunar dust. Tests have shown that these new materials are thermally and chemically stable, have a very high wear resistance on the diamond coated surface and can work in sand and regolith like unlubricated sliding fits. Such bearings are also extremely lightweight. Our variety of diamond coated composite would be easily scalable and cost effective to fabricate. In Phase I, we will focus on designing and prototyping precision unlubricated bearings. For Phase II and III, we will work in collaboration with leading companies that produce ceramic bearings. More »