Lubricating oil for a rolling bearing in a high-speed rotating equipment

Abstract

To provide a lubricating oil which is used for a high-speed rotating equipment such as a high-speed dental air turbine hand piece and is excellent in biosafety (reduced harm to human body), environmental conservation (safety to the environment), heat resistance (autoclaving resistance) and bearing durability. In the lubricating oil for a rolling bearing used in a high-speed rotating equipment, the oil is made of nondrying vegetable oil (rice bran oil) extracted from rice bran.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a lubricating oil for a rolling bearing used in a high-speed rotating equipment.[0002] More specifically, the present invention relates to a novel and high-performance lubricating oil used for a rolling bearing that is a major component of a high-speed rotating equipment (an air turbine hand piece) used in, among others, the medical and food-processing fields.[0003] Further more specifically, the present invention relates to a novel and high-performance lubricating oil that is excellent in biosafety (reduced harm to human body), environmental conservation (safety to the environment) and bearing durability and is to be applied to a rolling bearing used in a high-speed cutter (an air turbine hand piece).[0004] A high-speed cutter is generally constructed of a rotary shaft for fixedly holding various cutting tools thereon, a drive unit for rotating the rotary shaft, and a bearing unit rotatably supporting the rotary shaft.[0005] As a high-speed c...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention relates to a lubricating oil for a rolling bearing used in a high-speed rotating equipment, specifically a dental air turbine hand piece. The lubricating oil is designed to be biosafety-friendly, environmentally conserving, and bearing-durable. The invention is a new and improved version of a lubricating oil that has been developed by the inventors of the present application. The dental air turbine hand piece is a high-speed cutter that uses a ball bearing system or an air bearing system for its bearing unit. The invention provides a solution for ensuring the safety and durability of the bearings in the high-speed cutter."

Problems solved by technology

Incidentally, the edible oils have a problem in oxidation resistance.

However, the specific composition of the lubricating oil impregnated in the retainer is not clear in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No.

However, the fluorinated oils still involve matters to be improved from the viewpoint of environmental destruction and biosafety.

They are, accordingly, not suited as durable lubricating oils for bearings.

As described above, most of general edible oils are dry oils and are susceptible to oxidation.

In an edible-oil-base lubricating oil composed primarily of drying oils and added with an oxidation inhibitor, it is necessary to keep in mind the potential risk that a reaction product to be formed between the oxidation inhibitor and a metal dissolved out from a bearing system may be a material harmful for the body.

In an odontotherapeutic cutter of the high-speed rotation type (an air turbine hand piece), however, the race (retainer) and balls of the bearing are ground by the ceramic powder so that a metal harmful for the body may be dissolved out, or a serious damage can be given to the bearing mechanism when the lubricating oil becomes scarce under the environment of minimum lubrication.

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