Patent ID: 8800686

Claim:
A bearing assembly for use in a subterranean drilling system, comprising: a plurality of superhard bearing elements distributed circumferentially about an axis, each of the plurality of superhard bearing elements including a superhard bearing surface, the superhard bearing surfaces of the plurality of superhard bearing elements being substantially coplanar with each other; and a support ring having a plurality of recesses each extending inwardly and terminating at a first depth, each of the plurality of superhard bearing elements mounted at least partially within a corresponding one of the plurality of recesses, the support ring including, a plurality of radially-extending slots formed in the support ring, each of the plurality of radially-extending slots disposed between immediately circumferentially adjacent ones of the plurality of superhard bearing elements, each of the plurality of radially-extending slots extending into the support ring to at least the first depth, thereby increasing compliance of the support ring, during use, compared to if the plurality of radially-extending slots were not present in the support ring.