Patent ID: 7264399

Claim:
Rolling element bearing, comprising an inner ring and an outer ring which are each provided with a raceway, and a series of rolling elements which are in contact with the raceways of each ring, a lubricant film being provided in the contacts between the rolling elements and the raceways, said lubricant film at the inlet side of each contact forming a lubricant meniscus, wherein starved lubrication conditions prevail, the surface of each rolling element having minute recesses filled with a lubricant quantity, said recesses being flattened in the contact area defined by the contact between the rolling elements and the rings and thereby releasing lubricant at the inlet side of each contact resulting in a displacement of the meniscus further away from said contact, said meniscus displacement resulting in an increased lubricant film thickness in each contact area, wherein the lubricant meniscus forms a non-zero pressure gradient with respect to the surface of the raceway.