GB1586955A - Rolling bearings - Google Patents

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO ROLLING BEARINGS (71) We, HOESCH WERKE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, of Eberhardstrasse 12, 4600 Dortmund 1, Germany, a German company do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The invention relates to a rolling bearing.

In rolling bearings which are required to transmit high radial forces, it is the general practice to provide a row of rolling elemsents which roll exclusively radially. The axes of rotation of these radial rolling elements extend parallel to the rotational axis of the rolling bearing. In addition to this row of radial rolling elements, it is possible to provide one or more running tracks for rolling elements for taking up axially directed and lifting forces. In precision type bearings the tolerances of the individual rows of rolling elements are adjusted according to the particular purpose for which the bearing is installed.

Various possibilities are known for the adjustment of running track tolerance. In a simple method, rolling elements of graded sizes are installed according to the measured manufacturing tolerances. In this way compensation can be obtained for a faulty tolerance. For precision bearings the desired tolerance is adjusted by way of spacing packings inserted in the divided bearing ring. This technique possesses the advantage that the bearing clearance cn be readjusted afresh after a certain running period, and different manufacturing tolerances distributed about the periphery, can be compensated. This tolerance adjustment is provided for in normal rolling bearings as well as in rolling bearings using wire members to provide running tracks for the rolling elements, which members are shaped according to the geometrical form of the associated rolling elements. Adjustment by this means of the clearance in a purely radial running track encounters difficult design problems because only an axial tolerance adjustment can be achieved by the insertion of spacing packings. It is only by the use of the axial displacement of a cone that any adjustment of radial bearing clearance can be achieved. A design of such a bearing is shown for example in Swiss Patent Specification 555 012. In this design an additional cone ring is provided between the upper portion and the lower portion of a divided bearing ring, the cone ring determining, by means of spacing inserts, the track tolerance of the radial track. This known bearing is quite expensive to produce and demands a high capital expenditure on manufacture.

Moreover there is a reduction in the stiffness of the bearing ring because it comprises a total of three individual ring sections, these being an upper portion, a lower portion and an intermediate portion.

The present invention accordingly provides a roller bearing comprising inner and outer bearing rings of which at least one is divided, a row of radial rolling elements, and a wire member providing a running surface for the radial rolling elements, the wire member having at least one surface inclined to the bearing axis on the side of the member remote from the rolling elements for co-operation with a correspondingly inclined surface of one of the bearing rings, whereby the radial bearing clearance is adjustable by adjustment of the spacing between the parts of the divided ring.

Thus in accordance with the present invention the radial running track can be adjusted in a very simple manner, the radial bearing clearance being adjustable by means of a cone, but without the need for a conical ring between the upper portion and the lower portion of the divided bearing ring.

Preferably the inclined surface of the wire member has a constant inclination and cooperates with a surface of the bearing ring having the same inclination.

Where it is desired to avoid an unfavourable loading condition, which could occur due to the deviation of the central lines of the wire bodies and of the rolling elements with respect to each other, the inclined surface may be sub-divided into two inclined surfaces of opposite inclination with a sector angle within the limits of 45" to 1500. Such an undesirable condition of the tolerance adjustment of the radial running track is disclosed in Swiss Patent Specification 555 012, and the consequent disadvantage is particularly marked in the case of highly stressed bearings.

By providing the wire member with two inclined surfaces of opposite inclination instead of one inclined surface, radial adjustment of the wire member is made possible with the member being displaced through only one half of the axial distance, if the inclinations of the two surfaces are equal.

The expenditure upon materials and the manufacturing cost of a bearing according to the invention are lower than those which would be incurrred in the production of an equivalent bearing in accordance with the known state of the art. Assuming that a bearing is required to have a certain function and load capacity, the divided ring no longer requires to consist of three component ring portions, but can be subdivided into only two such portions. There is obtained from this a greater rigidity of the divided bearing ring for the same structural volume. This has a positive influence upon the accuracy of the bearing and upon its overall rigidity. Iri the case of bearings of light metal having its wire members made of steel there is the further well known advantage that dissimilar materials make contact at the inclined surfaces, so that "erosion" of these parts is avoided.

Illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings and are described below.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a partial axial sectional view of a first rolling bearing having a plurality of rows of rolling elements including a row of radial rolling elements, a onepiece outer ring, a divided inner ring, and wire members serving as the running tracks, one wire member of the radial running track being provided with an inclined surface at the side thereof remote from the running track; Figure 2 is a like view of a second such rolling bearing in which instead of the single inclined surface of the wire member two inclined surfaces are provided; and Figure 3 is a like view of a third such rolling bearing in which a wire member is provided with an inclined surface and provides two running tracks, of which one is for the row of radial rolling elements and one is for a row of axial rolling elements.

In the present illustrative embodiments rollers are employed as the rolling elements.

The invention is however not restricted to theuse of rollers as the rolling elements.

The multiple row rolling bearing shown in Figure 1 comprises essentially an undivided outer bearing ring 10 and a divided inner bearing ring 11 having an upper portion 111 and a lower portion 113. Between these bearing rings 10, 11 there are arranged a row of support rollers 12, a row of retaining rollers 13 and a row of radial rollers 14. The rollers 12, 13, 14 run upon wire members 15.

The inner one of the two wire members 15 of the radial running track is provided with an inclined surface 152 at that side thereof remote from the surface 151 thereof providing the running track. This inclined surface 152 is supported against an inclined opposing surface 112 of the upper portion 111 of the divided inner bearing ring 11. Between this upper portion 111 and the lower portion 113 of the ring 12, there are provided spacing packing layers indicated generally at 16 and comprising layers 161, of great dimensions enough to extend under the wire member 15 with the inclined surface 152, and layers 162 of lesser dimensions.

The shorter spacing packing layers 162 extend outwardly only to a position such that they lie between the upper portion 111 and the lower portion 113 of the ring 11.

The thickness of the spacing packing layers 161, 162 determines the clearances of the row of support rollers 12 and the row of retaining rollers 13. The longer spacing packing layers 161 determine the vertical height position of the wire member 15 having the inclined surface 152. Thus there can be material displacement of the inclined surface 112 of the upper portion 111 of the divided inner bearing ring 11 relative to the inclined surface 152 of the appertaining wire member 15 so that the effective diameter of this wire member 15 is varied. A desired degree of fineness of adjustment of the radial bearing clearance can be obtained by appropriate selection of the angle of inclination of the inclined surface 152 to the axis of the bearing.

The multiple row rolling bearing shown in Figure 2 has generally the same running track arrangement as the rolling bearing of Figure 1. In this second rolling bearing however the wire member 15 instead of having the single inclined surface 152 has two inclined surfaces 1521 and 1522 of opposite slope. Each of the surfaces 1521 and 1522 cooperates with a respective one of two inclined counteracting surfaces 112, one of which is provided on the upper portion 11 of the divided inner bearing ring 11 and the other one of which is provided on the immediately adjacent portion beneath. In this embodiment of the invention, adjustment of the radial clearance is achieved by exchanging spacing packing layers 17 between the middle and the upper portions 111, 114. The axial adjustment of the bearing clearance must take place outside the range of the opposed inclined surfaces 1521, 1522 and for this purpose there is a triple division of the divided inner bearing ring 11, as shown, into the upper portion 111, a lower portion, and the middle portion 114.

In the multiple row rolling bearing shown in Figure 3, the wire member 15 has a single inclined surface 152 and provides two running tracks 153, 154 on which revolve the retaining rollers 13 and the radial rollers 14 respectively. In this rolling bearing only one spacing packing layer 17 needs to be replaced for the adjustment of both the axial and the radial clearance of the bearing.

The choice of whether it is to be the inner bearing ring or the outer bearing ring which is to be divided depends upon the particular field of application of the rolling bearing.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A rolling bearing comprising inner and outer bearing rings of which at least one is divided, a row of radial rolling elements and a wire member providing a running surface for the radial rolling elements, the wire member having at least one surface inclined to the bearing axis on the side of the member remote from the rolling elements for co-operation with a correspondingly inclined surface of one of the bearing rings, whereby the radial bearing clearance is adjustable by adjustment of the spacing between the parts of the divided ring.

2. A rolling bearing having an outer bearing ring and an inner bearing ring, of which at least one ring is divided, spacing packing members between the parts of the divided ring, a plurality of rows of rolling elements including a row of radial rolling elements, and wire members providing running tracks for the rolling elements, one of the wire members of the radial running track being provided at the side of the member remote from the running track with at least one inclined surface for co-operation with a correspondingly inclined surface of one of the bearing rings for adjustment of the radial bearing clearance.

3. A rolling bearing as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the inclined surface of the wire member has a constant inclination and cooperates with an opposed surface of the bearing ring having the same inclination.

4. A rolling bearing as claimed in claim 3 in which the wire member with the inclined surface provides a running surface also for a row of axial rolling elements.

5. A rolling bearing as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the wire member with the inclined surface has an additional inclined surface of opposite inclination.

6. A rolling member as claimed in claim 5 in which the inclined surfaces have a sector angle within the range of 45" to 1500.

7. A roller bearing as claimed in any preceding claim in which the inner bearing ring is divided.

8. A rolling bearing ring as claimed in any preceding claim in which the rolling elements are rollers.

9. A rolling bearing substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 1, Figure 2 or Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (9)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. of which is provided on the upper portion 11 of the divided inner bearing ring 11 and the other one of which is provided on the immediately adjacent portion beneath. In this embodiment of the invention, adjustment of the radial clearance is achieved by exchanging spacing packing layers 17 between the middle and the upper portions 111, 114. The axial adjustment of the bearing clearance must take place outside the range of the opposed inclined surfaces 1521, 1522 and for this purpose there is a triple division of the divided inner bearing ring 11, as shown, into the upper portion 111, a lower portion, and the middle portion 114. In the multiple row rolling bearing shown in Figure 3, the wire member 15 has a single inclined surface 152 and provides two running tracks 153, 154 on which revolve the retaining rollers 13 and the radial rollers 14 respectively. In this rolling bearing only one spacing packing layer 17 needs to be replaced for the adjustment of both the axial and the radial clearance of the bearing. The choice of whether it is to be the inner bearing ring or the outer bearing ring which is to be divided depends upon the particular field of application of the rolling bearing. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A rolling bearing comprising inner and outer bearing rings of which at least one is divided, a row of radial rolling elements and a wire member providing a running surface for the radial rolling elements, the wire member having at least one surface inclined to the bearing axis on the side of the member remote from the rolling elements for co-operation with a correspondingly inclined surface of one of the bearing rings, whereby the radial bearing clearance is adjustable by adjustment of the spacing between the parts of the divided ring.

2. A rolling bearing having an outer bearing ring and an inner bearing ring, of which at least one ring is divided, spacing packing members between the parts of the divided ring, a plurality of rows of rolling elements including a row of radial rolling elements, and wire members providing running tracks for the rolling elements, one of the wire members of the radial running track being provided at the side of the member remote from the running track with at least one inclined surface for co-operation with a correspondingly inclined surface of one of the bearing rings for adjustment of the radial bearing clearance.

3. A rolling bearing as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the inclined surface of the wire member has a constant inclination and cooperates with an opposed surface of the bearing ring having the same inclination.

4. A rolling bearing as claimed in claim 3 in which the wire member with the inclined surface provides a running surface also for a row of axial rolling elements.

5. A rolling bearing as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the wire member with the inclined surface has an additional inclined surface of opposite inclination.

6. A rolling member as claimed in claim 5 in which the inclined surfaces have a sector angle within the range of 45" to 1500.

7. A roller bearing as claimed in any preceding claim in which the inner bearing ring is divided.

8. A rolling bearing ring as claimed in any preceding claim in which the rolling elements are rollers.

9. A rolling bearing substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 1, Figure 2 or Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.