GB2091820A - Supporting a rolling bearing on a shaft or a bracket - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a roller bearing in combination with an insert 30 for the roller bearing. The bearing can be mounted on a shaft 26 passing through the inner race 10 of the bearing, or the insert can be inserted in the said inner race, the insert having reduced diameter ends 36 so that it can be supported by said ends in the mounting bracket 38. A rubber tyre 24 is mounted on the outer race 14 of the bearing. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Double function bearing The invention relates to roller bearings, and in particular relates to a roller bearing comprising an inner race and an outer race, between which are arranged rolling elements. The elements may or may not be held in spaced relationship by means of roller element cages. Such roller bearings will be referred to hereinafter and in the claims to "roller bearings of the type aforesaid".

Although it is not absolutely essential to the present invention, the invention has best application when the roller bearing is a plastics bearing i.e. the inner and outer races are of plastics material. The cage, when provided, would also suitably be in plastics material, although normally the rolling elements, especially when balls, will be of steel.

In a particular application of the invention, the roller bearing is adapted as a wheel providing a support for a heavy flat object such as plate glass, and the invention is related to the adaption of the roller bearing to maximise its use. In the application mentioned, i.e. the adaption of the roller bearing as a wheel for use in supporting plate glass, the roller bearing is usuable as a support wheel for plate glass when the glass is in upright disposition, although at a slight angle, the said roller wheel enabling the glass to be moved along a decking defined by a plurality of such wheels. In its other adaption, the roller wheel might be for supporting the plate glass in a horizontal plane, wherebythe glass can be turned readily in its own plane.

The invention as it is explained, will doubtless appearto persons skilled in the art to have other applications, and therefore it is not intended that the application indicated above should necessarily restrictthe invention.

In accordance with the invention there is provided, a roller bearing of the type aforesaid is adapted to be supported by a spindle means passing through the inner race in combination with an adaptor insert for fitting in the inside of the inner race, said insert defining a spindle means enabling the roller bearing to be supported by engagement of the ends of the spindle in suitable mountings, said spindle ends being of smaller diameter than the internal diameter of the inner race.

When the bearing is in the form of a support wheel, for example for supporting plate glass as described above, the wheel may be mounted on a spindle rod which is adapted to the internal diameter of the inner race, for example when the wheel is used in the support of the plate glass when the glass is in upright disposition, and when the wheel is to be supported by the spindle ends of the insert, it may be so supported by means of a bracket, having a pair of support frames or limbs, to support the said spindle insert, with its axis horizontal. The outer race may be provided on its outer periphery with a rubber tyre member, for engagement with the glass plate.

The advantage of the arrangement described is that the roller bearing can be used in either application, interchangeably by the use of the insert.

When the bearing is of plastics material, the insert will also preferably be of plastics material, and will be adapted to snap fitted or friction fitted into position in the inner bore of the inner race.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a roller bearing of a roller bearing and insert combination according to the invention; Figure 2 is a sectional view of the insert of the bearing insert combination according to the invention; Figure 3 shows how the roller bearing as shown in Figure 1 may be used in one adaptation; and Figure 4 shows a sectional elevation how the roller bearing and insert combination may be used in another adaptation.

Figure 5 is a sectional view of the support bracket shown in Figure 4.

Referring to the drawings, in Figure 1 there is shown a roller bearing, which is in fact in the form of a support wheel, and comprises an inner race 10 of plastics material having an internal bore 12, an outer race 14 also of plastics material. Between the aces 10 and 14 are a plurality of roller elements in the form of balls 16, which are held in equiangularly spaced relationship by means of a plastics material cage 18.

The balls run on tracks 20 and 22 of the inner and outer races respectively, and the outer race is provided on its outer periphery with a rubbertyre member 24.

The roller bearing illustrated in Figure 1 can be used, as illustrated in Figure 3, by being mounted on a substantially vertical spindle 26, so that plate glass G can be supported by the outer race of the roller bearing conjunction with a plurality of similar roller bearings, similarly mounted on the shaft 26 and shafts like it. Movement of the glass relative to the shaft is made easy by means of the roller bearings, in that the outer races rotate freely relative to the inner races by virtue of engagement with the glass plate.

To adapt the roller bearing of Figure 1 for use in the combined arrangement, an insert 30, as shown in Figure 2 is provided, which insert is a plastics moulding comprising a barrel portion 32 and a small diameter spindle end 34. The ends 36 of the spindle 34 are of much smaller diameter than the diameter of the bore 12 of the inner race 10 of the roller bearing, but the diameter of the barrel portion 32 is adapted to said diameter 12 so that the insert can be snapped into position in the race 10 as illustrated clearly in Figure 4. To this end the barrel may have ribs or notches which snap into notches or are engaged by ribs in the bore 12. Alternatively, the barrel 32 may be a friction fit in bore 12.The roller bearing can now be mounted my means of the insert, on a stand or frame 38, as shown in Figure 4, which is a U-shaped frame moulded in plastics material and having receiving apertures 40, as shown in Figure 5, into which the ends 36 are removably snap-fitted. The frame base portion has apertures 42 by means of which the frame can be screwed to a supporting surface. When the roller bearing is supported by the insert as shown in Figure 4 with the axis of the insert 30 horizontal, the roller bearing can, in conjunction with other similar roller bearings, be used to support the plate glass G in horizontal position, as indicated in Figure 4.

It can be seen that the roller bearing is therefore adaptable by virtue of the insert/roller bearing arrangement, and considerable economies of use can be effected thereby.

The invention is not to be considered limited to the specific construction of roller bearing and insert illustrated, nor the particular application described of supporting plate glass.

Claims (6)

1. A roller bearing of the type aforesaid is adapted to be supported by a spindle means passing through the inner race in combination with an adaptor insert for fitting in the inside of the inner race, said insert defining a spindle means enabling the roller bearing to be supported by engagement of the ends of the spindle in suitable mountings, said spindle ends being of smaller diameter than the internal diameter of the inner race.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein there is also a bracket having support frames or limbs having mountings for receiving the spindle ends of the insert.

3. The combination according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the outer race is provided with a rubbertyre member.

4. The combination according to claims 1 or 2 or 3, wherein the insert is adapted to be snap fitted into the inner race of the roller bearing.

5. The combination of a roller bearing of the type aforesaid and an insert substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

6. The combination according to claim 5, including a mounting bracket substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.