JP2003120683A - Thrust roller bearing - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve a lubricating state in a contact portion between a roller and a raceway surface. SOLUTION: A width surface of a retainer is provided with oil passages 1e as oil passing means. The oil passages 1e are placed in a radial way along radius lines of the retainer 1. Each oil passage 1e is placed on a large diameter annular portion 1b and a small diameter annular portion 1c, while sandwiching the packet 1a. By placing the oil passages 1e on the width surface of the retainer 1, the lubricant is supplied through the oil passages 1e to a contact portion between a rolling surface 2c and the trace surface of the roller 2 during rotation of the bearing. Thus, the contact portion is prevented from being in a metal contact state due to lack of oil, generation of heat is suppressed and surface damage on the contact surface is prevented.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a thrust roller bearing. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The thrust roller bearing of the present invention is suitable as a bearing used under severe operating conditions such as operation under lean lubrication or high-speed rotation, and is suitable as, for example, a bearing for an automobile transmission or a bearing for an air compressor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, thrust roller bearings have different peripheral velocities on the inner diameter side and the outer diameter side, and therefore slippage occurs at the contact portion between the rolling surface of the roller and the raceway surface, resulting in metal contact due to oil film shortage. It is likely to cause an increase in heat generation of the bearing and surface damage of the rolling surface and raceway surface of the roller. Further, there is a type of thrust roller bearing in which the cage and the raceway surface are in sliding contact, and in this type, the gap between the width surface of the cage and the raceway surface is set small. Therefore, the flow of the lubricant (lubricating oil) is hindered by the cage, and the lubricant does not reach the contact portion between the roller and the raceway surface sufficiently, which easily causes a metal contact state due to oil film breakage.
This tendency is particularly remarkable under lean lubrication conditions such as car air conditioner compressors and high speed rotation conditions.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to improve the lubrication condition of the contact portion between the roller and the raceway surface, suppress the heat generation of the bearing, and prevent the surface damage of the contact surface. .

Another object of the present invention is to provide a high durability and a stable operating condition for a long period of time even when used in an environment with severe operating conditions such as operation under lean lubrication or high speed rotation. An object of the present invention is to provide a thrust roller bearing that can be maintained.

[0005]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has pockets at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction,
The outer diameter side of the pocket is the large diameter annular portion, the inner diameter side is the small diameter annular portion,
In a thrust roller bearing including a cage in which the pockets adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction are pillars, and a plurality of rollers rotatably accommodated in the pockets of the cage, at least one width surface of the cage Further, there is provided a configuration in which an oil passage means for guiding the lubricant to the contact portion between the roller and the raceway surface is provided. According to this configuration, the lubricant is supplied to the contact portion between the roller and the raceway surface through the oil passage means, so that the metal contact state due to the oil film breakage is prevented, and the heat generation of the bearing is suppressed and The surface damage of the contact surface is also prevented.

The "thrust roller bearing" of the present invention includes a thrust cylindrical roller bearing, a thrust needle roller bearing, a thrust self-aligning roller bearing, a thrust tapered roller bearing and the like. In the case of a thrust needle roller bearing, a roller with cage without a bearing ring can be used, but in other bearing types, a bearing ring is usually provided.

In the above structure, the oil passage means may be an oil passage provided on the width surface of the cage. In this case, in order to promote the flow of the lubricant into the oil passage, the inner diameter side of the oil passage may be widened and / or the inner diameter side of the oil passage may be deepened.

The oil passage can be provided along the radial line of the cage. For example, the oil passage can be provided so as to communicate with the pocket of the cage. Alternatively, the oil passage can be provided so as to pass through the pillar portion of the cage. In the latter case, in order to secure a space for providing the oil passage, it is preferable to make the column portion wider than other column portions.

Further, the oil passage may be provided so as to be inclined in the circumferential direction with respect to the radial line of the cage. For example, the oil passage can be provided in an inclined linear shape or a spiral shape. As a result, the lubricant can be efficiently supplied with a small number of passage oils. Further, there is an advantage that the circulation of the lubricant in the oil passage is promoted by the action of the centrifugal force during rotation. Also, in order to have symmetry with respect to the forward and reverse rotation directions, the oil passages should be inclined with respect to the radial line of the cage in one direction in the circumferential direction and in the other direction in the circumferential direction. It is preferable to provide.

The oil passages can be provided on both width surfaces of the cage. In this case, the oil passages on one width surface and the oil passages on the other width surface are provided so as to be offset from each other in the circumferential direction. As a result, the lubricant can be efficiently supplied with a small number of passage oils.

Alternatively, as the oil passage means, instead of the oil passage, a configuration may be adopted in which the width surface is provided with an inclination in the direction of decreasing the wall thickness toward the inner diameter side. This configuration may be applied to only one width surface or both width surfaces.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a thrust needle roller bearing according to the first embodiment. This thrust needle roller bearing includes a cage 1 and a plurality of needle rollers 2 incorporated in the cage 1.

The cage 1 has pockets 1a at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction, and the outer diameter side of the pockets 1a has a large-diameter annular portion 1.
b, a small-diameter annular portion 1c on the inner diameter side, and a column portion 1d between the pockets 1a adjacent in the circumferential direction. Cage 1
Is, for example, a resin portion 1A serving as a base and a resin portion 1A
And a metal portion 1B provided on the. Resin part 1
The resin material forming A is not particularly limited, but for example, a synthetic resin having a self-lubricating property such as polyamide can be used. Further, the metal material forming the metal portion 1B is not particularly limited, but for example, a metal material having higher wear resistance than an aluminum alloy material used in a cage for thrust roller bearings of this type, specifically, an iron-based material. A metal material or the like can be used.
In this embodiment, the metal portion 1B is formed by pressing a steel plate, and is further provided with wear resistance by surface hardening treatment such as heat treatment. Further, the metal portion 1B is integrally insert-molded with the resin portion 1A, and extends over the large-diameter annular portion 1b, the small-diameter annular portion 1c, and the pillar portion 1d of the cage 1.
It is provided in a metal core shape with respect to the resin portion 1A.

In this embodiment, the rollers 2 are arranged in double rows in the pocket 1a of the cage 1. Compared to the case where the rollers are arranged in a single row, the axial length of each roller 2 becomes shorter, and therefore the revolution peripheral speed difference between the outer diameter side portion and the inner diameter side portion becomes smaller in each roller 2 and the raceway surface The slip with is suppressed. As a result, heat generation at the contact portion between the rolling surface 2c of the roller 2 and the raceway surface is suppressed, and surface damage to the rolling surface 2c and the raceway surface is prevented.

As shown in FIG. 1 (b), on the outer diameter side wall surface and the inner diameter side wall surface of the pocket 1a of the cage 1, the cutout surfaces 1B1 and 1B2 of the metal portion 1B are exposed in the pocket 1a, The guide surface guides the two end surfaces 2a and 2b. When the bearing rotates, the outer diameter side end surface 2a of the roller 2 is pressed against the outer diameter side wall surface of the pocket 1a by the centrifugal force, but the outer diameter side end surface 2a is guided by the guide surface 1B1 of the metal portion 1B.
As a result, the outer diameter side wall surface of the pocket 1a is subjected to drilling wear (the outer diameter side end surface of the roller is pressed against the pocket wall surface by centrifugal force, and the rotation of the roller is further affected to cause wear on the pocket wall surface). ) Is prevented.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1 (c), the cage 1
Of the metal portion 1B on the circumferential wall of the pocket 1a of
Is inside the resin portion 1A, and the surfaces 1A1 and 1A2 exposed in the pocket 1a of the resin portion 1A serve as guide surfaces for guiding the rolling surface 2c of the roller 2. Therefore, the guide surface 1A
The frictional resistance of the contact portion between the rolling contact surface 1c, the rolling contact surface 1c, the rolling contact surface 2c, and the rolling contact surface 2c is prevented.

Further, on the circumferential wall surface of the pocket 1a,
A retaining portion 1A3, 1A4 made of a resin portion 1A is provided on both sides in the axial direction with the guide surface 1A1, 1A2 interposed therebetween. When the cage 1 and 2 move relative to each other in the axial direction from the state shown in the figure, the retaining portion 1 of the resin portion 1A
A3 and 1A4 engage with the rolling surface 2c of the roller 2, and thereby the roller 2 is prevented from falling out of the pocket 1a.

An oil passage 1e as oil passage means is provided on the width surface of the cage 1. In this embodiment, a plurality of oil passages 1e are radially provided along the radial line of the cage 1. Each oil passage 1e is provided in the large-diameter annular portion 1b and the small-diameter annular portion 1c with the pocket 1a interposed therebetween, and from the inner diameter of the small-diameter annular portion 1c to the pocket 1a, the pocket 1a.
To the outer diameter of the large-diameter annular portion 1b. Further, the oil passages 1e are provided on both width surfaces of the cage 1 at the same circumferential position.

Since the oil passage 1e is provided on the width surface of the cage 1, the lubricant (lubricating oil) is formed between the rolling surface 2c and the raceway surface of the roller 2 through the oil passage 1e when the bearing is rotated. Since the contact portion is supplied to the contact portion, the contact portion is prevented from falling into a metal contact state due to oil film breakage, heat generation of the bearing is suppressed, and surface damage of the contact surface is also prevented. The oil passage 1e
In order to improve the flowability of the lubricant with respect to, the inner peripheral side inlet peripheral part of the oil passage 1e may be widened and / or the inner peripheral side inlet peripheral part may be deepened. Further, the oil passage 1e may be provided only in the small diameter annular portion 1c.

The modified examples shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are the above-mentioned first example.
In the embodiment, the metal portion 1B is provided only on the large-diameter annular portion 1b of the cage 1. The weight of the cage 1 can be further reduced as compared with the first embodiment.

In the modification shown in FIG. 2, the metal portion 1B is composed of a ring-shaped member. As shown in FIG. 2B, on the outer diameter side wall surface of the pocket 1a of the cage 1, the inner diameter surface 1B3 of the metal portion 1B is exposed in the pocket 1a and guides the outer diameter side end surface 2a of the roller 2. It serves as a guide.

In the modification shown in FIG. 3, the metal portion 1B is partially provided at a portion facing the outer diameter side end surface 2a of the roller 2. The metal portion 1B is composed of, for example, a spherical member. On the outer diameter side wall surface of the pocket 1a of the cage 1, a partial surface 1B4 of the metal portion 1B is exposed in the pocket 1a and serves as a guide surface for guiding the outer diameter side end surface 2a of the roller 2.
The weight of the cage 1 can be further reduced as compared with the second modified example. The metal portion 1B may be formed of a hemispherical member.

FIG. 4 shows a thrust needle roller bearing according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the oil passage 1
e is provided so as to pass through the pillar portion 1d. Oil passage 1e
In order to secure a space for providing the space, the pitch of the rollers 2 is made unequal, and the width in the circumferential direction of the column portion 1d in which the oil passage 1e is provided is made larger than that of the other columns 1d. Further, the oil passages 1e are provided on both width surfaces of the cage 1, and a small number of oil passages 1e are provided.
In order to efficiently supply the lubricant with e, the position of the oil passage 1e is circumferentially offset from each other on one width surface side and the other width surface side. Further, the entire cage 1 is made of a resin material. However, as in the first embodiment, the cage 1 may be composed of the resin portion 1A and the metal portion 1B. Since other matters are the same as those in the first embodiment, duplicated description will be omitted.

FIG. 5 shows a thrust needle roller bearing according to the third embodiment. In this embodiment, the oil passage 1
e is provided in a spiral shape. In order to improve the flowability of the lubricant to the oil passage 1e, the peripheral portion of the inner diameter side inlet of the oil passage 1e is made wide. Further, the oil passages 1e are provided on both width surfaces of the cage 1, and the positions of one width surface side and the other width surface side are offset from each other in the circumferential direction, and the inclination direction is reversed. ing. All pockets 1a are
It communicates with one of the oil passages 1e. Therefore, the lubricant can be efficiently supplied with a small number of oil passages 1e. Further, since the oil passage 1e is inclined with respect to the radial line of the cage 1, the oil passage 1e is caused by the action of centrifugal force during rotation.
The distribution of the lubricant in e is also promoted. Other matters are the same as those in the first and second embodiments, and thus redundant description will be omitted.

FIG. 6 shows a thrust needle roller bearing according to the fourth embodiment. In this embodiment as well, similarly to the third embodiment, the oil passage 1e is provided in a spiral shape, but in order to have symmetry with respect to the forward and reverse rotation directions, the circumference of the radial line of the cage 1 An oil passage 1e1 inclined in one direction and an oil passage 1e2 inclined in the other circumferential direction are provided as a pair. Oil passage 1e adjacent in the circumferential direction
1 and the oil passage 1e2 merge on the inner diameter side, so that the inner peripheral portion of the respective oil passages 1e is wide and the oil passage 1e
The flowability of the lubricant with respect to is improved. In addition, the oil passage 1
e is provided on both width surfaces of the cage 1, and the positions of one width surface side and the other width surface side are displaced from each other in the circumferential direction,
Furthermore, the direction of inclination is reversed. All pockets 1a communicate with any of the oil passages 1e. Therefore, the lubricant can be efficiently supplied with a small number of oil passages 1e. Also, due to the action of centrifugal force during rotation,
The distribution of the lubricant in the oil passage 1e is also promoted. Since other matters are the same as those of the first to third embodiments, duplicate description will be omitted.

FIG. 7 shows a cage 1 for a thrust needle roller bearing according to the fifth embodiment. This embodiment is
As the oil passage means, instead of the above-described oil passage 1e, an inclination angle θ is provided on both width surfaces of the cage 1. The direction of the inclination angle θ is a direction in which the wall thickness of the cage 1 decreases toward the inner diameter side. By providing the inclination angle θ on the width surface of the cage 1, a wedge-shaped gap is formed between the width surface and the raceway surface, which is gradually reduced toward the outer diameter side. When the bearing rotates, the lubricant flows through the wedge-shaped gap from the inner diameter side to the outer diameter side, and is supplied to the contact portion between the rolling surface of the roller and the raceway surface. Other matters are the same as those in the first to fourth embodiments, and thus duplicated description will be omitted.

The thrust needle roller bearing of the above-described embodiment can be configured as a roller with cage without a bearing ring, or can be configured by including a bearing ring (not shown). Further, in the above-described embodiment, the rollers are arranged in the pocket of the cage in a double row, but the rollers may be arranged in the pocket of the cage in a single row.
Further, the cage may be made of an aluminum alloy material instead of the resin material. Further, the present invention is not limited to thrust needle roller bearings, but can be applied to other types of thrust roller bearings such as thrust cylindrical roller bearings, thrust self-aligning roller bearings and thrust tapered roller bearings.

[0029]

According to the present invention, since the oil passage means for guiding the lubricant to the contact portion between the roller and the raceway surface is provided on at least one width surface of the cage, the contact between the roller and the raceway surface is provided. It is possible to improve the lubrication state of the portion, suppress heat generation of the bearing, and prevent surface damage of the contact surface. The thrust roller bearing of the present invention, even when used under severe operating conditions such as operation under lean lubrication or high speed rotation,
It has high durability and can maintain a stable operating condition for a long period of time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention.
1A is a plan view, and FIG. 1B is B-O-B in FIG. 1A.
A sectional view, FIG. 1C is a sectional view in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the roller.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention.
4A is a plan view, and FIG. 4B is AOA of FIG.
FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention.
5A is a plan view, and FIG. 5B is AOA of FIG. 5A.
FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
6A is a plan view, and FIG. 6B is AOA of FIG. 6A.
FIG.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view of a cage according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 cage 1a pocket 1b Large diameter annulus 1c small diameter annular part 1d pillar 1e oil passage Around 2 θ Angle of inclination of width surface

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Masaru Kitagawa             Entier, 1578 Higashi-Kaizuka, Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture             Nu Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazuyuki Yamamoto             Entier, 1578 Higashi-Kaizuka, Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture             Nu Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Katsushi Abe             Entier, 1578 Higashi-Kaizuka, Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture             Nu Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 3J101 AA14 AA27 AA32 AA43 AA53                       AA62 BA35 BA44 CA08 FA32                       GA11 GA29

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A pocket is provided at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction,
A cage in which the outer diameter side of the pocket is a large diameter annular portion, the inner diameter side is a small diameter annular portion, and a column portion is formed between the pockets that are circumferentially adjacent to each other, and a plurality of cages rotatably accommodated in the pockets of the cage. In a thrust roller bearing including a roller, an oil passage means for guiding a lubricant to a contact portion between the roller and a raceway surface is provided on at least one width surface of the cage. bearing. 2. The thrust roller bearing according to claim 1, further comprising a bearing ring having a bearing surface on which the rollers roll. 3. The thrust roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein the oil passage means is an oil passage provided in the width surface. 4. The thrust roller bearing according to claim 3, wherein the oil passage is wider on the inner diameter side. 5. The thrust roller bearing according to claim 3, wherein the oil passage has a deep inner diameter side. 6. The thrust roller bearing according to claim 3, wherein the oil passage is provided along a radial line of the cage. 7. The thrust roller bearing according to claim 6, wherein the oil passage communicates with the pocket. 8. The thrust roller bearing according to claim 6, wherein the oil passage extends through the column portion. 9. The thrust roller bearing according to claim 8, wherein the column portion provided with the oil passage is wider than other column portions. 10. The thrust roller bearing according to claim 3, wherein the oil passage is inclined in a circumferential direction with respect to a radial line of the cage. 11. The thrust roller bearing according to claim 10, wherein the oil passage is provided in a spiral shape. 12. The oil passage is provided as a pair of one inclined in the circumferential direction and one inclined in the other circumferential direction with respect to the radial line of the cage. The thrust roller bearing according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that. 13. The oil passages are respectively provided on both width surfaces of the cage, and the oil passages on one width surface are provided.
The thrust roller bearing according to any one of claims 3 to 12, wherein the oil passage on the other width surface is provided so as to be offset from each other in the circumferential direction. 14. The thrust according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the oil passage means is formed by providing the width surface with an inclination in a direction of decreasing a wall thickness toward an inner diameter side. Roller bearing. 15. The oil passage means is provided on both width surfaces of the cage, respectively.
Thrust roller bearing described.