JP2004217056A - Rolling bearing - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rolling bearing for steering head section capable of improving the lubrication performance, realizing the maintenance-free by eliminating the grease refilling process, and reducing the number of assembly stages. <P>SOLUTION: The tapered roller bearing 10 as the rolling bearing of the present invention is used for the steering head section for motorcycles and disposed between a steering stem and a steering support. The tapered roller bearing 10 comprises an inner ring 13 having an inner ring raceway surface 14 and into which the steering stem is fitted, an outer ring 11 having an outer ring raceway surface 12 and fitted into the steering support, a plurality of tapered rollers 15 arranged between the inner and outer raceway surface to be relatively rotatable, and a holder 17 turnably holding the tapered roller 15 and covered with a solid lubricant member 16 filled with lubricant-containing polymer therein. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a rolling bearing for a steering head portion disposed between a steering stem of a front fork in a motorcycle and a steering support portion of a body frame.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The steering head of a large motorcycle or an off-road motorcycle requires a large weight of the vehicle body or a large reaction force from the road surface, and therefore requires particularly rigid bearings.
[0003]
Conventional rolling bearings for a steering head include a pair of rolling bearings arranged vertically in front or back in the axial direction of a steering stem, and dust seals disposed on upper and lower sides of a pair of rolling bearings. Is filled, and a preload adjustment is assembled (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1).
[0004]
Further, as another configuration example, in the rolling bearing 50 for the steering head portion shown in FIG. 4, the inner ring 51 is mounted on the receiving bracket 62, and the upper end edge of the outer ring 52 is located within the lower end of the steering support portion 61 of the vehicle body frame. It is attached to the peripheral surface. The outer ring 52 has an outer diameter exceeding the inner ring 51, and a lower end portion thereof approaches the inner surface of the peripheral wall 63 of the metal receiving member 62, and a lower end thereof reaches near the bottom surface of the metal receiving member 62, thereby forming a labyrinth 64. . The steering support 61 is fitted around a steering stem 60 of the front fork, and a metal fitting 62 is integrally provided on the steering stem 60.
[0005]
A rolling element (ball) 55 is interposed between the raceway surface 53 of the inner race 51 and the raceway surface 54 of the outer race 52, and the radius of curvature of each raceway surface 53, 54 is at least 1.10 times the radius of the rolling race 55 or It is of the angular type which becomes more than that.
The rolling elements 55 are integrated in advance by mutually contacting each other and arranged in an annular shape by a solid lubricant 56, and the solid lubricant 56 is formed into a shape corresponding to the gap between the two raceway surfaces 53, 54. Is done.
[0006]
As the solid lubricant 56, a mixture of an ultra-high molecular weight polyolefin and a lubricating grease is used, and more specifically, a material known by a trade name such as “polyloop” or “plastic grease”, that is, an average molecular weight of about 1 × 10 ⁶ ~ 5 × 10 ⁶ A mixture of 95 to 1 wt% of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene and 5 to 99 wt% of lubricating grease having a dropping point higher than the gelling temperature of the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene is filled in a predetermined shape in which the rolling elements 55 are accommodated. And then heated above the gelling temperature of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene, and then cooled and solidified for use.
[0007]
The rolling elements 55 are partially exposed only at the contact portions with the raceway surfaces 53 and 54, and all other portions are covered with the solid lubricant 56. The cross-sectional shape of the solid lubricant 56 is formed in an oblong shape according to the shape of the gap between the raceway surfaces 53 and 54, and the portions protruding on both sides of the rolling elements 55 become the reinforcing portions 57 and 57.
[0008]
The rolling bearing 50 is lubricated by oil oozing from the solid lubricant 56, and the labyrinth 64 and the solid lubricant 56 themselves prevent dust from entering from outside (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0009]
[Non-patent document 1]
Encyclopedia of Motorcycle Maintenance ACCESS (Natsumesha) Page 124
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-8-074861 (page 2-3, FIG. 1)
[0010]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the rolling bearing for the steering head portion described in Non-Patent Document 1, since the bearings are arranged at the upper and lower positions, the grease filled in the upper bearing is lower due to gravity and vibration during operation. To fall. As a result, there is a problem that the raceway surface of the bearing is worn out due to the depletion of the grease and preload is released, so that the steering rattles or the torque increases due to galling due to poor lubrication.
[0011]
In addition, in the rolling bearing for the steering head described in Non-Patent Document 1, moisture that has entered the steering head due to a temperature difference from the outside, rainwater, or the like is mixed into the grease and emulsified. As a result, there are problems in that the lubrication performance is lowered and rust is generated.
Also in such a case, preload loss occurs as in the above case, and rattling of the steering occurs, and torque unevenness due to poor lubrication occurs. For this reason, in such a rolling bearing, there has been a problem that the operation of disassembling the steering head portion periodically and replenishing grease is required.
[0012]
Further, in the conventional rolling bearing 50 for a steering head described in Patent Document 1, in order to reduce the working surface pressure of the rolling elements 55, the number of rolling elements is increased without using a retainer. In order to improve the assemblability, the rolling elements 55 are held by solid oil without using a retainer.
However, when the rolling element 55 is a roller, the axis in the rotation direction is tilted when a swinging rotation motion that repeats forward and reverse rotation is applied in a state where the gap formed between the solid lubricant 56 and the solid lubricant 56 is large. The so-called skew phenomenon becomes remarkable, and every time the normal rotation and the reverse rotation are switched, the axial inclination of the rollers occurs in the normal and reverse directions, and the gap between the solid lubricant 56 and the place is large. Therefore, the skew of the rollers also increases. As a result, the chamfered portion of the roller strongly presses the solid lubricant 56, and an excessive force is applied. As a result, cracks are generated in the solid lubricant 56, and the reliability of the bearing function is reduced. .
[0013]
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to improve lubrication performance and to achieve maintenance-free operation by reducing grease refilling work and reduce assembly man-hours. It is an object of the present invention to provide a rolling bearing for a steering head that can be used.
[0014]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The rolling bearing according to claim 1 of the present invention is used in a steering head of a motorcycle, and is a rolling bearing disposed between a steering stem and a steering support, wherein the steering stem has an inner raceway surface. An inner ring to be fitted inside; an outer ring having an outer ring raceway surface to which the steering support portion is fitted; a plurality of rolling elements rotatably arranged between the inner and outer ring raceway faces; A retainer movably held and covered by a solid lubricating member filled with a lubricant-containing polymer.
[0015]
According to the rolling bearing having the above-described configuration, since the retainer that rotatably holds the rolling element is covered by the solid lubricating member filled with the lubricant-containing polymer, the grease is dropped by the solid lubricating member filled with the lubricant-containing polymer. Disappears. As a result, there is no fear that the raceway surface of the bearing is worn out due to the depletion of the grease and the preload is released, so that the steering is rattled or the torque is increased due to galling due to poor lubrication.
In addition, moisture that has entered the steering head due to a temperature difference from the outside, rainwater, or the like is not mixed into the grease and is emulsified, thereby preventing deterioration in lubrication performance and rust. Further, since it is not necessary to periodically disassemble the steering head and replenish grease, the number of man-hours can be reduced, and the work environment of the worker can be improved because grease is not used.
Therefore, the lubrication performance can be improved, and maintenance-free operation can be realized by eliminating the grease refilling operation, and the number of assembly steps can be reduced.
[0016]
A rolling bearing according to a second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the rolling bearing according to the first aspect, the steering stem is arranged in a pair in the axial direction of the steering stem by front or rear alignment.
[0017]
According to the rolling bearing having the above structure, the steering head is used in a pair of the upper rolling bearing and the lower rolling bearing, so that grease does not fall from the upper rolling bearing.
Therefore, there is no need to worry that the raceway surface of the bearing is worn due to depletion of grease in the upper rolling bearing and preload loss occurs, thereby causing rattling of the steering and increasing torque due to galling due to poor lubrication. .
[0018]
The rolling bearing according to a third aspect is characterized in that, in the rolling bearing according to the first or second aspect, a sealing member for sealing the solid lubricating member is assembled.
[0019]
According to the rolling bearing having the above configuration, the solid lubricating member filled with the lubricant-containing polymer is hermetically sealed by the sealing member, so that a relatively inexpensive dust seal used for the grease-sealed rolling bearing is not used, and the cost is low. The cost can be reduced by using the sealing member.
[0020]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the rolling bearing of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 by taking a tapered roller bearing as an example. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a tapered roller bearing according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an assembling relationship of components of a motorcycle steering head using the tapered roller bearing shown in FIG. (a) to (c) show a cage used for a rolling bearing according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 1, a tapered roller bearing 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an outer race 11 having an outer raceway surface 12 inclined on a conical inner surface on an inner peripheral surface, and an inner race inclined on a conical outer surface on an outer peripheral surface. An inner race 13 having a raceway surface 14, and a plurality of conical tapered rollers 15, which are rolling elements, are disposed between the outer raceway surface 12 of the outer race 11 and the inner raceway surface 14 of the inner race 13.
In addition, an annular cage 17 is provided in a bearing space between the outer ring 11 and the inner ring 13 and is covered with a solid lubricating member 16 filled with a lubricant-containing polymer, and a seal member 18. .
[0022]
The outer raceway surface 12 of the outer race 11, the inner raceway surface 14 of the inner race 13, and the tapered rollers 15 are set such that the vertices of the respective conical surfaces extend at one point on the axis.
[0023]
The inner ring 13 has a large collar 19 formed at the large diameter end of the inner raceway surface 12 and a small collar 20 formed at the small diameter end. The large brim 19 is provided on the front side of the inner raceway surface 12, the small brim 20 is provided on the rear side, the large brim 19 contacts the large end face 21 of the tapered roller 15, and the small brim 20 is mounted on the tapered roller. By contacting the small end surface 22 of the taper 15, the movement of the tapered roller 15 in the axial direction is restricted.
[0024]
A steering support part 31 having a tubular shape of a steering head part (shown in FIG. 2) 30 is fitted on the outer race 11. The steering stem 32 of the steering head unit 30 is fitted into the inner ring 13.
[0025]
The cage cage 17 is a steel plate press cage. In order to insert and hold the tapered roller 15 so that it can freely roll, the cage 23 is provided with an equiped trapezoidal pocket 23 corresponding to the shape of the tapered roller 15. And is formed by punching a plurality of pieces in the circumferential direction through. The cage 17 has an inner peripheral portion fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the inner race 13 by caulking.
[0026]
The cage 17 is covered by a solid lubricating member 16 filled with a lubricant-containing polymer. The solid lubricating member 16 is capable of making contact with the large and small end faces 21 and 22 of the tapered roller 15 held in the pocket 23 and surrounds the small-diameter and large-diameter ring portions 24 and 25 of the cage 17. It is formed integrally with the shape holder 17. Therefore, a lubricant is supplied between the tapered rollers 15 and the outer raceway surface 12 and the inner raceway surface 14.
The cage 17 prevents the solid lubricating member 16 from being damaged, and thus has a function as a reinforcing member for the solid lubricating member 16.
[0027]
Examples of the lubricant-containing polymer suitable for use in the solid lubricating member 16 include, for example, a synthetic resin selected from the group of polyolefin-based resins having basically the same chemical structure, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, and polymethylpentene. As a lubricant, paraffinic hydrocarbon oils such as poly-α-olefin oils, naphthenic hydrocarbon oils, mineral oils, ether oils such as dialkyldiphenyl ether oils, ester oils such as phthalic acid esters, etc. Raw materials prepared by mixing in the form of a mixed oil are heated above the melting point of the resin, plasticized, and then cooled to a solid state.An antioxidant, rust inhibitor, and abrasion agent are added to the lubricant beforehand. What added various additives, such as an inhibitor, an antifoaming agent, and an extreme pressure agent, may be used.
[0028]
The composition ratio of the lubricant-containing polymer is 10 to 50% by weight of the polyolefin resin and 90 to 50% by weight of the lubricant based on the total weight.
[0029]
When the content of the polyolefin resin is less than 10% by weight, a certain level of hardness and strength cannot be obtained, and it becomes difficult to maintain the initial shape when a load is applied due to, for example, rotation of the bearing. There is a high possibility that troubles such as detachment from the internal space of the vehicle will occur.
[0030]
Further, when the polyolefin resin exceeds 50% by weight (that is, when the lubricant is less than 50% by weight), the supply of the lubricant to the bearing is reduced, and the life of the bearing is shortened.
[0031]
The group of synthetic resins has the same basic structure but different average molecular weights. ⁶ Range. That is, the average molecular weight is 700 to 1 × 10 ⁴ (For example, polyethylene wax) and an average molecular weight of 1 × 10 ⁴ ~ 1 × 10 ⁶ Of relatively low molecular weight and an average molecular weight of 1 × 10 ⁶ ~ 5 × 10 ⁶ Is used alone or as necessary, mixed as necessary.
The combination of a relatively low molecular weight and a lubricant results in a lubricant-containing polymer with some mechanical strength, lubricant supply capacity, and oil retention. If some of the relatively low molecular weight compounds are replaced with those classified as wax, the difference in molecular weight between those classified as wax and lubricating oil is small, so the affinity between lubricating oil and lubricating oil is low. As a result, the lubricating property of the lubricant-containing polymer is improved, and the lubricant can be supplied for a long time. However, on the other hand, the mechanical strength tends to decrease.
[0032]
As the wax, in addition to a polyolefin-based resin such as polyethylene wax, a hydrocarbon-based wax having a melting point in the range of 100 to 130 ° C. or more (for example, a paraffin-based synthetic wax) can be used.
[0033]
On the other hand, if it is replaced with an ultrahigh molecular weight one, the difference in molecular weight between the ultrahigh molecular weight one and the lubricating oil is large, so that the affinity with the lubricating oil is lowered, the oil retention is reduced, and the lubricating oil is reduced. The bleeding of the lubricant from the contained polymer is accelerated. This shortens the time to reach the amount of lubricant that can be supplied from the lubricant-containing polymer, and shortens the life of the bearing. However, the mechanical strength is improved.
[0034]
Considering the balance of moldability, mechanical strength, oil retention, and lubricant supply, the composition ratio of the lubricant-containing polymer is 0 to 5% by weight for wax and 8 for relatively low molecular weight. Preferably, the total amount of the three resin components is 10 to 50% by weight (the remainder is 90 to 50% by weight of the lubricant).
[0035]
As one of the mechanical strengths, the hardness “HD” of the lubricant-containing polymer of the present embodiment is used. _A Is preferably in the range of 65 to 85, more preferably in the range of 70 to 80. Hardness "HD _A Is less than 65, the strength is weak and the bearing may be damaged by rotation.
On the other hand, the hardness “HD _A Exceeds 85, the force for restraining the rollers (rolling elements) is large, and the torque of the bearing may increase, or the heat generated by the rotation of the bearing may increase, and the temperature of the bearing may increase.
[0036]
In addition, in order to improve the mechanical strength of the lubricant-containing polymer of the present embodiment, a resin obtained by adding the following thermoplastic resin and thermosetting resin to the polyolefin-based resin may be used.
[0037]
As the thermoplastic resin, resins such as polyamide, polycarbonate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyphenylene sulfide, polyether sulfone, polyether ether ketone, polyamide imide, polystyrene, and ABS resin can be used.
[0038]
As the thermosetting resin, each resin such as an unsaturated polyester resin, a urea resin, a melanin resin, a phenol resin, a polyimide resin, and an epoxy resin can be used. These resins may be used alone or as a mixture.
[0039]
Further, in order to disperse the polyolefin resin and the other resin in a more uniform state, a suitable compatibilizer may be added as necessary.
[0040]
Further, a filler may be added to improve the mechanical strength. As the filler, for example, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, inorganic whiskers such as potassium titanate whiskers and aluminum borate whiskers, or inorganic fibers such as glass fibers and metal fibers and those obtained by braiding them in a cloth shape, In the case of an organic compound, carbon black, graphite powder, carbon fiber, aramid fiber, polyester fiber, or the like may be added.
[0041]
Further, for the purpose of preventing deterioration of the polyolefin resin due to heat, an anti-aging agent such as N, N'-diphenyl-p-phenyldiamine, 2,2'-methylenebis (4-ethyl-6-t-butylphenol) is used. It may be added.
Further, for the purpose of preventing deterioration due to light, 2-hydroxy-4-n-octoxybenzophenone, 2- (2'-hydroxy-3'-t-butyl-5'-methyl-phenyl) -5-chlorobenzo. An ultraviolet absorber such as triazole may be added.
[0042]
The addition amount of all of the above additives (other than the polyolefin resin and the lubricant) is preferably 20% by weight or less of the total amount of the molding raw material as a whole of the additives in order to maintain the supply capacity of the lubricant. .
[0043]
As the polymer material that can be used in the present embodiment, a thermoplastic resin that can be injection-molded can be used in addition to the above-described polyolefin-based resin. Among them, those which can increase the oil content include, for example, polyester elastomers. In addition to the thermoplastic resin, a thermosetting resin such as polyurethane and polyurea elastomer can be used.
[0044]
In the case of polyurethane, a grease is used as a lubricant, and a urethane prepolymer containing an isocyanate group, which is a reaction raw material, and an amine-based curing agent are uniformly mixed with the grease. The mixture is further mixed, filled in a bearing, heated and reacted as needed, and cured with grease contained.
[0045]
On the other hand, in the case of a polyurea elastomer, an amine component composed of a mixture of an aromatic polyamine compound containing a soft segment in a molecular chain and an aromatic diamine is mixed with a lubricating oil compatible therewith or a grease using the lubricating oil as a base oil. A polyisocyanate component is further added to the uniformly mixed mixture, mixed, filled into a mold having a desired shape, heated and reacted as needed, and cured with a lubricant contained.
[0046]
The seal member 18 is formed in a ring shape by a thin metal plate so as to cover the outer diameter end of the solid lubricant 16 and the front side of the inner ring 13, and is fitted in the steering support portion 31. Since the seal member 18 is disposed on the front side of the tapered roller bearing 10, it prevents moisture that has entered the steering support 31 due to a temperature difference with the outside or rainwater in the steering support 31 from entering the inside of the bearing. Block. The seal member 18 is formed as a simple seal, does not have a complicated shape having a lip like a dust seal, and is therefore relatively easily formed.
[0047]
As shown in FIG. 2, in the steering head unit 30, the tapered roller bearings 10 are used as a pair of upper and lower upper and lower surfaces. One tapered roller bearing 10 disposed on the upper side is inserted into the steering support portion 31 from above, the outer ring 11 is fitted inside the steering support portion 31, and the other tapered roller bearing disposed on the lower side. 10 is inserted into the steering support portion 31 from below, and the outer wheel 11 is fitted inside the steering support portion 31.
In the steering head section 30, the steering stem 32 is inserted from below the steering support section 31, the inner rings 13, 13 of the two tapered roller bearings 10, 10 are fitted to the outside, and the top of one of the upper tapered roller bearings 10, The steering stem 32 is inserted into the top bridge 36 via the spread 33, the lock washer 34, and the lock nut 35, and the steering nut 37 is screwed into the steering stem 32 above the top bridge 36. Then, the stem cap 38 is attached to the steering nut 37.
[0048]
The following experiment was conducted to confirm the characteristics of the tapered roller bearing 10 having such a structure. In the experiment, conical rollers were arranged at equal intervals in the bearing as an approximation to the structure of Patent Document 1 shown in FIG. Then, a bearing is prepared in which a solid lubricant is filled in a gap between the inner and outer rings around the conical rollers, and the bearing is vibrated at a vibration angle of approximately 90 degrees corresponding to the use condition of a steering head of a motorcycle. By comparing the tapered roller bearing 10, the operation was repeated.
[0049]
As a result of the experiment, the solid lubricant gradually consumed as the test operation progressed, and a gap was generated between the solid lubricant and the solid lubricant. In this state, when the test was further continued, cracks were observed in a portion near the chamfered portion of the conical roller of the solid lubricant.
[0050]
The tapered rollers of a tapered roller bearing, unlike ball bearings, perform a rolling motion between the raceway surfaces of the inner and outer rings, but have a sliding motion with the large end face of the large ring portion of the inner ring. . Therefore, the so-called skew phenomenon is liable to occur when the shaft in the direction of rotation of the roller is tilted during rotation, and there is no retainer for holding the conical roller as in the present test condition, and the solid lubricant and the conical shape are used. This tendency becomes more remarkable when a swinging rotational motion that repeats forward and reverse rotations is applied in a state where a gap formed between the rollers is large.
Then, every time the forward / reverse rotation is switched, the above-mentioned axial inclination of the roller occurs in the forward / reverse direction, and a large gap is formed between the solid lubricant and the conical roller, so that the skew phenomenon occurs. It is presumed that the chamfered surface of the roller strongly pressed the solid lubricant, and an excessive force was applied, causing cracks in the solid lubricant. On the other hand, in the tapered roller bearing 10, since the plurality of tapered rollers 15 were restrained in the posture by the cage cage 17, no crack was generated in the solid lubricating member 16.
[0051]
As described above, from the results of this test, when using a tapered roller bearing for the steering head of a motorcycle, it was found that holding the tapered roller with only a solid lubricant lacked the reliability of the bearing function. .
If the operation is continued with cracks in the solid lubricant, the solid lubricant will be broken and fall off, and will have no lubricating action. In a non-lubricated state, the bearing will not function and will be damaged.
[0052]
According to the tapered roller bearing 10 of the present embodiment, the cage cage 17 that rotatably holds the tapered roller 15 is covered by the solid lubricating member 16 filled with the lubricant-containing polymer. It is used in a pair of the upper tapered roller bearing 10 and the lower tapered roller bearing 10, and the solid lubricating member 16 filled with the lubricant-containing polymer is sealed by the seal member 18.
Therefore, the solid lubricating member 16 filled with the lubricant-containing polymer prevents the grease from falling, and the grease depletion wears the raceway surface of the bearing to cause preload loss, thereby causing rattling of the steering and poor lubrication. There is no fear that torque increase due to galling will occur.
[0053]
In addition, moisture that has entered the steering head portion 30 due to a temperature difference from the outside, rainwater, or the like is not mixed into the grease and is emulsified, thereby preventing deterioration of lubrication performance and generation of rust. Further, since it is not necessary to periodically disassemble the steering head and replenish grease, the number of man-hours can be reduced, and the work environment of the worker can be improved because grease is not used.
Further, the cost can be reduced by using an inexpensive seal member without using a relatively expensive dust seal used for a rolling bearing in which grease is sealed. In particular, when the upper tapered roller bearing 10 and the lower tapered roller bearing 10 are used in a pair, the grease does not fall from the upper tapered roller bearing 10, and the grease is depleted in the upper tapered roller bearing 10. This eliminates the risk of rattling of the steering due to wear of the raceway surface due to the preload loss and generation of torque increase due to galling due to poor lubrication. As a result, lubrication performance can be improved, and maintenance-free operation can be realized by eliminating grease refilling work, and the number of assembly steps can be reduced.
[0054]
Next, an example of a retainer used for a cylindrical roller bearing which is a rolling bearing according to another embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described with reference to FIGS.
The retainer 40A shown in FIG. 3A has plate-shaped annular portions 41a and 41b concentrically arranged with each other, and a plurality of annular annular portions 41a and 41b arranged at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction. A pin-shaped insertion portion 42 connected to 41b is provided. A hole 43 into which a cylindrical roller (not shown) is loosely inserted is formed between each of the insertion portions 42 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction. The number of holes 43 corresponds to the number of cylindrical rollers.
[0055]
The retainer 40B shown in FIG. 3 (b) is one in which the other annular portion is removed except for the annular portion 44 at one end of the cylindrical shape, and is substantially equally spaced in the circumferential direction of the annular portion 44. A plurality of plate-like insertion portions 45 are provided, and holes 46 in which cylindrical rollers (not shown) are loosely inserted are formed in the peripheral wall at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction according to the number of the cylindrical rollers. ing.
A retainer 40C shown in FIG. 3 (c) is obtained by eliminating the annular portion 41b at the other end while leaving the annular portion 41a of FIG. 3 (a), and is substantially equal to the circumferential direction of the annular portion 41a. A plurality of pin-shaped insertion portions 42 are provided at intervals, and holes 47 into which cylindrical rollers (not shown) are loosely inserted are formed on the peripheral wall at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction according to the number of the cylindrical rollers. Is formed.
The above-described retainers 40A, 40B, and 40C are covered by the solid lubricating member 16 filled with the above-described lubricant-containing polymer. Therefore, since the retainers 40A, 40B, and 40C prevent the solid lubricating member 16 from being damaged, they have a function as a reinforcing member for the solid lubricating member 16.
[0056]
Note that the rolling bearing according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications, improvements, and the like can be made. For example, a large collar may be formed at the large-diameter end of the outer raceway surface of the outer ring, and a small collar may be formed at the small-diameter end of the outer raceway surface.
Further, the sealing member may be a thin and simple sealing member, but may be made of a resin instead of a steel plate. Further, the retainer is made of steel, but may be made of resin.
[0057]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the tapered roller bearing of the present invention, the retainer that rotatably holds the tapered rollers is covered by the solid lubricating member filled with the lubricant-containing polymer.
Therefore, the solid lubricating member filled with the lubricant-containing polymer prevents grease from dropping, and wear of the raceway surface of the bearing due to depletion of grease causes preload loss, thereby causing rattling of the steering and galling caused by poor lubrication. This eliminates the possibility of causing an increase in torque.
In addition, moisture that has entered the steering head due to a temperature difference from the outside, rainwater, or the like is not mixed into the grease and is emulsified, thereby preventing deterioration in lubrication performance and rust. Further, since it is not necessary to periodically disassemble the steering head and replenish grease, the number of man-hours can be reduced, and the work environment of the worker can be improved because grease is not used. Therefore, it is possible to improve lubrication performance, to achieve maintenance-free operation by eliminating grease refilling work, and to reduce the number of assembly steps.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a tapered roller bearing according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an assembling relationship of components of a motorcycle steering head using the tapered roller bearing shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 shows a cage used for a rolling bearing according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a conventional structure.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Tapered roller bearings (rolling bearings)
11 Outer ring
12 Outer ring raceway surface
13 Inner ring
14 Inner ring raceway surface
15 Tapered rollers
16 Solid lubrication members
17, 40A, 40B, 40C Cage
18 Sealing member
30 Steering head
31 Steering support
32 Steering stem

Claims (3)

A rolling bearing used for a steering head of a motorcycle and disposed between a steering stem and a steering support,
An inner ring having an inner raceway surface and in which the steering stem is fitted; an outer race having an outer raceway surface in which the steering support portion is fitted; and a plurality of inner races which are relatively rotatably arranged between the inner and outer raceway surfaces. A rolling bearing comprising: a rolling element; and a retainer rotatably holding the rolling element and covered by a solid lubricating member filled with a lubricant-containing polymer. 2. The rolling bearing according to claim 1, wherein the steering stem is arranged in a pair in the axial direction of the steering stem by being aligned front or back. 3. The rolling bearing according to claim 1, wherein a sealing member for sealing the solid lubricating member is assembled.

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