JP2005273716A - Rolling bearing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rolling bearing capable of reducing rotation torque. <P>SOLUTION: A mesh member 5 made up of felt having flexibility whose nominal filtration accuracy is approximately 30 μm and formed in a disc shape, is arranged so as to block an annular opening on the oil inflow side between an outer ring 1 and an inner ring 2 by fixing a part opposed to an end surface of the outer ring 1 of the mesh member 5 onto the end surface of the outer ring 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a rolling bearing device.

  Conventionally, as a rolling bearing device, there is one described in JP-A-7-144548 (Patent Document 1).

  This rolling bearing device is a tapered roller bearing device, and includes an inner ring, an outer ring, a plurality of tapered rollers disposed between the inner ring and the outer ring, a first shield plate having a U-shaped cross section, and a U-shaped cross section. And a second shield plate having a shape.

  An outer peripheral edge portion of the first shield plate is fixed to an inner peripheral surface of the outer ring on the large diameter portion side, and an inner peripheral side edge of the first shield plate is an outer periphery on the small diameter side of the inner ring. The inner peripheral edge of the second shield plate is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring on the large diameter portion side, and the outer peripheral edge of the second shield plate is fixed to the outer ring. It is made to adjoin to the end surface by the side of a small diameter part.

  The tapered roller bearing device uses the first shield plate to provide an oil flow path only between the edge of the inner peripheral surface of the first shield plate and the outer peripheral surface on the small diameter side of the inner ring. This prevents oil from entering the inside of the bearing device from locations other than the oil flow path, and increases the amount of oil supplied to the tapered roller bearing device. This prevents the intrusion and reduces the oil stirring resistance.

  Further, the tapered roller bearing device uses the second shield plate so that an oil flow path is provided only between the outer peripheral edge of the second shield plate and the end surface on the small diameter side of the outer ring. This prevents oil from flowing out of the bearing device from other locations than the oil flow path, making it difficult for oil that has once entered the bearing device to flow out of the bearing device. Thus, seizure is prevented from occurring.

However, in the above conventional tapered roller bearing device, the second shield plate is disposed at the downstream end of the oil flow in the bearing device so that the oil that has entered the bearing device does not flow out, and the oil is Since the amount of oil in the bearing device increases, the oil stirring resistance increases, the rotational torque of the bearing device increases, and the fuel consumption of an automobile equipped with this bearing device increases. There is a problem of doing.
JP-A-7-144548

  Then, the subject of this invention is providing the rolling bearing apparatus which can make rotational torque small.

In order to solve the above problems, the rolling bearing device of the present invention is
An outer ring having a raceway surface on the inner periphery;
An inner ring having a raceway surface on the outer periphery;
A rolling element disposed between the raceway surface of the outer ring and the raceway surface of the inner ring,
An oil inflow amount adjusting member for adjusting the amount of oil flowing in from an annular opening formed between the outer ring and the inner ring is disposed so as to close the annular opening.

  According to the invention, the oil inflow amount adjusting member that adjusts the amount of oil flowing in from the annular opening is arranged so as to close the annular opening, so that the amount of oil flowing into the rolling bearing device is reduced. Can be adjusted. Therefore, since oil can be prevented from flowing into the rolling bearing device more than necessary, the stirring resistance of the rolling bearing device can be reduced, and the rotational torque of the rolling bearing device can be reduced. Further, according to the above invention, since the minimum amount of oil necessary to prevent seizure of the rolling bearing device can be surely flowed into the rolling bearing device, seizure occurs in the rolling bearing device. Can be prevented. In particular, when the rolling bearing device of the present invention is used for supporting a pinion shaft of a differential gear of an automobile supplied with a large amount of oil (lubricating oil) having a relatively high viscosity, the effect can be increased.

  In the rolling bearing device of one embodiment, the oil inflow rate adjusting member is a flexible mesh member.

  According to the embodiment, since the flexible mesh member is used as the oil inflow adjusting member, when the rolling bearing device is rotating at a high speed, that is, the pumping action of the rolling bearing device is large and the oil is supplied. When the suction force is large (this effect is particularly large in the tapered roller bearing device), the flexible mesh member is automatically contracted in the axial direction, and the size of the mesh gap is automatically reduced. The oil can be prevented from rolling more than necessary and flowing into the bearing device. When the rolling bearing device is rotating at a low speed, that is, when the pumping action of the rolling bearing device is small and the oil suction force is small, the flexible mesh member is automatically loosened in the axial direction and the mesh The size of the gap is automatically increased, so that the minimum oil necessary for preventing seizure can be reliably introduced into the rolling bearing device.

  In one embodiment, the mesh member is made of felt.

  According to the above embodiment, the mesh member that is the oil inflow rate adjusting member is made of felt that is flexible, easy to handle, and inexpensive. Can be optimally adjusted, and the oil inflow rate adjusting member can be configured simply and inexpensively.

  Moreover, as for the rolling bearing apparatus of one Embodiment, the said mesh member has a nominal filtration precision of 2 micrometers or more and 100 micrometers or less.

  According to an experiment showing the relationship between the nominal filtration accuracy and the rotational torque, it was found that when the nominal filtration accuracy is 100 μm or less, there is an effect of reducing the rotational torque as compared with a conventional rolling bearing without a mesh member. . When the nominal filtration accuracy was less than 2 μm, seizure occurred in the rolling bearing device.

  According to the embodiment, since the mesh member has a nominal filtration accuracy of 2 μm or more and 100 μm or less, the rotational torque can be reduced and the occurrence of seizure can be prevented as compared with a rolling bearing not provided with a mesh member. .

  In the rolling bearing device of one embodiment, oil outflow promoting means is provided between the inner ring and the outer ring or in the vicinity of the end portion on the side from which the oil flows out.

  According to the embodiment, since the oil outflow promotion means is provided between the inner ring and the outer ring or in the vicinity of the end on the oil outflow side, the oil outflow promotion means can It is possible to quickly drain the oil that has entered the outside of the bearing. Therefore, the oil does not stay in the bearing and the oil flows out smoothly, so that the oil stirring resistance can be reduced. Furthermore, since there is less oil (lubricating oil) remaining on the contact surface between the rolling element and the race, the rolling viscous resistance can be reduced (especially, the rolling element has a long dimension in the direction perpendicular to the rolling direction and a large contact area. This effect can be noticeable for large tapered or cylindrical rollers.) Therefore, the rotational torque of the rolling bearing device can be reduced, and the fuel consumption of an automobile equipped with the rolling bearing device of the present invention can be reduced.

  According to the rolling bearing device of the present invention, the oil inflow amount adjusting member for adjusting the amount of oil flowing in from the annular opening formed between the outer ring and the inner ring is arranged so as to close the annular opening. Therefore, the amount of oil flowing into the rolling bearing device can be adjusted, and oil can be prevented from flowing into the rolling bearing device more than necessary. In addition, the minimum amount of oil required to prevent seizure of the rolling bearing device can be reliably introduced into the rolling bearing device, and seizure can be prevented from occurring in the rolling bearing device.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is an axial sectional view of a tapered roller bearing device according to a first embodiment of the rolling bearing device of the present invention.

  This tapered roller bearing device includes an outer ring 1, an inner ring 2, a tapered roller 3, and a mesh member 5 as an example of an oil inflow amount adjusting member. In this tapered roller bearing device, oil flows from the annular opening on the small diameter side of the tapered roller 3 between the outer ring 1 and the inner ring 2 to the other annular opening during operation.

  The outer ring 1 has a conical raceway surface 7 on the inner peripheral surface, and the inner ring 2 has a conical raceway surface 8 at a portion facing the raceway surface 7 on the peripheral surface. The tapered rollers 3 are plurally spaced at regular intervals in the circumferential direction while being held by a cage 10 between the raceway surface 7 of the outer ring 1 and the raceway surface 8 of the inner ring 2. Has been placed.

  The mesh member 5 is formed of a flexible felt having a nominal filtration accuracy of about 30 μm. The mesh member 5 is a disk-shaped member, and an opening 13 corresponding to the opening of the inner ring 2 is formed in the approximate center of the disk. The radial dimension from the inner circumference of the opening 13 of the mesh member 5 to the outer circumference 15 of the mesh member 5 is substantially equal to the radial dimension from the inner circumference of the inner ring to the outer circumference of the outer ring of the tapered roller bearing device. . Further, a concave portion 17 is formed in a portion of the end face of the mesh member 5 on the bearing device side facing the disk-like opening on the oil inflow side of the bearing device, and the mesh member 5 is externally provided from the disk-like opening. It does not come into contact with the small-diameter annular portion 18 of the cage 10 that protrudes. In the mesh member 5, the portion of the mesh member 5 facing the end surface on the large diameter side of the outer ring 1 is fixed to the end surface of the outer ring 1 with an adhesive, while the mesh member 5 has a portion on the small diameter side of the inner ring 2 in the mesh member 5. The portion facing the end surface is not fixed to the end surface of the inner ring 2 and is soft-touched with the end surface of the inner ring 2, and the portion facing the small-diameter end surface of the inner ring 2 in the mesh member 5 However, it slides on the end face of the inner ring 2. The mesh member may be fixed in any way, for example, by attaching the mesh member to the reinforcing member and press-fitting or fixing the reinforcing member to a step provided on the raceway ring or other fixing member.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between the nominal filtration accuracy of the mesh member and the rotational torque.

  The data of FIG. 2 shows that after attaching a felt mesh member having various nominal filtration accuracy to a tapered roller bearing equivalent to JIS30306, an axial load of 4 kN is applied as a pseudo preload, and 500 rpm is applied to each tapered roller bearing. Each of the tapered roller bearings with respect to the rotational torque of the tapered roller bearing without the mesh member when one of the inner and outer rings is rotated at two rotational speeds of 3000 rpm and the rotational torque value acting on the other of the inner and outer rings is measured. It is the data showing the ratio of the rotational torque of an apparatus. In this experiment, oil that has been maintained at 50 degrees of 85 W-90 gear oil according to the SAE viscosity classification stipulated by the American Automobile Engineering Association is used. Further, in this embodiment, in addition to the measurement of the rotational torque, the outer layer, the inner ring and the tapered roller are observed on the surface layer portion to determine whether the outer ring, the inner ring and the tapered roller are seized.

  As shown in FIG. 2, at a rotational speed of 3000 rpm, when the nominal filtration accuracy is greater than 100 μm, the torque ratio value is substantially constant, while as the nominal filtration accuracy decreases from 100 μm to 10 μm, the torque ratio decreases. It drops sharply from about 0.9 to about 0.2. When the nominal filtration accuracy is smaller than 10 μm, the torque ratio slightly decreases from 0.2 as the nominal filtration accuracy decreases.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the nominal filtration accuracy is greater than 90 μm at a rotational speed of 500 rpm, the torque ratio value is substantially constant, while the torque decreases as the nominal filtration accuracy decreases from 90 μm to 10 μm. The ratio drops rapidly from about 0.9 to about 0.55. When the nominal filtration accuracy is smaller than 10 μm, the torque ratio slightly decreases from about 0.55 as the nominal filtration accuracy decreases.

  In addition, as a result of observation of the outer layer, the inner ring and the surface layer of the tapered roller, seizure was observed when the nominal filtration accuracy was less than 2 μm in both cases where the rotational speed was 500 rpm and the rotational speed was 3000 rpm. On the other hand, seizure was not observed when the nominal filtration accuracy was 2 μm or more.

  From the above, if the nominal filtration accuracy of the mesh member is set to 2 μm or more and 100 μm or less, the rotational torque of the tapered roller bearing device can be reduced, and seizure of the tapered roller bearing device can be reliably prevented. If the nominal filtration accuracy of the mesh member is set to 2 μm or more and 10 μm or less, the rotational torque of the tapered roller bearing device can be remarkably reduced and seizure of the tapered roller bearing device can be prevented.

  The present inventor further conducted an experiment of a rotational torque as shown in FIG. 2 in a metal mesh member and a felt mesh member having the same nominal filtration accuracy as the metal mesh member. As a result, it was confirmed that when a felt mesh member was used, the rotational torque reduction effect was greater when the rotational speed was higher than when a metal mesh member was used.

  This is because when the felt mesh member is used as the oil inflow adjusting member, the tapered roller bearing device rotates at a high speed, that is, the pumping action of the tapered roller bearing device is large and the oil is sucked in. This is because the felt mesh member automatically shrinks in the axial direction and the size of the mesh gap automatically decreases, and the nominal filtration accuracy becomes smaller than the actual value.

  According to the tapered roller bearing device of the first embodiment, the oil inflow amount adjusting member for adjusting the amount of oil flowing into the bearing device is closed so as to close the annular opening on the oil inflow side of the outer ring 1 and the inner ring 2. Since it is arranged, the amount of oil flowing into the tapered roller bearing device can be adjusted. Therefore, since oil can be prevented from flowing into the tapered roller bearing device more than necessary, the stirring resistance of the tapered roller bearing device can be reduced, and the rotational torque of the tapered roller bearing device can be reduced. In addition, since a minimum amount of oil necessary to prevent seizure of the tapered roller bearing device can be reliably introduced into the tapered roller bearing device, seizure can be prevented from occurring in the tapered roller bearing device. . In particular, when the tapered roller bearing device of the first embodiment is used for supporting a pinion shaft of a differential gear of an automobile supplied with a large amount of oil (lubricating oil) having a relatively high viscosity, the effect can be increased. it can.

  In addition, according to the tapered roller bearing device of the first embodiment, since the flexible mesh member 5 made of felt is used as the oil inflow adjusting member, the tapered roller bearing device is rotating at high speed. That is, when the pumping action of the tapered roller bearing device is large and the oil suction force is large, the mesh member 5 is automatically contracted in the axial direction, and the size of the mesh gap is automatically reduced, so that oil is required. As described above, it can be prevented from flowing into the tapered roller bearing device. Further, when the tapered roller bearing device is rotating at a low speed, that is, when the pumping action of the tapered roller bearing device is small and the oil suction force is small, the mesh member 5 is automatically loosened in the axial direction and the mesh gap The size automatically increases, and the minimum oil required to prevent seizure can be surely flowed into the tapered roller bearing device.

  Further, according to the tapered roller bearing device of the first embodiment, the mesh member 5 that is the oil inflow adjustment member is made of felt that is flexible, easy to handle, and inexpensive. In addition, the size of the mesh gap can be automatically and optimally adjusted, and the oil inflow adjusting member can be easily and inexpensively configured.

  Further, according to the tapered roller bearing device of the first embodiment, since the nominal filtration accuracy of the mesh member 5 is set to about 30 μm, the rotational speed is higher than that of a conventional tapered roller bearing without a mesh member. Torque can be reduced at each stage, and seizure can be reliably prevented.

  In the tapered roller bearing device of the first embodiment, the felt mesh member 5 is used as the oil inflow amount adjusting member. However, in the rolling bearing device of the present invention, the oil inflow amount adjusting member is made of polypropylene. A mesh member having flexibility other than the felt mesh member 5 such as a mesh member may be employed. In this case, the same effect as that obtained when the felt mesh member is employed can be obtained. In the rolling bearing device of the present invention, a metal mesh member may be employed.

  In the tapered roller bearing device according to the first embodiment, the nominal filtration accuracy of the mesh member 5 is set to 30 μm. However, in the rolling bearing device of the present invention, the nominal filtration accuracy of the mesh member 5 is set to 2 μm or more and 100 μm or less. In this case, the same effect as that obtained when the nominal filtration accuracy of the mesh member 5 is set to 30 μm can be obtained.

  In the tapered roller bearing device of the first embodiment, the oil is introduced from the small diameter side of the tapered roller 3, but the oil may be introduced from the large diameter side of the tapered roller 3. Of course.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 3 is an axial sectional view of a tapered roller bearing device according to a second embodiment of the rolling bearing device of the present invention.

  The tapered roller bearing device of the second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment in that the felt mesh member 40 is fixed to the end of the tapered roller bearing device on the oil inflow side in the axial direction. As described in the above, the provision of the oil outflow promotion means is different from the first embodiment.

  In the tapered roller bearing device of the second embodiment, the description of the operation and effect common to the tapered roller bearing device of the first embodiment will be omitted, and the operation and effect different from the tapered roller bearing device of the first embodiment. Only the modified example will be described.

  In the second embodiment, the number of tapered rollers 33 is z, the average diameter of the tapered rollers 33 (the intermediate diameter between the large diameter side and the small diameter side of the tapered rollers) is DW, and the pitch diameter of the tapered rollers 33 is dm. Is set to a number satisfying z ≦ 0.85 / (DW / (π · dm)).

  According to experiments, when the number of tapered rollers is larger than 0.85 / (DW / (π · dm)), the torque increases rapidly, while the number of tapered rollers is reduced as in the second embodiment. It has been confirmed that the torque is reduced when the pressure is reduced to 0.85 / (DW / (π · dm)) or less.

  As shown in FIG. 3, z tapered rollers 3 limited to a number satisfying z ≦ 0.85 / (DW / (π · dm)) are connected to the large diameter side of the tapered rollers 33 with oil. This arrangement is arranged between the outer ring 31 and the inner ring 32 toward the outflow side, and the space occupied by the tapered rollers 33 between the outer ring 31 and the inner ring 32 is reduced to widen the oil flow path. It is part of the promotion means.

  Further, the contact angle θ between the raceway surface of the outer ring 31 and the tapered roller 33, which is defined by the additional angle of the angle between the normal line of the conical raceway surface 35 of the outer ring 31 and the axis R, is set to 25 °. ing.

  The raceway surface 35 of the outer ring 31 that has a contact angle with the tapered roller 33 of 25 °, a large degree of diverging in the oil outflow direction, and a large pump function for discharging the oil to the outside is a part of the oil outflow promoting means. It has become.

  Further, the large-diameter annular portion 38 on the large-diameter side of the tapered roller 33 in the cage 37 extends substantially parallel to the central axis of the tapered roller 33 in the axial sectional view shown in FIG. The large-diameter annular portion 38 located in the vicinity of the end portion on the oil outflow side is formed in a shape substantially parallel to the oil flow so that the oil flow can be rectified. The large-diameter annular portion 38 of the retainer 37 is a part of the oil outflow promoting means.

  According to the tapered roller bearing device of the second embodiment, the number z of tapered rollers 33 is suppressed to 0.85 / (DW / (π · dm)) or less, and between the tapered rollers 33 adjacent in the circumferential direction. Since the oil passage is enlarged and the oil flow path is enlarged, oil outflow can be promoted. Therefore, the amount of oil in the bearing device can be reduced, and the oil stirring resistance depending on the amount of oil can be reduced.

  Further, according to the tapered roller bearing device of the second embodiment, the contact angle between the raceway surface 35 of the outer ring 31 and the tapered roller 33 is set to 25 ° so that the outer ring 31 spreads in the direction of oil outflow. Therefore, the speed at which the oil blown to the raceway surface 35 of the outer ring 31 by the centrifugal force during the operation of the bearing device moves along the raceway surface 35 can be increased, and the oil is efficiently discharged. Can be made. Therefore, the oil stirring resistance can be further reduced, and the degree of torque reduction of the bearing device itself can be further increased.

  Further, according to the tapered roller bearing device of the second embodiment, the large-diameter annular portion 38 on the oil outflow direction side in the retainer 37 has a shape substantially parallel to the oil flow so as not to obstruct the oil flow. Therefore, the oil flow can be rectified by the large-diameter annular portion 38, and the oil can be efficiently discharged.

  As described above, according to the tapered roller bearing device of the second embodiment, the oil that has entered the bearing device can be quickly spilled out of the bearing device by the oil outflow promotion means including the three parts. Therefore, the oil does not stay inside the bearing device, and the oil stirring resistance can be reduced. Further, since there is less surplus oil (lubricating oil) interposed between the contact surface of the tapered roller 33 and the outer ring 31 and the contact surface of the tapered roller 33 and the inner ring 32, the rolling viscous resistance can be reduced (particularly, in the second embodiment). In the embodiment, since the rolling element is a tapered roller 33 having a long dimension in a direction perpendicular to the rolling direction and a large contact area, this effect can be made remarkable.) Therefore, the rotational torque of the rolling bearing device can be reduced, and the operating cost (fuel consumption) of a machine such as an automobile provided with the tapered roller bearing device of the second embodiment can be reduced.

In the tapered roller bearing device of the second embodiment, the raceway surface 35 of the outer ring 31 is formed so as to come into contact with the tapered rollers 33 at a contact angle of 25 °. It has been confirmed that the torque can be drastically reduced when it is set to contact the roller at a contact angle of 25 ° or more, and the raceway surface of the outer ring is formed to contact the tapered roller at a contact angle larger than 25 °. You may do it.
In the first and second embodiments, the tapered roller bearing device which is a tapered roller bearing having an oil inflow amount adjusting member has been described. However, a cylindrical roller bearing having an oil inflow amount adjusting member, an oil inflow amount, and the like. It goes without saying that rolling bearings other than the tapered roller bearing having the oil inflow amount adjusting member such as a ball bearing having the adjusting member fall within the scope of the present invention.

It is sectional drawing of the axial direction of the tapered roller bearing apparatus of 1st Embodiment of the rolling bearing apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between a nominal filtration accuracy and a torque ratio. It is sectional drawing of the axial direction of the tapered roller bearing apparatus of 2nd Embodiment of the rolling bearing apparatus of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1,31 outer ring 2,32 inner ring 3,33 tapered roller 5,40 mesh member 7,8,35 raceway surface 38 large-diameter annular portion

Claims (5)

An outer ring having a raceway surface on the inner periphery;
An inner ring having a raceway surface on the outer periphery;
A rolling element disposed between the raceway surface of the outer ring and the raceway surface of the inner ring,
A rolling bearing characterized in that an oil inflow adjustment member for adjusting the amount of oil flowing in from an annular opening formed between the outer ring and the inner ring is disposed so as to close the annular opening. apparatus. The rolling bearing device according to claim 1,
The rolling bearing device according to claim 1, wherein the oil inflow rate adjusting member is a flexible mesh member. In the rolling bearing device according to claim 2,
The rolling bearing device according to claim 1, wherein the mesh member is made of felt. In the rolling bearing device according to claim 2 or 3,
The rolling bearing device, wherein the mesh member has a nominal filtration accuracy of 2 μm or more and 100 μm or less. The rolling bearing device according to claim 1,
A rolling bearing device characterized in that an oil outflow promoting means is provided between the inner ring and the outer ring or in the vicinity of the end portion on the oil outflow side.

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