JP2007205557A - Rolling bearing, cage segment, and spindle supporting structure of wind power generator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rolling bearing capable of stably disposing a cage. <P>SOLUTION: This rolling bearing is a tapered roller bearing 11 comprising a plurality of tapered rollers 12, and the cage 13 retaining the plurality of tapered rollers 12. The cage 13 is divided into four cage segments 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d by parting lines extending in the direction along an axis, and the cage segment 13a has a pair of ring portions 14a, 14b, two pillar portions 15 connecting the pair of ring portions 14a, 14b, and a plurality of projecting portions 16, 17, 18, 19 projecting from end faces opposite to each other, of the pair of ring portions 14a, 14b. Further the tapered rollers 12 respectively have truncated cone-shaped recessed portions 12a, 12b receiving the projecting portions 16, 17, on its large end face and small end face. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rolling bearing, a cage segment, and a main shaft support structure for a wind power generator.

  Rolling bearings are generally composed of an outer ring, an inner ring, a plurality of rollers disposed between the outer ring and the inner ring, and a cage that holds the plurality of rollers. There are various types of cages for holding rollers, such as resin cages, press cages, shaving cages, and welded cages, depending on the material and manufacturing method. ing. In addition, the cage is usually composed of a single piece, that is, an annular part.

  Here, since it is necessary to receive a big load about the rolling bearing which supports the main axis | shaft of the wind power generator with which the braid | blade for receiving a wind was attached, the rolling bearing itself also becomes large sized. When it does so, each structural member, such as a roller and a holder | retainer, will also become large sized, and production and assembly of a member will become difficult. In such a case, if each member can be divided, production and assembly are facilitated.

  A technique relating to a split type cage in which the cage is divided by a dividing line extending in a direction along the axis is disclosed in European Patent Publication No. 1408248A2 (Patent Document 1). FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a cage segment which is a split type cage disclosed in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 6, the cage segment 101 a has a plurality of pillar portions 103 extending in a direction along the axis so as to form a plurality of pockets 104 for accommodating the rollers, and a plurality of pillar portions 103 are connected to each other. It has the connection parts 102a and 102b extended in a direction. On the inner diameter side of the column portion 103 located on both sides in the circumferential direction of each pocket 104, an inner diameter side roller stopper for preventing the rollers accommodated in the pocket 104 from slipping out toward the inner diameter side is provided. On the other hand, the outer diameter side is not provided with an outer diameter side roller stopper for preventing the rollers from coming out to the outer diameter side, and is flat. In addition, a protruding portion 106a for maintaining a distance from the outer ring is provided on the end surface on the outer diameter side of the column portion 103, and an end surface on the inner diameter side of the column portion 103 is provided for maintaining a distance from the inner ring. A protruding portion 106b (not shown) is provided.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the rolling bearing including the cage segment 101a shown in FIG. The configuration of the rolling bearing 111 including the cage segment 101a will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. The rolling bearing 111 holds an outer ring 112, an inner ring 113, a plurality of rollers 114, and a plurality of rollers 114. A plurality of cage segments 101a, 101b, 101c and the like. The plurality of rollers 114 is held by a plurality of cage segments 101a in the vicinity of a PCD (Pitch Circle Diameter) 105 where the roller behavior is most stable. The cage segments 101a that hold the plurality of rollers 114 are combined in series so that the circumferentially adjacent cage segments 101b and 101c are in contact with each other in the circumferential direction. A plurality of cage segments 101 a, 101 b, 101 c and the like are combined in series to form one annular cage included in the rolling bearing 111.
European Patent Publication EP1408248A2

  According to Patent Document 1, the cage segment 101a is kept at a distance from the outer ring 112 and the inner ring 113 by the protruding part 106a provided on the outer diameter side end face of the column part 103 and the protruding part 106b provided on the inner diameter side end face. ing. That is, the cage segment 101a is a raceway guide guided by the outer ring 112 or the inner ring 113.

  As described above, the cage segments 101a, 101b, 101c and the like are independent and are not connected in the circumferential direction. Therefore, when the cage segment 101a or the like is a raceway guide, the outer ring 112 and the inner ring It moves easily between 113 and its position becomes unstable in the radial direction.

  Specifically, for example, when the rolling bearing 111 having the above-described configuration is used in a horizontal orientation, when the cage segment 101a is in the top position, the cage segment 101a moves downward, The outer ring surface 115 of the inner ring 113 located at the lower part and the protruding part 106b provided on the inner diameter side end surface of the column part 103 come into contact with each other, thereby providing an inner ring guide guided by the inner ring 113. On the other hand, when the cage segment 101a is at the ground position, the cage segment 101a moves downward, and the protruding portion provided on the inner diameter surface 116 of the outer ring 112 located on the lower side and the outer diameter side end surface of the column portion 103. 106 a comes into contact with the outer ring 112 to be guided to the outer ring 112.

  Thus, if the cage segment 101a easily moves in the radial direction and becomes an inner ring guide or an outer ring guide depending on the position in the rolling bearing 111, the radial position of the cage segment 101a is unstable. Therefore, there is a risk that abnormal noise may be generated when the outer ring 112 or the inner ring 113 is contacted, or the cage segment 101a may be damaged.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a rolling bearing that is less likely to cause abnormal noise or damage, a cage segment that is stably disposed on the rolling bearing, and a main shaft support structure of a wind power generator that includes such a rolling bearing. Is to provide.

  The rolling bearing according to the present invention includes a plurality of rollers and a cage that holds the plurality of rollers. The plurality of rollers have a recess in the axial end surface, the cage is divided into a plurality of cage segments by a dividing line extending in a direction along the axis, and each cage segment is a pair of arc-shaped rings. And a column part connecting the pair of ring parts, and a convex part corresponding to the concave part of the roller on the mutually opposing end surfaces of the pair of ring parts.

  As described above, by engaging the concave portion provided on the roller with the convex portion provided on the cage, the movement of the cage in the radial direction is restricted by the roller. Thereby, the behavior of the cage during the rotation of the bearing is stabilized, and it is possible to suppress the generation of noise due to the contact between the cage segment and the outer ring or the inner ring and the breakage of the cage segment. Here, the cage segment is a unit body obtained by dividing an integral annular cage by a parting line extending in the direction along the axis, and a plurality of cage segments are combined in a circumferential direction. An annular retainer is formed.

  Preferably, a roller is disposed between two adjacent cage segments, and the concave portion of the roller receives a projection provided on each of the two adjacent cage segments. By setting it as the said structure, the adjacent holder | retainer segment is connected via a roller. As a result, the behavior of the cage during rotation of the bearing is further stabilized.

  Preferably, the column portion is disposed at a position where it does not contact the roller. Thus, by not providing the column portion that guides the rotation of the rollers between the adjacent rollers, the number of rollers that can be accommodated increases. As a result, a rolling bearing having a high load capacity can be obtained.

  Preferably, the cage segment is made of resin. The cage segment is small and has a simple shape as compared to the monolithic cage. If it does so, manufacture by injection molding etc. will be attained by making a cage | basket segment resin, and mass production becomes easy.

  Preferably, the roller is a tapered roller. In a large-sized rolling bearing used for the main shaft of the wind power generator described above, it is necessary to receive a large thrust load, moment load, radial load, etc., and therefore a tapered roller bearing using a tapered roller as a roller is applied. When applied to such a tapered roller bearing, even when the tapered roller bearing becomes large, productivity is improved and the cage segment can be stably disposed in the rolling bearing, such as an outer ring, etc. It is possible to suppress the generation of abnormal noise due to contact with the.

The cage segment according to the present invention is a cage segment that holds a plurality of rollers and is divided by a dividing line extending in a direction along the axis. Specifically, each cage segment includes a pair of arc-shaped ring portions, a column portion connecting the pair of ring portions, and a convex portion corresponding to the concave portion of the roller on the mutually opposing end surfaces of the pair of ring portions. Have
Since such a cage segment is guided by rollers, it is stably arranged in the rolling bearing. If it does so, generation | occurrence | production of the noise by the contact with an outer ring | wheel or an inner ring | wheel will be suppressed.

  A main shaft support structure of a wind power generator according to the present invention includes a blade that receives wind power, a main shaft that is fixed to the blade and rotated together with the blade, a rolling bearing that is incorporated in a fixed member and rotatably supports the main shaft. Have When attention is paid to a rolling bearing, a plurality of rollers and a cage for holding the plurality of rollers are provided. The plurality of rollers have a recess in the axial end surface, the cage is divided into a plurality of cage segments by a dividing line extending in a direction along the axis, and each cage segment is a pair of arc-shaped rings. And a column part connecting the pair of ring parts, and convex parts corresponding to the concave parts of the rollers on the mutually opposing end surfaces of the pair of ring parts.

  In the main shaft support structure of a wind power generator having a rolling bearing having such a cage segment, the cage segment is stably arranged, and therefore, there is less possibility that abnormal noise is generated or broken.

    According to this invention, when the convex part provided in the ring part and the concave part provided in the end surface of the tapered roller engage, the movement of the cage segment in the radial direction can be restricted. As a result, it is possible to obtain a rolling bearing that suppresses generation of abnormal noise due to contact between the cage segment and the outer ring or the inner ring and damage to the cage segment.

  In addition, in the main shaft support structure of a wind power generator having a rolling bearing having such a cage segment, since the cage segment is stably arranged, there is less possibility of abnormal noise or damage. .

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, a rolling bearing and a cage segment according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a view showing a rolling bearing according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 1 and 2 are partially enlarged views of FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 3, the rolling bearing holds an inner ring (not shown), an outer ring (not shown), a plurality of tapered rollers 12 disposed between the inner ring and the outer ring, and a plurality of tapered rollers 12. It is a tapered roller bearing 11 provided with the retainer 13 to do. The cage 13 is divided into four cage segments 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d by a dividing line extending in the direction along the axis. Three cones are provided for each cage segment 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d. One tapered roller 12 is arranged between the roller 12 and the adjacent cage segment 13.

  FIG. 1 is an enlarged view of a cage segment 13 a that holds a tapered roller 12. Referring to FIG. 1, the cage segment 13a includes a pair of ring portions 14a and 14b, two column portions 15 connecting the pair of ring portions 14a and 14b, and a pair of ring portions 14a and 14b facing each other. A plurality of convex portions 16, 17, 18, and 19 projecting from the end face. The configuration of the cage segments 13b, 13c, and 13d is the same as that of the cage segment 13a, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  The ring portions 14a and 14b have an arc shape, and when the four cage segments 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d are combined, they have an annular shape along the inner ring and the outer ring. Further, in order to appropriately hold the tapered roller 13, the radius of curvature of the ring portion 14a located on the large end face side of the tapered roller 13 is set larger than the radius of curvature of the ring portion 14b located on the small end face side.

  The column portion 15 is used only for connecting the pair of ring portions 14 a and 14 b and is provided at a position where it does not contact the tapered roller 13. In addition, although one pillar part is enough to connect a pair of ring parts 14a and 14b, in order to prevent torsion of the cage segment 13a, it is desirable to provide two or more.

  The convex portion includes convex portions 16 and 17 provided in an intermediate region of the ring portions 14a and 14b, and convex portions 18 and 19 provided in end regions of the ring portions 14a and 14b. The convex portions 16 and 17 have a truncated cone shape, and the convex portions 18 and 19 have a shape obtained by dividing the truncated cone in half in the vertical direction. Moreover, in this embodiment, the convex parts 16 and 18 provided in the ring part 14a are set larger in diameter and protrusion amount than the convex parts 17 and 19 provided in the ring part 14b.

  The tapered roller 12 has truncated cone-shaped recesses 12a and 12b that receive the projections 16 and 17 on the large end surface and the small end surface, and is disposed at equal intervals on the cage segment 13a. In the present embodiment, the diameter and the retraction amount of the recess 12a are set larger than the recess 12b in accordance with the shape of the protrusions 16 and 17.

  Next, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the abutting portion between the adjacent cage segment 13a and cage segment 13b. In addition, since the other abutting part of each cage | basket segment is also the same shape, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  Referring to FIG. 2, rollers 13 are disposed between adjacent cage segments 13a and 13b. At this time, the concave portions 12a and 12b of the roller 13 receive the convex portions 18 and 19 provided at the ends of the two adjacent cage segments 13a and 13b, respectively. The cage segments 13 a and 13 b are connected by the tapered roller 12.

  In the above embodiment, the concave portions 12a and 12b provided in the tapered roller 12 and the convex portions 16 and 17 provided in the cage segments 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d have been shown as examples of a truncated cone shape. Without limitation, other shapes such as a cylindrical shape that can be engaged with each other may be used. Moreover, although the example which changed the diameter and protrusion amount of the convex parts 16 and 17 and recessed part 12a, 12b was shown by the large end surface side and the small end surface side of the tapered roller 12, it is not restricted to this but is the same magnitude | size. There may be.

  In the above embodiment, the cage 13 is divided into four cage segments 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cage 13 is divided into an arbitrary number of cage segments. It is possible.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example of the single row tapered roller bearing 11 employing the tapered roller 13 as the roller has been shown, but the present invention may be a double row tapered roller bearing or a spherical surface. Spherical roller bearings using rollers, cylindrical roller bearings using cylindrical rollers, angular contact ball bearings using balls, 4-point contact ball bearings, etc., whether single or double row, Regardless of whether the rolling element is a roller or a ball, it can be applied to any rolling bearing.

  Even when the rolling bearing provided with such cage segments 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d is made large, the cage segments 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d are small and have a simple shape. Therefore, it can be easily manufactured by using a resin material and injection molding. By doing so, productivity is improved.

  In the above embodiment, the ring portions 4a and 14b included in the cage segments 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d are configured to have a predetermined curvature in advance. However, the ring portions 14a and 14b are made of a member such as a flexible resin, have elasticity in the circumferential direction, do not have a predetermined curvature at the time of manufacture, have a straight shape, and are used as a rolling bearing. When incorporating, it may be possible to incorporate with a predetermined curvature. By doing so, the cage segments 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d can be made to have a simpler shape at the time of manufacture, and the productivity and the like are further improved.

  4 and 5 show an example of a main shaft support structure of a wind power generator in which the above-described tapered roller bearing 11 is applied as the main shaft support bearing 35. FIG. The casing 33 of the nacelle 32 that supports the main components of the spindle support structure is installed on the support base 30 via a swivel bearing 31 at a high position so as to be able to turn horizontally. A main shaft 36 that fixes a blade 37 that receives wind power to one end is rotatably supported in a casing 33 of the nacelle 32 via a main shaft support bearing 35 incorporated in a bearing housing 34. Is connected to the speed increaser 38, and the output shaft of the speed increaser 38 is coupled to the rotor shaft of the generator 39. The nacelle 32 is turned at an arbitrary angle by the turning motor 40 via the speed reducer 41. And the rolling bearing which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention as shown, for example in FIGS. 1-3 is employ | adopted for the spindle support bearing 35 integrated in the bearing housing 34. FIG.

  Since the main shaft support bearing 35 supports the main shaft 36 that fixes the blade 37 that receives large wind force at one end, a large load is applied. Then, it is necessary to make the main shaft support bearing 35 itself large. Here, by using a rolling bearing having a cage segment that can be divided, the productivity, handling property, and assembling property of the cage are improved, so that the productivity of the rolling bearing itself is also improved. In addition, since the cage segment described above is a roller guide, it is stably arranged in the radial direction, so that it is less likely to come into contact with the outer ring, the inner ring, etc. The risk of damage due to contact is also reduced.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described with reference to drawings, this invention is not limited to the thing of embodiment shown in figure. Various modifications and variations can be made to the illustrated embodiment within the same range or equivalent range as the present invention.

  The cage segment according to the present invention can be advantageously used for a large-sized rolling bearing such as a bearing that supports a main shaft of a wind power generator.

It is sectional drawing which shows the holder | retainer segment which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is an expanded sectional view of the abutting part of the cage segment concerning one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the rolling bearing which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the spindle support structure of the wind power generator using the rolling bearing which concerns on this invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the main shaft support structure of the wind power generator shown in FIG. 4. It is a perspective view of the retainer segment in the past. It is sectional drawing at the time of cut | disconnecting the holder | retainer segment shown in FIG. 6 in the cross section containing a pillar part.

Explanation of symbols

  11 tapered roller bearing, 12 tapered roller, 12a, 12b recess, 13 cage, 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d, 101a, 101b, 101c cage segment, 14a, 14b ring portion, 15 pillar portion, 16, 17, 18 , 19 Protruding part, 30 Support base, 31 Swivel seat bearing, 32 Nacelle, 33 Casing, 34 Bearing housing, 35 Spindle support bearing, 36 Spindle, 37 Blade, 38 Speed increaser, 39 Generator, 40 Turning motor, 41 Reduction gear, 102a, 102b connecting part, 103 pillar part, 104 pocket, 105 PCD, 106a, 106b protruding part, 107 end face, 111 rolling bearing, 112 outer ring, 113 inner ring, 114 roller, 115 outer diameter surface.

Claims (7)

A rolling bearing comprising a plurality of rollers and a cage for holding the plurality of rollers,
The plurality of rollers have a recess in an axial end surface;
The retainer is divided into a plurality of retainer segments by a dividing line extending in a direction along the axis;
Each of the cage segments includes a pair of arc-shaped ring portions, a column portion connecting the pair of ring portions, and a convex portion corresponding to the concave portion of the roller on the mutually opposing end surfaces of the pair of ring portions. Having a rolling bearing. The roller is disposed between two adjacent cage segments,
The rolling bearing according to claim 1, wherein the concave portion of the roller receives the convex portion provided in each of the two adjacent cage segments.   The rolling bearing according to claim 1, wherein the column portion is disposed at a position that does not contact the roller.   The rolling bearing according to claim 1, wherein the cage segment is made of resin.   The rolling bearing according to claim 1, wherein the roller is a tapered roller. A cage segment that holds a plurality of rollers and is divided by a parting line extending in a direction along the axis,
Each of the cage segments includes a pair of arc-shaped ring portions, a column portion connecting the pair of ring portions, and a convex portion corresponding to the concave portion of the roller on the mutually opposing end surfaces of the pair of ring portions. Having a cage segment. A blade that receives wind,
One end of which is fixed to the blade and rotates with the blade;
A main shaft support structure of a wind power generator, which is incorporated in a fixed member and has a rolling bearing that rotatably supports the main shaft,
The rolling bearing includes a plurality of rollers and a cage that holds the plurality of rollers,
The plurality of rollers have a recess in an axial end surface;
The retainer is divided into a plurality of retainer segments by a dividing line extending in a direction along the axis;
Each of the cage segments includes a pair of arc-shaped ring portions, a column portion connecting the pair of ring portions, and a convex portion corresponding to the concave portion of the roller on the mutually opposing end surfaces of the pair of ring portions. A main shaft support structure of a wind power generator.

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