JP2008025771A - Thrust bearing - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an integrated thrust bearing with a cage which can be easily incorporated in a bearing ring without the need for lowering the strength of pawls which lock the cage or lowering bearing performance. <P>SOLUTION: A cutout 6b through which pawls 5b of an outer ring 5 are passed is provided in the outer peripheral edge of the cage 3 at one circumferential position, and the outer peripheral edge in which the cutout 6b is provided is flexible and deformable in the direction of its thickness. The cutout 6b of the cage 3 set concentrically with an outer ring 5 is matched to the circumferential position of one pawl 5b of the outer ring 5, the outer peripheral edge in which the cutout 6b is provided is flexed inward to the pawl 5b in the direction of its thickness and put inside the pawl 5b, the cage 3 is rotated in the direction of putting it, and the outer peripheral edge in which the cutout 6b is provided is passed inside all pawls 5b in sequence so as to put the whole cage 3 inside the pawls 5b. Thus, the cage 3 can be easily incorporated in the outer ring 5 without the need for lowering the strength of the pawls 5b or lowering bearing performance. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a thrust bearing in which a cage for holding a race ring is not separated.

  An annular cage that holds a plurality of rollers radially, and at least one raceway of an inner ring having a flange on the inner diameter side or an outer ring having a flange on the outer diameter side, and a bearing inner clearance in the radial direction with a raceway ring For thrust bearings that are regulated by the flange of the bearing ring, a claw projecting to the cage side is formed at multiple points in the circumferential direction at the tip of the bearing ring collar, and the projection length of this claw is made larger than the clearance inside the bearing. There is an integrated type in which the inner peripheral edge or outer peripheral edge of the cage is locked and the raceway ring and the cage are not separated (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). This integral thrust bearing includes both an inner ring and an outer ring as bearing rings, a three-piece integral type in which these two bearing rings and a cage are not separated, and either an inner ring or an outer ring, There is a two-piece integrated type in which one bearing ring and the cage are not separated.

  In such an integrated thrust bearing, the bearing ring is strengthened by quenching, tempering treatment, etc., as in a general rolling bearing, so that its claws are strengthened and are not easily deformed. For this reason, the cage cannot be assembled into the raceway from between the claws projecting larger than the internal clearance of the bearing, and if the cage is forced to be assembled as it is, there is a problem that the cage and the claws are damaged.

  With respect to such a problem, the one described in Patent Document 1 prevents the claw portion from being quenched during the quenching process of the bearing ring or performs an annealing process after the quenching process, The part is bent. Moreover, in what was described in patent document 2, after a track ring and a cage | basket | assembly were assembled | assembled integrally, the carburizing quenching and tempering process were performed to the thrust bearing assembled integrally.

JP 2003-83339 A JP 2003-254327 A

  Thrust bearings that prevent the claw part from being quenched during the quenching process of the bearing ring described in Patent Document 1 or that have been annealed after the quenching process have a problem that the claw strength cannot be sufficiently ensured. .

  Further, a thrust bearing subjected to carburizing quenching and tempering after the assembly of the bearing described in Patent Document 2 is likely to cause heat treatment distortion in bearing parts such as a bearing ring and a cage, and there is a concern that the bearing performance may be deteriorated. .

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an integrated thrust bearing that can easily incorporate the cage into the raceway without reducing the strength of the claw that locks the cage or reducing the bearing performance. Is to provide.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides at least one raceway ring of an annular retainer that radially holds a plurality of rollers and an inner ring having a flange on the inner diameter side or an outer ring having a flange on the outer diameter side. A radial internal bearing clearance is regulated by the flange, and a claw projecting toward the cage at a plurality of circumferential positions is formed at the distal end of the flange, and the projection length of the claw is In a thrust bearing that is larger than the bearing internal clearance and that locks the inner or outer peripheral edge of the retainer and that does not separate the bearing ring and the retainer, the retainer that is retained by the pawl of the bearing ring A notch through which the claw is passed at at least one place in the circumferential direction is provided in the inner peripheral edge or the outer peripheral edge of the vessel, and the inner peripheral edge or the outer peripheral edge provided with the notch can be bent and deformed in the thickness direction. Adopted the configuration.

  That is, a notch through which the claw is passed is provided in at least one circumferential direction on the inner peripheral edge or the outer peripheral edge of the cage that is locked by the pawl of the raceway ring, and the inner peripheral edge or the outer periphery provided with this notch. By making the peripheral portion bendable and deformable in the thickness direction, the notch of the cage set concentrically with the raceway is aligned with the circumferential position of one claw of the raceway, and the inner peripheral portion provided with the notch Alternatively, the outer peripheral edge is bent inward of the nail in the thickness direction and inserted inside the nail, and the notch is provided by rotating the cage relative to the raceway in the direction in which this notch is inserted inside the nail. The inner peripheral edge or outer peripheral edge is sequentially passed through the inside of all the other claws so that the entire cage is inserted inside each of the claws, thereby reducing the strength of the claws that hold the cage or bearing performance. The cage can be easily incorporated into the race ring without lowering It was. In addition, when providing notches at two or more locations in the circumferential direction, insert the inner peripheral edge or outer peripheral edge into the inside of the claw at each of the locations where these notches are provided, and the entire cage with a small relative rotation amount. Can be inserted inside each nail.

  By making the bearing internal clearance twice or more the amount of eccentricity of the bearing portion, it is possible to prevent contact between the inner diameter surface or outer diameter surface of the cage and the ring of the race, and to ensure smooth rotation of the bearing. . In addition, wear and deformation of the cage can be prevented.

  The cage may be formed by pressing a thin steel plate.

  The cage may be made of resin.

  By forming the bearing ring by pressing a thin steel plate and performing carburizing treatment or carbonitriding treatment, the bearing ring can be made inexpensive and excellent in durability life.

  Each thrust bearing mentioned above is suitable for what is assembled | attached between the turbine or impeller of a torque converter of a motor vehicle, and a stator.

  The thrust bearing of the present invention is provided with a notch through which the claw is passed at at least one place in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral edge or the outer peripheral edge of the cage that is locked by the claw of the raceway ring. By making the inner or outer peripheral edge bendable and deformable in the thickness direction, the notch of the cage set concentrically with the raceway is aligned with the circumferential position of one claw of the raceway, and the notch is The inner peripheral edge or outer peripheral edge provided is bent inward of the nail in the thickness direction and inserted inside the nail, and the cage is rotated relative to the raceway in the direction in which this notch is inserted inside the nail. Since the inner peripheral edge or outer peripheral edge provided with a notch is sequentially passed through the inside of all the other claws, the entire cage is inserted into each of the claws, so that the strength of the claws for locking the cage The cage can be easily assembled to the raceway without reducing bearing performance or bearing performance. It is possible to writing.

  By making the bearing internal clearance twice or more the amount of eccentricity of the bearing portion, it is possible to prevent contact between the inner diameter surface or outer diameter surface of the cage and the ring of the race, and to ensure smooth rotation of the bearing. . In addition, wear and deformation of the cage can be prevented.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 show a first embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the thrust bearing 1 includes an annular cage 3 that radially holds a plurality of rollers 2, an inner ring 4 that has a flange 4a on the inner diameter side, and an outer diameter. It is a three-piece integrated type equipped with an outer ring 5 having a flange 5a on the side, so that the inner and outer diameter surfaces of the cage 3 do not come into contact with the flanges 4a and 5a even if a large eccentric rotation occurs in the bearing portion. The bearing internal clearance in the direction is set to be twice or more the amount of eccentricity of the bearing portion. The cage 3, the inner ring 4 and the outer ring 5 are all formed by pressing a thin steel plate, and the inner ring 4 and the outer ring 5 are carbonitrided.

  At the tip of the flange 5a of the outer ring 5, eight claws 5b projecting inward longer than the bearing internal gap are formed by bending at a phase of 45 ° in the circumferential direction. The outer peripheral edge of the retainer 3 is locked by 5b, and the retainer 3 and the outer ring 5 are not separated. Note that eight outward claws 4b are formed at the tip of the collar 4a of the inner ring 4 at a 45 ° phase in the circumferential direction by staking, so that the cage 3 and the inner ring 4 are not separated. .

  As shown in FIGS. 1B and 2, the retainer 3 has a pocket 3 a that accommodates the rollers 2 in an annular portion and is partitioned by a pillar portion 3 b. The cross-section in the radial direction of the pocket 3a has an inverted V shape, and the inner and outer peripheral edges that are engaged with the claws 4b and 5b of the inner ring 4 and the outer ring 5 are formed flat. Circumferential position of the column portion 3b formed by the notches 6a and 6b through which the claws 4b and 5b of the inner ring 4 and the outer ring 5 are passed through the peripheral edge portion and the outer peripheral edge portion, respectively, by omitting one pocket 3a. It is provided in one place.

  The procedure for incorporating the retainer 3 into the outer ring 5 will be described below with reference to FIG. First, as shown in FIGS. 3 (a1) and 3 (b1), the notch 6b on the outer peripheral edge of the cage 3 set concentrically with the outer ring 5 is aligned with the circumferential position of one claw 5b of the outer ring 5. 3 (a2), (b2), the outer peripheral edge of the periphery of the notch 6b is bent inward of the claw 5b in the thickness direction, and the cage 3 is rotated slightly counterclockwise. As shown in FIGS. 3 (a3) and 3 (b3), the outer peripheral edge on one side of the notch 6b bent inward is inserted into the claw 5b. After that, the retainer 3 is rotated in the direction in which the outer peripheral edge on one side of the notch 6b is inserted into the inside of the claw 5b, and the outer peripheral edge on one side of the notch 6b is moved to the inner side of all the other claws 5b. By sequentially passing, the cage 3 as a whole can be put inside the claws 5 b and the cage 3 can be incorporated into the outer ring 5. Although illustration is omitted, the cage 3 can be incorporated into the inner ring 4 in the same procedure by aligning the notch 6a in the inner peripheral edge with the circumferential position of one claw 4b of the inner ring 4.

  FIG. 4 shows an automotive torque converter using the thrust bearing 1. In this torque converter, an impeller 21 connected to an output shaft of an engine and a turbine 22 connected to an input shaft of a transmission are arranged to face each other, and a one-way clutch 23 is attached to a stator shaft (not shown) fixed to a casing. When the fluid that flows back between the impeller blade 21a and the turbine blade 22a formed in a bowl shape is returned from the turbine 22 side to the impeller 21 side on the inner diameter side, The flow direction is changed to apply a forward rotational force to the impeller 21 to amplify the transmission torque. Since the fluid pressure acting on the impeller blade 21a and the turbine blade 22a is not necessarily uniform in the circumferential direction, the impeller 21 and the turbine 22 are likely to be eccentrically rotated, and there is also an attachment error. Also, the maximum is about 0.5 mm.

  The thrust bearing 1 is assembled at two locations between the impeller 21 and the stator 24, and between the turbine 22 and the stator 24. The former has the outer ring 5 assembled to the impeller hub 21b, and the latter has the inner ring 4 coupled to the turbine hub. 22b. The bearing internal clearances of these thrust bearings 1 are set to 1 to 2 mm, which is more than twice the eccentric amount of the impeller 21 and the turbine 22. Therefore, the inner diameter surface and outer diameter surface of the cage 3 do not come into contact with the flange 4a of the inner ring 4 and the flange 5a of the outer ring 5, so that the impeller 21 and the turbine 22 can be smoothly rotated, and the cage 3 Wear and deformation are prevented.

  5 and 6 show a second embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the thrust bearing 11 includes an annular cage 13 that radially holds the plurality of rollers 12 and an outer ring 14 that has a flange 14a on the outer diameter side. The radial internal bearing clearance is eccentric so that the outer diameter surface of the cage 13 does not come into contact with the flange 14a of the outer ring 14 even if a large eccentric rotation occurs in the bearing portion. It is set to more than twice the amount. In this embodiment, the cage 13 is formed by resin injection molding.

  Similar to the first embodiment, the outer ring 14 is formed by pressing a thin steel plate and subjected to a carbonitriding process. Eight claws 14b projecting inward by bending are provided with hooks 14b. 14a is formed in the circumferential direction at a phase of 45 °, and the retainer 13 is non-separated by engaging the outer peripheral edge with these claws 14b.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 (b) and 6, the retainer 13 has an annular part in which a pocket 13a for accommodating each roller 12 is partitioned by a pillar part 13b, and the annular part provided with the pocket 13a. Is formed flat, and the outer peripheral edge portion locked by the claw 14b of the outer ring 14 is formed thin. A cutout 15 through which the claw 14b of the outer ring 14 passes is provided at one place in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral edge portion formed in this thin wall. Although not shown, this cage 13 is also incorporated into the outer ring 14 in the same procedure as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  In each embodiment described above, the notch of the cage through which the inner ring or the outer ring claw is passed is provided at one place in the circumferential direction, but these notches can be provided at two or more places in the circumferential direction. In this case, the inner peripheral edge and the outer peripheral edge can be inserted inside the claw at each of the locations where these notches are provided, and the entire cage can be inserted inside each claw with a small amount of relative rotation. However, when the number of notches is greater than or equal to the number of claws, it is preferable that the number of notches be smaller than the number of claws because the cage may be separated when these phases match.

  Further, in each of the embodiments described above, the three-piece integrated type, the outer ring and the cage are two-piece integrated types, and eight outer ring claws for locking the cage are formed at a phase of 45 °. The thrust bearing according to the present invention can also be used in a type in which the inner ring and the cage are integrated in a two-piece structure, and the number and phase of the claws of the inner ring and the outer ring that lock the cage can be arbitrarily set.

a is a plan view showing the thrust bearing of the first embodiment, b is a longitudinal sectional view of a Plan view of the cage of FIG. a1, a2, and a3 are plan views for explaining the procedure for incorporating the retainer of FIG. 1 into the outer ring, and b1, b2, and b3 are front views of a1, a2, and a3, respectively. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a torque converter assembled with the thrust bearing of FIG. a is a plan view showing a thrust bearing of the second embodiment, b is a longitudinal sectional view of a Plan view of the cage of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1, 11 Thrust bearing 2, 12 Roller 3, 13 Cage 3a, 13a Pocket 3b, 13b Column 4 Inner ring 4a 部 4b Claw 5, 14 Outer ring 5a, 14a 鍔 5b, 14b Claw 6a, 6b, 15 Notch 21 Impeller 21a Impeller blade 21b Impeller hub 22 Turbine 22a Turbine blade 22b Turbine hub 23 One-way clutch 24 Stator

Claims (6)

  An annular cage that holds a plurality of rollers radially, and at least one raceway of an inner ring having a flange on the inner diameter side or an outer ring having a flange on the outer diameter side; In this way, a claw projecting toward the cage at a plurality of circumferential positions is formed at the tip of the flange, and the projection length of the claw is made larger than the clearance inside the bearing, In a thrust bearing that locks the inner peripheral edge or the outer peripheral edge, and the bearing ring and the cage are not separated, on the inner peripheral edge or the outer peripheral edge of the retainer that is locked by the pawl of the bearing ring, A thrust bearing characterized in that a notch through which the claw is passed is provided in at least one place in the circumferential direction, and an inner peripheral edge or an outer peripheral edge provided with the notch can be bent and deformed in the thickness direction.   The thrust bearing according to claim 1, wherein the bearing internal gap is set to be twice or more the eccentric amount of the bearing portion.   The thrust bearing according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cage is formed by pressing a thin steel plate.   The thrust bearing according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cage is made of resin.   The thrust bearing according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bearing ring is formed by pressing a thin steel plate and subjected to carburizing or carbonitriding.   The thrust bearing according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the thrust bearing is assembled between a turbine or an impeller of a torque converter of an automobile and a stator.

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