JP2009257569A - Bearing - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bearing capable of reducing wear under hard foreign matter-mixed lubrication as one embodiment of wear in the bearing. <P>SOLUTION: At least the axial intermediate part of a shaft 8M is hardened through heat treatment, and a hard coating 12 is applied to the rolling surface of at least any one among the shaft 8M, an outer ring 9 and a rolling element 10. The critical load of the hard coating 12 by measurement from a scratch method is set to be ≥40 N and ≤110 N, and the coating thickness of the hard coating 12 is set such that it is ≥1 μm and ≤5 μm. Since the coating thickness is set in a range of ±2 μm or less, on the basis of the coating thickness at the axial center P1 of the hard coating 12, peeling of the hard coating 12 can be prevented, and wear resistance can be exhibited. The upper limit value for the critical load is set at 110 N. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a bearing and, for example, relates to a bearing that is applied to a valve mechanism that drives a supply / exhaust valve in an internal combustion engine such as a vehicle.

Conventionally, a plain bearing is often used as a bearing which is one of components constituting an engine of an automobile or the like. However, in recent years, the application of rolling bearings has increased due to demands for fuel saving. Due to incomplete combustion of the engine, abbreviated “PM” such as combustion intermediate products of many fuels including soot (hard carbon particles: carbon) which is a hard foreign matter is generated, and this PM is mixed into the engine oil. Since the bearing is used under oil lubrication mixed with the hard foreign matter, etc., as a result of the rolling bearing being applied from the sliding bearing, it is possible to achieve low fuel consumption by reducing the torque of the bearing, Rolling bearings have a higher surface pressure than plain bearings. Under oil lubrication mixed with hard foreign matter, hard foreign matter enters the rolling bearing, and the hard foreign matter causes the bearing, for example, the shaft, rolling element, and outer ring to wear out, causing rolling to occur from high slip pressure. Wear often occurs in each part of the engine parts, and the amount of wear also increases.
In addition, diesel engines and direct injection gasoline engines generate a large amount of hard foreign matter, and there are many cases in which significant wear occurs on the rolling bearing itself due to the hard foreign matter.

Of the bearings that are one of the engine parts, particularly for roller followers, improved wear resistance is required. One of the components that make up engines such as automobiles is a rocker arm device (rocker arm assembly) used to open and close intake valves and exhaust valves. In this apparatus, a sliding type roller follower or a rolling type roller follower is also applied.
Since this roller follower performs a rotational motion as the valve is opened and closed, compared to other engine parts, each part of the roller follower is likely to be worn. Wear also occurs in the sliding type roller follower. As a result of the application of rolling type roller followers as well, the roller followers, like other parts of the engine parts, can reduce the torque of the bearings by rolling to reduce fuel consumption. However, since the rolling type roller follower has a higher surface pressure than the sliding type roller follower, under the oil lubrication mixed with the hard foreign matter, the hard foreign matter enters the rolling type roller follower, and the rolling element, outer ring, In particular, the shaft was also worn more and the amount of wear was further increased. The shaft includes hollow and solid shaft cases. Compared with other engine parts, wear is remarkable.

The roller follower rotates an outer ring. Therefore, since the load area in the shaft is the same, the wear of the shaft is significant compared to the rolling elements and the outer ring. Roller followers that are used under conditions that cause more wear and more wear than other engine parts may also be used under oil lubrication mixed with hard foreign matter. . Of course, it is also used in diesel engines and direct-injection gasoline engines that generate a large amount of hard foreign matter. Therefore, as described above, bearings for engine parts include support bearings such as cam followers, camshafts, crankshafts, balancer shafts, etc., but in particular, improvement in wear resistance of roller followers, that is, measures against wear are required. Yes. Known means for preventing the wear of engine parts include, for example, the outer surface of the track portion of the support shaft is hardened by quenching, and the DLC coating is formed on the outer surface of the track portion that has been hardened. (Patent Document 1).
JP 2006-144848 A

By simply applying a hard coating to the object to improve the wear resistance, applying a hard film to the object may accelerate the wear, and in order to improve the wear resistance, The current situation is not necessarily optimal.
As described above, the bearing is required to take further measures against wear. In particular, it is one of the most difficult problems for bearings to take measures against wear under lubrication with hard foreign matter, which is a situation in which wear is likely to be accelerated.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a bearing capable of reducing wear under lubrication mixed with hard foreign matter, which is one form of wear of the bearing.

A bearing according to a first aspect of the present invention is a bearing comprising a shaft and an outer ring, and a plurality of rolling elements interposed between the shaft and the outer ring, and at least an axial intermediate portion of the shaft is heat-treated. The hard coating is applied to at least one rolling surface of the shaft, the outer ring, and the rolling element, and the critical load of the hard coating is 40N or more and 110N or less by the scratch method measurement. The film thickness is 1 μm or more and 5 μm or less, and this film thickness is in a range of ± 2 μm or less with reference to the film thickness at the axial center of the hard coating.
The critical load by the scratch method measurement can be obtained by pressing a diamond indenter against the surface of the coating and scratching it, and measuring the pressing load that causes cracking in the coating, that is, the critical load.

  According to this configuration, since the lower limit value of the critical load by the scratch method measurement of the hard coating is 40 N, it is possible to prevent the hard coating from being peeled off and to exhibit wear resistance. Moreover, the attack to the other components resulting from peeling of a hard film can be prevented beforehand. Since the upper limit value of the critical load is 110 N, it is possible to prevent the hard coating surface roughness from being worn undesirably during the time when the hard coating is intimate with the lubricating oil until it exhibits wear resistance. Can be reliably prevented. With such a bearing that defines the critical load by the scratch method measurement, wear under lubrication mixed with hard foreign matters can be reduced.

A bearing according to a second aspect of the present invention is a bearing comprising a shaft and an outer ring that is in sliding contact with the outer diameter surface of the shaft, wherein at least an axially intermediate portion of the shaft is hardened by heat treatment, and the shaft A hard coating is applied to one or both of the rolling surfaces of the outer ring and the outer ring, the critical load of the hard coating measured by the scratch method is 40N to 110N, and the thickness of the hard coating is 1 μm to 5 μm. The film thickness is in the range of ± 2 μm or less with reference to the film thickness at the axial center of the hard coating.
The bearing of the second invention also has the same operations and effects as the first invention by defining the critical load of the hard coating on the rolling surface. Therefore, wear under lubrication mixed with hard foreign matters can be reduced.

  It is desirable that the critical load of the hard coating be 60N or more and 100N or less. In this case, it is possible to more reliably prevent undesired peeling during the time when the hard coating is compatible with the lubricating oil until it exhibits wear resistance or after the wear resistance is exhibited.

Here, the radial clearance of the bearing is the arithmetic average value of the distance traveled in the radial direction without applying an external force at different angular positions from one eccentric limit position to the limit position in the diametrical direction with respect to the outer ring. . This is an average value of different angular positions of the outer ring and the shaft.
The circumferential clearance per rolling element is the total number of rolling elements when the rolling elements of the total rolling element bearing are brought into contact with the adjacent rolling elements in the circumferential direction. It is synonymous with the divided value.

The hard coating may be a DLC film.
The diamond-like carbon film, abbreviated DLC film, is, for example, a substrate temperature of 300 ° C. or less, preferably at room temperature, a chemical vapor deposition method such as a plasma CVD method, or a laser ablation method, a sputtering method, an ion beam deposition method, an ion plating method. It is formed by a physical vapor deposition method such as a method. The DLC film does not form unless the high energy particles are rapidly cooled on the substrate, and the film quality of the DLC improves as the temperature decreases.
By applying such a DLC film to the rolling surface of the substrate, it is possible to reduce wear under lubrication mixed with hard foreign matters.
The DLC is composed of carbon and hydrogen, and the DLC film includes carbon and hydrogen composed of various molar ratios, and may include at least one of silicon, nitrogen, oxygen, and the like. The DLC film is an amorphous structure in which sp3 bonds with a diamond structure and sp2 bonds with a graphite structure are mixed. The sp3 bond imparts hardness and the sp2 bond imparts slidability (lubricity). To do.
The hard coating may be formed by dispersing ceramic fine particles in a gas to form an aerosol and colliding the aerosol against the surface of the substrate. When the aerosol is sprayed onto the surface of the substrate to form a film, it is preferable to collide with a pressure of 0.01 kPa to 120 kPa. When the pressure is less than 0.01 kPa, the aerosol colliding speed increases, and the base material is etched and no film is formed. When the aerosol is collided at a pressure exceeding 120 kPa, the collision speed becomes slow, ceramic particles are deposited on the substrate, and no film is formed. Moreover, formation of this hard film on the base material can be performed at room temperature.
The total content of Cr (chromium) + W (tungsten) in the hard coating may be 5 atomic% or more and 50 atomic% or less. In this case, the adhesion between the hard coating and the substrate can be improved, and the hardness can be prevented from decreasing. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a decrease in wear resistance.
The hydrogen content in the region from the surface of the hard coating to 0.3 μm may be 10 atomic% or more and 30 atomic% or less. In this case, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the adhesion between the hard coating and the base material and to prevent a decrease in the bondability between the film materials. Thereby, it can prevent that a hard film peels undesirably and can prevent a fall of abrasion resistance.
The bearing may be a roller follower used with the shaft fixed to a rocker arm. It is possible to improve the wear resistance of the roller follower, and it is possible to realize a reduction in fuel consumption of an automobile or the like by reducing the torque of the roller follower.
The roller follower is fixed to the rocker arm by caulking the shaft end portion of the roller follower, and the amount of deformation after caulking is determined in the axial center of the shaft after caulking in the hard film forming range of the shaft in the roller follower. It may be within a range of +0.1 mm or less with respect to the diameter. In this case, the hard coating can be prevented from being undesirably peeled off, and the wear resistance of the hard coating can be reliably exhibited. It is possible to prevent the hard coating from peeling off and becoming a foreign matter.
The roller follower may have a hardness of HRC10 or more and HRC35 or less within a range where the hardness of the shaft end portion of the roller follower is 1 mm or more in the axial direction from the shaft end surface. In this case, the shaft and the rocker arm can be more reliably fixed.

The bearing of the first invention is a bearing comprising a shaft and an outer ring, and a plurality of rolling elements interposed between the shaft and the outer ring, and at least an axial intermediate portion of the shaft is cured by heat treatment, A hard coating is applied to at least one rolling surface of the shaft, outer ring, and rolling element, the critical load of the hard coating measured by the scratch method is 40N or more and 110N or less, and the thickness of the hard coating is 1 μm or more and 5 μm or less. In addition, since this film thickness is within a range of ± 2 μm or less with reference to the film thickness at the center in the axial direction of the hard coating, it is possible to reduce wear under lubrication with hard foreign matter, which is one form of bearing wear.
A bearing according to a second aspect of the present invention is a bearing comprising a shaft and an outer ring that is in sliding contact with the outer diameter surface of the shaft, and at least an axial intermediate portion of the shaft is hardened by heat treatment. Either one or both rolling surfaces are coated with a hard coating, the critical load of the hard coating measured by scratch method is 40N or more and 110N or less, the thickness of the hard coating is 1 μm or more and 5 μm or less, and this film thickness is hard Since the film thickness in the center in the axial direction of the coating is in the range of ± 2 μm or less, wear under lubrication mixed with hard foreign matters can be reduced.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The bearing according to this embodiment is used with the shaft of the bearing fixed to the rocker arm.
First, a schematic configuration of the rocker arm will be described, and a detailed configuration of the bearing, a wear test of the bearing, and a result thereof will be sequentially described. The following description also includes an explanation of the invention of the method for forming a hard coating.
As shown in FIG. 1, this rocker arm is mounted on an internal combustion engine such as a vehicle, and operates a valve 2 of the internal combustion engine on an arm body 1 that is swingable about a predetermined swing center L1. An action portion 3 and a bearing 5 serving as a roller follower that is in rolling contact with the cam 4 are provided.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bearing 5 is attached to one end of the arm body 1, and the action portion 3 is provided at the other end of the arm body 1. The action unit 3 is a separate component from the arm body 1, has a hydraulic lash adjuster provided at the other end of the arm body 1, and is attached to the arm body 1 so as to be freely adjustable.
The arm body 1 is formed by forging or casting, for example, carbon steel or aluminum alloy. However, the arm main body 1 is not limited to the carbon steel, aluminum alloy, forging, and casting, and may be made of a sheet metal that is pressed from a sheet material such as a single steel plate. As shown in FIG. 2, the arm body 1 has a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape having a pair of opposed side walls 6, 6 and a connecting plate wall (not shown) that connects one edge of the opposed side walls 6, 6. ing. The opposing side walls 6 and 6 on both sides have a swing fulcrum hole 6b, and the swing fulcrum shaft 7 is fitted into the swing fulcrum hole 6b. The axis of the swing fulcrum shaft 7 is the swing center L1.

The bearing 5 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the bearing 5 includes a shaft 8 </ b> M attached to the arm body 1, an outer ring 9, and a plurality of rolling elements 10 interposed between the shaft 8 </ b> M and the outer ring 9. A roller is applied as the rolling element 10. The shaft 8M is attached by fitting both ends into insertion holes 6a, 6a formed in the opposite side walls 6, 6 on both sides of the arm body 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, the insertion holes 6 a, 6 a on both sides of the arm body 1 have countersink portions 11 at the opening edges on the outer surface side. The counterbore part 11 is made into a taper shape, for example. For example, a hard coating 12 described later is applied to the shaft base material. The shaft on which the hard coating 12 is applied is referred to as “shaft 8M”. The shaft to which the hard coating 12 is not applied is referred to as “shaft substrate 8” or “substrate”. In particular, the critical load of the hard coating 12 measured by the scratch method is 40N or more and 110N or less, more preferably 60N or more and 100N or less. The film thickness δ2 of the hard coating 12 is preferably 1 μm or more and 5 μm or less, and the film thickness δ2 is preferably in the range of ± 2 μm or less with respect to the film thickness δ2 of the center P1 in the axial direction of the hard coating 12.
The radial clearance of the bearing 5 is preferably 2 μm or more and 45 μm or less, and the circumferential clearance δ1 per one rolling element 10 is preferably 2 μm or more and 25 μm or less.

Japanese Industrial Standards (abbreviated as JIS)
) SUJ2 material, SKD material (especially SKD11 material), SUS440C material, SCM material, or American Iron and Steel Institute standard (AIS)
The M50 material defined in I) is used. However, it is not necessarily limited to these steel materials.
The shaft 8M is inserted through the insertion hole 6a, and the shaft end portions 8a and 8a at both ends of the shaft 8M are caulked and fixed to the arm body 1. That is, the shaft end portions 8a and 8a of the shaft 8M are caulked. In this case, a circumferential groove 8aa having a diameter Dm slightly smaller than the outer diameter Dj of the shaft 8M is formed in the shaft end portion 8a by using a jig or tool (not shown) with the shaft 8M inserted into the insertion hole 6a. To do. The circumferential groove 8aa is formed in the vicinity of the outer diameter of the shaft end portion 8a that is substantially the same axis as the shaft 8M. The circumferential groove 8aa may be an annular groove. The circumferential groove 8aa may not be formed substantially on the same axis as the shaft 8M.

  As the circumferential grooves 8aa are formed by the jigs and tools, plastic working portions 8b projecting a predetermined small distance radially outward are provided near both ends of the outer diameter surface of the shaft 8M. 8b is engaged with the counterbore part 11, and the shaft end parts 8a and 8a are caulked. As described above, the shaft end portions 8a and 8a are caulked to prevent the shaft 8M from coming off from the arm body 1. The plastic working portion 8b of the shaft 8M is, for example, an annular protrusion extending over the entire circumference or substantially the entire circumference.

As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of rolling elements 10 are incorporated in the annular space between the shaft 8 </ b> M and the outer ring 9 without using a cage as a full-roller type. The rolling elements 10 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction are brought close to each other with a clearance allowing rolling, that is, a circumferential clearance δ1. Although the bearing 5 according to the present embodiment is a full-roller type, it is also possible to provide a cage in an annular space between the shaft 8M and the outer ring 9 and to hold a plurality of rolling elements 10 in this cage. is there.
The outer ring 9 is made of the same steel material as the shaft base 8. For example, the outer ring 9, the shaft base 8, and the rolling element 10 may be made of the same material. Further, if necessary, a part of the bearing component may be made of a material different from other components.

The heat treatment and hard coating will be described.
In the present embodiment, the hard coating 12 is formed only on the shaft base material 8, but as another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the hard coating is applied to the outer race 9 or the rolling surfaces 9 a and 10 a of the rolling elements 10. 12 may be formed. The hard coating 12 may be formed on at least one of the rolling surfaces of the shaft base material 8, the outer ring 9, and the rolling element 10.
The hardness of the rolling surface part in the base material of the shaft 8M is set to HRC58 or more. The hardness of the rolling surface portion of the base material of the shaft 8M requires a hardness of HRC58 or more for the purpose of sufficiently securing the rolling fatigue life.
The hardened layer depth that requires a hardness of HRC 58 or higher is sufficient when the contact surface pressure during use of the bearing is 2000 MPa or less because rolling fatigue does not occur, and a depth of 50 μm at which wear occurs is sufficient. However, when the hard coating 12 is applied to the shaft base material 8, if the optimum hard coating shown in the present invention is not applied, the peeled hard coating acts as a hard foreign substance, and thus wear occurs to a depth of 50 μm or more. There are many cases to do. When the contact surface pressure is 2000 MPa or more and 5000 MPa or less, not only wear but also rolling fatigue occurs, but it is sufficient if the hardness is up to a depth of about 400 μm.
As a method for confirming the surface hardness of a substrate not coated with a hard coating, the surface is usually directly measured for hardness using a Rockwell hardness meter, a Vickers hardness meter, or the like. However, when the hard coating 12 is applied to the surface of the shaft substrate 8, the above measuring method cannot be used. As an alternative measurement method, for example, the cross-sectional hardness of the shaft 8M may be measured, and the value in the vicinity of the interface between the hard coating 12 and the shaft base material 8 (the shaft base material 8 side) may be used as the surface hardness of the shaft base material 8. .

Although the kind of the hardening method of a base material is shown below, the merit in the case of hardening the surface layer of a base material and not only the surface layer of a base material but the inside is shown here.
When the surface layer of the base material is hardened When the contact surface pressure is 2000 MPa or less, rolling fatigue does not occur. Therefore, the hardened layer depth that requires hardness of HRC58 or higher (HRC58 depth) is the depth at which wear occurs. 50 μm is sufficient. However, when a hard coating is applied to the surface of the base material, if the optimum hard coating shown in the present invention is not applied, the peeled hard coating acts as a hard foreign substance, and thus wear occurs to a depth of 50 μm or more. There are many. When the contact surface pressure that can be generated is 2000 MPa or more and 5000 MPa or less, the hardened layer depth (HRC 58 depth) is sufficient to be 400 μm, which is twice the maximum shear stress position.
In the case of curing the surface layer of this base material, induction hardening, subzero treatment after quenching, and low-temperature nitriding treatment can be employed as a method for hardening the base material. As the low-temperature nitriding treatment, for example, ion nitriding at 550 ° C. or lower, gas nitriding, salt bath nitriding, or the like can be applied.

  In addition, the depth of the hardened layer (HRC 58 depth) that can generate a compressive stress that is considered to have a positive effect on the lifetime is 1/3 of the diameter of the shaft base 8 in the case of the thickness of the shaft base material 8 and the solid shaft at the maximum. There is a track record. From this result, for example, in the case of a solid shaft as shown in FIG. 4, the surface quenching depth (HRC 58 depth) in the shaft base 8 of the rolling bearing having a diameter of 8 mm to 10 mm is 3.3 mm or less. Is desirable. In the case of a hollow shaft, the value obtained by subtracting the inner diameter from the outer diameter of the hollow shaft is divided by “2”, and further divided by “3”, that is, the surface quenching depth, ie, [outer diameter−inner diameter] / 2. A surface quenching depth of 1/3 is desirable.

・ When curing to the inside of the substrate Compared with surface quenching, it is necessary to strictly control the heat treatment conditions when applying induction hardening that has a hardness of HRC58 or higher up to the radial center (inside) of the shaft 8M. There is no merit. That is, in this process, since it is not necessary to control the processing time in a short time, it is possible to perform heating for a relatively long time, thereby eliminating the need to strictly control the heat treatment conditions. Therefore, man-hours can be reduced and the manufacturing cost of the bearing can be reduced.
As a method for curing the base material in the case of curing to the inside of the base material, a general whole quenching process, induction hardening for curing not only the surface but also the inside, and a sub-zero process after quenching can be employed.

In the roller follower according to the present embodiment, as described above, when the shaft 8M is fixed to the arm body 1, the shaft end portions 8a and 8a are fixed by caulking. In this case, the hardness of the shaft end portions 8a and 8a at both ends of the shaft 8M is set to HRC10 or more and HRC35 or less. Further preferably, the range satisfying the hardness of the shaft end portion 8a is a range extending from the shaft end surface to a position of 1 mm or more inward in the axial direction. In other words, a range that is equal to or less than HRC35 is secured at least 1 mm inward in the axial direction from the shaft end surface.
Thus, the shaft 8M and the arm body 1 can be securely fixed by setting the hardness of the shaft end 8a to HRC35 or less and caulking the shaft 8M. Of course, in the case of the rolling type roller follower as in the present embodiment, when the shaft 8M and the arm body 1 are fixed, the outer ring 9, the rolling element 10 and the shaft 8M are set at predetermined positions on the arm body 1. Then, the shaft ends 8a, 8a on both sides are caulked to fix the shaft 8M and the arm body 1. In the case of a sliding type roller follower, there is no rolling element 10.

  As a method of making the shaft end portions 8a, 8a on both sides HRC35 or less, the shaft 8M is subjected to high-frequency surface quenching excluding the shaft end portions 8a, 8a on both sides, or high frequency excluding the shaft end portions 8a, 8a on both sides. Induction hardening that hardens not only the surface but also the inside, low-temperature nitriding treatment that masks the shaft end portions 8a and 8a on both sides, shaft end portions 8a on both sides of the shaft of a general overall hardened product, For example, a method of annealing 8a by high-frequency heat treatment can be employed. As the low-temperature nitriding treatment, for example, ion nitriding at 550 ° C. or lower, gas nitriding, salt bath nitriding, or the like can be applied.

In addition, when the shaft end portions 8a and 8a of the roller follower are not fixed by caulking, the hardness of the shaft end portions 8a and 8a does not need to be equal to or lower than HRC35, so that a general whole quenching process can also be adopted. In that case, the following structure can be applied.
A groove (not shown) is formed on the outer peripheral surface near the shaft end of the shaft 8M, a retaining ring is disposed in the groove, and the shaft 8M and the arm body 1 are fixed. Instead of the retaining ring disposed in the groove, A structure for fixing the shaft 8M and the arm main body 1 by inserting a pin, a structure for fixing the shaft 8M and the arm main body 1 by crimping the arm main body 1 instead of caulking the shaft end 8a, and a shaft 8M on the arm main body 1 Press-fit structure etc.

Examples of the hard coating 12 are as follows.
As an example, a hard coating 12 containing amorphous hydrocarbons (including metal-free amorphous hydrocarbons) containing sp2- and sp3-hybridized carbon can be mentioned. As a method for forming the hard coating 12, a high-frequency plasma CVD method, an ionized vapor deposition method, a cathode arc method, a sputtering method, and the like are known. In these methods, there are several methods for increasing the adhesion between the formed hard coating 12 and the shaft base 8 and the toughness value of the hard coating 12.
In the present embodiment, the adhesion between the hard coating 12 and the shaft base material 8 is defined by a scratch method in which a diamond indenter is pressed against the surface of the coating and scratched to measure the pressing load (critical load) that causes the coating to crack. Specifically, the critical load in the scratch method of the hard coating 12 is 40N or more and 110N or less, more preferably 60N or more and 100N or less.
Further, in the present embodiment, the fracture toughness value of the hard film 12 1.5MPam ^1/2 or more ^{6MPam 1/2} or less, more preferably set to ^{2MPam 1/2} or more ^{5MPam 1/2.} Moreover, the base-material surface hardness which should form the hard film 12 was HV650 or more and HV1000 or less. The surface roughness of the hard coating 12 was set to Ra 0.25 μm or less. The surface roughness of the substrate surface to which the hard coating 12 is to be applied was Ra 0.15 μm or less.

For example, in order to form the hard coating 12 with good adhesion on the shaft base material 8 by sputtering, it is preferable to first clean the shaft surface. Specifically, the shaft base 8 having a cleaned surface is installed in the chamber, and the chamber is evacuated. After exhausting to a vacuum degree of about 2 × 10 ⁻³ Pa, the shaft base 8 is heated to a temperature of 150 ° C. to 200 ° C. Thereafter, a bias current of about −200 V to −500 V is applied to the shaft to generate inert gas ions in an inert gas atmosphere at a pressure of 1 Pa, collide with the shaft base material 8 and clean the shaft surface.

  In order to form the hard coating 12 having a high fracture toughness value on the shaft base material 8 by sputtering, it is preferable to use not only C (graphite) but also one or two or more kinds of metal targets as targets. Examples of the target to be used include Cu (copper), Ni (nickel), W (tungsten), and Cr (chromium). For each target, a combination of a plurality of targets, more preferably Cr (chromium) and W (tungsten) is preferable because of the bonding property of graphite and the gradient functional effect after film formation. Moreover, it becomes possible to arbitrarily change the content ratio of the metal atoms present in the hard coating 12 by adjusting the time for supplying power to the target. In general, if the outermost layer is metal-free, it is called a hard coating made of metal-free amorphous hydrocarbons even if a metal, that is, a metal is mixed in the lower layer.

  As described above, after cleaning the shaft surface, a mixed gas of Ar gas and process gas is introduced into the chamber, and a bias current is applied to the shaft. While applying the electric power of the sputtering source, a glow discharge is generated. A film is formed at an Ar pressure of 0.5 Pa, a bias voltage of −100 V, and a sputtering power of 5 kW. After reaching a predetermined film thickness, the power supply to the sputtering source is stopped, and the shaft 8M is rapidly cooled and removed from the chamber. At this time, if the hard coating 12 is formed in an atmosphere into which a process gas not containing hydrogen is introduced, a coating containing substantially no hydrogen can be formed. On the other hand, if the hard coating 12 is formed in an atmosphere containing hydrogen by introducing hydrocarbon gas or hydrogen gas, a hydrogen-containing layer containing a predetermined amount of hydrogen can be formed.

  As another example of the hard coating 12, a fine ceramic hard coating may be formed on the shaft substrate 8. As a method of forming this film, there is an aerosol deposition method (abbreviation: AD method). With the AD method, an aerosol in which raw material ceramic fine particles are dispersed in a gas is sprayed from an aerosol spray nozzle toward a base material, and the aerosol collides with the surface of the base material at a high speed to form a coating made of ultrafine particle constituent materials. Form on top.

Oxide ceramics such as alumina, zirconia, and titania are known as aerosol raw material ceramics. Further, carbide ceramics such as nitrides such as silicon nitride, silicon carbide, and sialon are also known as aerosol raw material ceramics.
In the high-purity grade of each ceramic, alumina having a smaller true specific gravity tends to be aerosolized, so that the ceramic used as the raw material is preferably alumina. More preferably, the average particle size of the particles used is 0.01 μm to 2.0 μm. If the average particle size is less than 0.01 μm, it is easy to agglomerate and it is difficult to form an aerosol. If the average particle size exceeds 2.0 μm, film formation by the AD method becomes difficult.

Moreover, in order to form a film satisfactorily, it is preferable to previously form cracks in the raw material using a pulverizer such as a ball mill or a jet mill so that the alumina is easily pulverized at the time of collision with the base material.
When the aerosol is sprayed onto the surface of the substrate to form a film, it is preferable to collide with a pressure of 0.01 kPa to 120 kPa. When the pressure is less than 0.01 kPa, the collision speed of the aerosol becomes high, the substrate is etched, and no film is formed. When the aerosol is collided at a pressure exceeding 120 kPa, the collision speed becomes slow, ceramic particles are deposited on the substrate, and no film is formed.

The formation of the hard coating 12 on the substrate by the AD method can be performed at room temperature. As a method of forming an AD ceramic film on the surface of the shaft base 8 of the bearing 5, a method of forming the film by fixing the shaft base 8 and moving the aerosol injection nozzle, and fixing the aerosol injection nozzle of the bearing 5 Any method of forming a film by rotating and moving the shaft base 8 can be adopted.
Among these methods, the aerosol can be sprayed in a stable state, and the XY table for positioning and the motor for rotating the object are used in combination, and the shaft base 8 of the bearing 5 is moved in the axial direction while rotating. Therefore, it is preferable to use the latter method of fixing the aerosol spray nozzle, rotating the shaft, and moving because the AD ceramic coating can be easily applied and formed. The aerosol spray nozzle sprays ceramic fine particles from the nozzle tip having an opening such as a rectangle onto the surface of the axial cylindrical portion. Note that the number of aerosol injection nozzles may be one or more, and the aerosol injection nozzles may be configured to be displaceable.

Next, the wear test and the result of this bearing will be described.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the test machine for the wear test. In order to simulate the wear under lubrication mixed with soot (hard carbon particles: carbon), which is a hard foreign material, a wear test was performed using the test conditions shown in Table 1 below and the testing machine shown in FIG.
By the way, if the soot (hard carbon particles: carbon) is contained in an amount of 2 mass% or more in the engine oil, significant wear occurs in the bearing. As the percentage of wrinkles increases, the amount of wear increases. In this test, engine oil containing 16 mass% carbon black in the engine oil is evaluated, and the effectiveness of the present invention is ensured. The amount of soot is measured by the Light Extension Measurement method, abbreviated as LEM method, developed by Analyst. This LEM method measures the amount of soot in oil from the light extinction rate (attenuation rate) when light is projected onto oil containing soot, utilizing the property that soot absorbs light.
As an evaluation engine oil, the following oil is simply adopted instead of an oil containing carbon black. That is, as an evaluation engine oil, a carbon black powder is contained in a CD grade 10W-30 diesel engine oil, and then the oil is rotated at a high temperature and a high speed to disperse the oil so that the carbon black powder does not settle in the lubricating oil. And In Table 1, P in “P / C” indicates a load, and C indicates a basic dynamic load rating of the bearing. That is, P / C indicates the ratio of the load to the basic dynamic load rating of the bearing.

  In the test machine 13, a drive shaft 15 is rotatably supported in a test housing via a plurality of bearings 14, and one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the drive shaft 15 is connected to a drive source (not shown). The drive shaft 15 is a so-called stepped shaft and includes a large-diameter portion 15 a that contacts the outer ring outer diameter surface 9 b of the test bearing 5. The testing machine 13 includes a load loading member 16 that applies a radial load to the shaft 8M of the test bearing 5. In the test housing, the test bearing 5 is lubricated by an oil bath, and the oil level L2 is filled up to the center of rotation of the test bearing. Furthermore, cartridge heaters 17 capable of controlling the oil temperature are provided on both sides in the test housing.

The bearing 5 used for the test is a rolling bearing having a higher degree of wear and a larger amount of wear than a sliding bearing. Only the shaft base 8 is shown in the column of “Hard coating type” in Tables 2 to 5. The surface treatment was performed. The results of the wear test are also shown in Tables 2 to 5. In this test, the hard coating 12 on the shaft surface is carried out by changing the parameters (described later) shown in Tables 2 to 5. In this test, only the shaft base material 8 is provided with the hard coating 12. The reason is that this test assumes the use of a roller follower and rotates the outer ring. Therefore, since the load area in the shaft 8M is the same place, the shaft 8M is significantly worn. Therefore, in order to clarify the wear countermeasure effect, only the shaft base material 8 is subjected to various hard coating treatments and tests are conducted. The hard coating 12 on the shaft surface is as described as an example of the hard coating 12 described above.
In Tables 2 to 7, the comprehensive evaluation ◎ is a sample that satisfies the evaluation standard that the shaft wear amount is 1 μm or less, and the comprehensive evaluation ◯ satisfies the evaluation standard that the shaft wear amount exceeds 1 μm and is 4 μm or less. It is a sample. The comprehensive evaluation x is a sample that satisfies the evaluation criteria for the amount of shaft wear exceeding 4 μm.
Here, the sample with the shaft wear amount of 4 μm or less shows no change in vibration and sound compared with the initial test. More preferably, those having a small amount of shaft wear have high wear resistance, and therefore, the ◎ evaluation was classified according to the amount of shaft wear. In the evaluation, there is a case where the amount of shaft wear is large, the vibration becomes larger than the initial vibration, and the aggressiveness to the mating member is recognized. Since the shaft has the same load area, only a part of the shaft is greatly worn. Therefore, shaft wear greatly affects vibration.
As shown in FIG. 6, the above-mentioned “only a part of the shaft wears greatly” means that only a portion Sa that reaches a predetermined small angle α in one circumferential direction from one location A1 of the shaft surface is white as a dotted line. For example, it means that it is scraped into a flat shape. However, it is not limited to the flat shape.
Further, SUJ2 was applied to the shaft, outer ring, and rolling element as the material of the sample base material used in the examples and comparative examples in this wear test. As heat treatment conditions, general whole quenching was applied to the rolling elements and the outer ring, and induction surface quenching was applied to the shaft.

Next, parameters and results obtained by evaluating each sample will be described.
(1) Fracture toughness value of hard coating formed on the rolling surface of bearing shaft The “fracture toughness” of the fracture toughness value used in the present application is synonymous with a scale representing resistance to brittle fracture of a thin film. Yes, the value is the “fracture toughness value”. As a method for measuring the fracture toughness value of a hard coating formed on the surface of a substrate, a method of JSang et al. Thin Solid Film (325, 163 (1998)) is known. This method consists of two types of tests, which are a bending test of a substrate having a hard coating formed on the surface and an indentation test with superalloy balls on the surface of the hard coating. The fracture toughness value is obtained from the crack generation behavior and propagation behavior of the hard coating under test. The fracture toughness value is determined from the indentation diameter, the length of each crack generated on the surface of the hard coating, the area where the crack occurred, and the Young's modulus of the substrate and the hard coating.
As a method for measuring the fracture toughness value of the hard coating 12 according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the average value of the measured values obtained by measuring the axial center P1 of the shaft 8M at 10 circumferential intervals was determined. . More specifically, a 1.6 mm diameter tungsten carbide (abbreviated as WC) indenter was pressed radially inward and substantially perpendicular to the measurement location on the axial center P1 of the surface of the shaft 8M, that is, the outer peripheral surface. The fracture toughness value was determined from the behavior of cracks generated on the surface of the coating. The indentation depth of the indenter with respect to this measurement location was 0.1 mm (0.5% of the indenter diameter) from the hard coating surface.
In the test, ten axial centers P1 of the shaft 8M were measured. However, an arbitrary plurality of locations at appropriate intervals may be measured in the axial center P1 of the shaft 8M, and an average value thereof may be obtained. Moreover, since the said hard film generally has few dispersion | variations by a site | part, you may measure the arbitrary toughness values in the axial direction center P1, and may obtain | require a fracture toughness value.
The indenter can be applied with a diameter other than 1.6 mm, and is not necessarily limited to WC. Even in such a case, the fracture toughness value of the hard coating 12 can be measured. The fracture toughness value of the hard coating having the necessary abrasion resistance in the present invention was 1.5 MPam ^1/2 or more and 6 MPam ^1/2 or less, more preferably ² MPam ^1/2 or more and 5 MPam ^1/2 or less. .

When the lower limit value of the fracture toughness value of the hard coating 12 is 1.5 MPam ^1/2 , the formed hard coating 12 can withstand repeated loads, and the hard coating 12 can be hardly broken or peeled off. . When the upper limit value of the fracture toughness value is set to 6 MPam ^1/2 , the hard coating 12 can obtain a time for fitting with the lubricating oil until it exhibits wear resistance. Therefore, the rolling surface can be maintained at a necessary and sufficient wear resistance, and the hard coating 12 can be prevented from being broken or peeled off. As a result, it is possible to prevent an increase in aggression on the counterpart part. With the bearing 5 that defines such a fracture toughness value, wear under lubrication mixed with hard foreign matters can be reduced.
Specifically, the sample Nos. No. 1 bearing 5 had a fracture toughness value of the hard coating 12 of 2.0 MPam ^1/2 . In this case, after the test, the wear amount of the shaft 8M is suppressed to 0.5 μm or less, the wear amount of the rolling element 10 is suppressed to 1.0 μm, the wear amount of the outer ring 9 is suppressed to 2.0 μm, and the wear of the entire bearing is reduced. We were able to.
On the other hand, sample No. The test bearing according to Comparative Example 57 had a fracture toughness value of 1.4 MPam ^1/2 . In this case, after the test, the wear amount of the shaft 8M was 22.5 μm, the wear amount of the rolling element 10 was 11.5 μm, the wear amount of the outer ring 9 was 10 μm, and the wear amount of the entire bearing was large.

(2) Adhesion of the hard coating formed on the rolling surface surface of the shaft of the bearing The adhesion of the hard coating formed on the surface of the substrate is to form a coating on the end surface of the cylindrical substrate and Known methods include measuring the critical load (critical load) that bonds and pulls the two together, and scratching to measure the pressing load (critical load) that scratches the surface of the film by scratching it with a diamond indenter. It has been.
The critical load in the scratch method of the hard coating 12 having the abrasion resistance necessary in the present invention was 40N to 110N, more preferably 60N to 100N. This critical load was measured using a CSM REVETEST scratch tester according to a method based on the international standard ISO20502: 2005 established by the International Organization for Standardization. In the measurement method using the scratch method, as shown in FIG. 8, the measuring element includes P1 in the vicinity of the axial center P1 of the shaft 8M along the axial direction marked with an arrow AA1 (the starting point of AA1 and Measurement was performed by moving 10 mm so that P1 was included between the end points. This was repeated 10 times at regular intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 8M, and the average value of these 10 locations was determined. In each measurement, the maximum indenter load was 100 N or 200 N, the load increasing speed was 100 N / min or 200 N / min, and the indenter moving speed was 10 mm / min. Further, the moving distance of the probe may not be 10 mm.
For example, sample No. In the test bearing shown in FIG. 5, the critical load of the hard coating 12 by the scratch method was 85N. After the test, this test bearing can suppress the wear amount of the shaft 8M to 0.5 μm or less, the wear amount of the rolling element 10 to 1 μm, and the wear amount of the outer ring 9 to 1 μm as a whole.
On the other hand, sample No. 64, the critical load of the hard coating 12 was set to 25N. After the test, the wear amount of the shaft 8M was 26 μm, the wear amount of the rolling element 10 was 12.5 μm, the wear amount of the outer ring 9 was 10.5 μm, and the wear amount of the entire bearing was increased.
In the test, the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 8M was measured at 10 locations. However, an arbitrary plurality of locations at appropriate intervals in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 8M may be measured to obtain an average value thereof. In general, since the hard coating has little variation depending on the part, for example, a value obtained by measuring one arbitrary position on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 8M may be adopted.

When the lower limit value of the critical load by the scratch method measurement of the hard coating 12 is 40 N, it is possible to prevent the hard coating 12 from peeling off and to exhibit wear resistance. Moreover, the attack to the other components resulting from peeling of the hard film 12 can be prevented beforehand. When the upper limit value of the critical load is 110 N, the hard coating 12 is prevented from wearing only a part of the coating surface during the time for which the hard coating 12 exhibits wear resistance, so that the hard coating 12 exhibits a wear resistance. Can be prevented from becoming undesirably large. With the bearing 5 that defines a critical load by such a scratch method measurement, wear under lubrication mixed with hard foreign matters can be reduced.
Furthermore, when the critical load of the hard coating 12 is set to 60 N or more and 100 N or less, the hard coating 12 may be undesirably peeled during the time when the hard coating 12 exhibits wear resistance or after the wear resistance is exhibited. It can prevent more reliably.

(3) Hardness of the hard coating formed on the rolling surface of the bearing shaft The hardness of the hard coating 12 formed on the substrate surface was measured with a dynamic ultra-micro hardness meter DUH-201W (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation). To do. The value measured with this hardness meter is defined by the following equation as dynamic hardness HD. The hardness of the hard coating 12 represents the hardness of the film surface.
HD = 3.8584 × P / h ²
In the above formula, P represents the test load (mN), and h represents the pushing amount (μm) of the triangular cone indenter. As a method for measuring the hardness of the hard coating 12 according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, an average value of measured values obtained by measuring the axial center P1 of the shaft 8M at ten intervals in the circumferential direction was obtained. At each measurement location, a test load of 5 gf is applied to the 115 ° triangular pyramid indenter, the loading speed of the triangular pyramid indenter is 0.135 gf / sec, and the triangular pan indenter holding time is 10 sec. The dynamic hardness “HD” may be expressed as “DH” or “DHT115” when represented by a value depending on the testing machine, but the dynamic hardness represented by “HD” does not depend on the testing machine. Value.
In this hardness meter, since the indenter is pushed into the object until the test load is reached and the amount of the indentation is measured, there is no visual impression measurement. Accordingly, the set load can be reduced and the penetration depth of the indenter can be reduced. For example, when measuring by applying a test load of 5 gf to a triangular cone indenter of 115 °, the film hardness can be determined more accurately than Vickers hardness.
Specifically, the sample Nos. The dynamic hardness of the hard coating 12 of the second bearing 5 is HD1188. In this case, after the test, the wear amount of the shaft 8M is suppressed to 0.5 μm or less, the wear amount of the rolling element 10 is suppressed to 1.5 μm, the wear amount of the outer ring 9 is suppressed to 1.5 μm, and the wear of the entire bearing is reduced. We were able to.
On the other hand, sample No. The dynamic hardness of the hard coating 12 of the test bearings according to 58 comparative examples is HD572. In this case, after the test, the wear amount of the shaft 8M was 24.5 μm, the wear amount of the rolling element 10 was 17 μm, the wear amount of the outer ring 9 was 14 μm, and the wear amount of the entire bearing was large. The dynamic hardness of the hard coating 12 having the abrasion resistance necessary in the present invention is HD800 or more and HD2000 or less.

  When the lower limit value of the dynamic hardness of the hard coating 12 is HD800, the rolling surface has a necessary and sufficient coating strength, strengthens the bonding force between the membrane members, prevents membrane damage, and maintains wear resistance. When the upper limit value is HD2000, the difference in shaft surface hardness between the hard coating 12 and the shaft base material 8 can be reduced. Thereby, the crack of the hard film 12 can be prevented and abrasion resistance can be maintained. With the bearing 5 provided with such a hard coating 12 having a dynamic hardness of HD 800 or more and HD 2000 or less, wear under lubrication mixed with hard foreign matters can be reduced.

(4) About the film thickness, surface roughness, and film formation range of the hard coating formed on the rolling surface of the bearing shaft When the hard coating 12 is formed on the entire surface of the shaft cylinder, the carotester (CSM simple precision membrane) The thickness of the hard coating 12 is measured with a thickness measuring machine CAROTEST).
When the hard coating 12 is formed only on the middle part of the surface of the shaft cylindrical part, a method conforming to the European standard EN1071-2: 2002 using a Carotester (CSM's simple precision film thickness measuring machine CAROTEST) or a form talissurf (tailor) The film thickness of the hard coating 12 is measured by Hobson Co., Ltd. In this case, the intermediate portion on the surface of the shaft cylindrical portion is a longitudinal intermediate portion on the outer diameter surface of the shaft 8M, that is, an axial intermediate portion, and the insertion holes 6a, 6a of the opposing side walls 6, 6 of the arm body 1. This is a portion including the rolling surface surface excluding the outer diameter surface on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the shaft 8M and the outer diameter surface on the other end side in the longitudinal direction.
As a method for measuring the film thickness of the hard coating 12 according to this embodiment, for example, when the hard coating 12 is formed only on the intermediate portion of the surface of the axial cylindrical portion, using Form Talysurf (FormTalysurf-120L manufactured by Taylor Hobson Co., Ltd.) taking measurement. As shown in FIG. 10, from the surface of the shaft 8 sandwiched between the shaft end 8a and the film end 8b on one side of the shaft 8M to the surface of the shaft 8 sandwiched between the shaft end 8a and the film end 8b on the other side. Measurement was performed by moving the probe along the axial direction indicated by the arrow AA2. This was repeated 10 places at regular intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 8M, and the average value of these 10 places was determined.
The surface roughness and film forming range of the hard coating 12 formed on the surface of the substrate are measured with Foam Talysurf (manufactured by Taylor Hobson Co., Ltd.). In the method of measuring the “surface roughness” of the hard coating 12 according to the present embodiment, the center P1 in the axial direction of the shaft 8M is used as shown in FIG. 11 using a form tarissurf (FormTalysurf-120L manufactured by Taylor Hobson Co., Ltd.). The vicinity was moved along the axial direction indicated by the arrow A3, and an average value of the measured values measured at 10 evaluation intervals at regular intervals in the circumferential direction with an evaluation length of 1.25 mm was obtained. Measurement points on the shaft 8M may be arranged at appropriate intervals in the circumferential direction of the axial center P1. The evaluation length may not be 1.25 mm.
Further, the measurement method of the “film formation range” of the hard coating 12 according to the present embodiment was also measured using the same form Talysurf (made by Taylor Hobson Co., Ltd.). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, from the surface of the shaft 8 sandwiched between the shaft end 8a and the film end 8b on one side of the shaft 8M, it is sandwiched between the shaft end 8a and the film end 8b on the other side. Measurement was performed by moving the probe to the surface of the shaft 8 along the axial direction indicated by the arrow AA2. As shown in FIG. 12, this was repeated 10 places at regular intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 8M, and the average value of these 10 places was obtained. According to this measuring method, a shape Ma as shown in FIG. 13 is obtained. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the shape of the film after measurement of the film formation range. In FIG. 13, a portion that is slightly raised outward in the radial direction from the surface of the shaft 8 is defined as a range extending from one end P3 where the coating is formed to the other end P4, that is, a “film formation range”. The coating in the vicinity of one end P3 rises steeply from one end P3 toward one side in the axial direction indicated by the arrow A2, and is thereafter formed flat up to the vicinity of the other end P4. The coating near the other end P4 rises sharply from the other end P4 toward the other in the axial direction. A range between the rising start positions on both sides is referred to as a “film formation range”.

The surface roughness of the hard coating 12 having the abrasion resistance necessary in the present invention was Ra 0.25 μm or less. Specifically, the sample Nos. The surface roughness of the hard coating 12 of the 18 bearings 5 is Ra 0.049 μm. In this case, after the test, the wear amount of the shaft 8M was suppressed to 1 μm or less, the wear amount of the rolling element 10 was suppressed to 2 μm, the wear amount of the outer ring 9 was suppressed to 3 μm, and the wear of the entire bearing could be reduced.
When the surface roughness of the hard coating 12 exceeds Ra 0.25 μm, the aggression against the mating part is recognized, so that the wear resistance cannot be maintained. At the same time, when the surface roughness of the hard coating 12 is desired to be Ra 0.25 μm or less, the surface roughness of the shaft base material that is the base, that is, the surface of the shaft base material 8 not provided with the hard coating 12 is Ra 0.15 μm or less. preferable. When this Ra exceeds 0.15 μm, the surface roughness of the formed film may exceed Ra0.25 μm.
In other words, by setting the surface roughness of the base material surface on which the hard coating 12 is to be applied to Ra 0.15 μm or less, the surface roughness of the hard coating 12 can be Ra 0.25 μm or less, and the wear resistance can be maintained. . Further, it is possible to prevent an attack on the opponent part.

Next, the film thickness δ2 of the hard coating 12 having the abrasion resistance necessary in the present invention is 1 μm or more and 5 μm or less. The formed hard coating 12 needs time to be familiar with the lubricating oil until it exhibits wear resistance. When the film thickness is less than 1 μm, the entire film peels before the hard coating 12 has the wear resistance, so the wear resistance cannot be maintained.
The reason why the wear resistance cannot be exhibited when the film thickness δ2 of the hard coating is less than 1 μm will be described. Residual compressive stress is always generated when the hard coating is formed, but peeling of the film due to the residual compressive stress is prevented by the bonding force and adhesion force of the film member. When the film thickness δ2 becomes thin due to wear of the hard coating, the residual compressive stress decreases, but the bonding force and adhesion of the film member decrease more than the residual compressive stress. When the film thickness δ2 of the hard coating is 0.5 μm or less, the residual compressive stress is increased against the bonding force and adhesion force of the film member, and the film is peeled off. Therefore, 0.5 μm which is worn before the hard coating becomes familiar with the lubricating oil and exhibits wear resistance is added, and the minimum film thickness required for the hard coating having the necessary wear resistance is 1.0 μm.
When the film thickness exceeds 5 μm, the residual compressive stress generated at the time of film formation of each hard film 12 becomes too large, and the film easily cracks and peels off when an impact load is applied. Cannot be maintained.
The lower limit value of the film thickness δ2 of the hard coating 12 is set to, for example, the sample numbers in Tables 2 to 5. 1-No. When the thickness is 1 μm as shown in 56, the film remains until the hard coating 12 has wear resistance, and the wear resistance can be maintained. The upper limit value of the film thickness δ2 of the hard coating 12 is set to, for example, the sample numbers in Tables 2 to 5. 1-No. As shown in 56, when the thickness is 5 μm, it is possible to suppress an increase in residual compressive stress that may occur during the formation of the hard coating, and to prevent the film from cracking due to the application of an impact load. Therefore, peeling of the hard coating 12 can be prevented and wear resistance can be maintained.

Further, the film thickness of the hard coating 12 applied to the shaft 8M having the abrasion resistance required in the present invention is ± 2 μm with reference to the film thickness δ2 (FIG. 4) at the axial center P1 (FIG. 2). The range is as follows. The variation in the film thickness of the hard coating 12 based on the film thickness δ2 at the axial center P1 is expressed as “thickness variation” in Tables 2 to 7. In other words, the “thickness variation” in Tables 2 to 7 refers to the film thickness of the thickest portion of the film thickness on which the hard coating 12 is formed, based on the film thickness δ2 at the axial center P1. Of the difference between the film thickness δ2 or the difference between the film thickness of the thinnest portion and the film thickness δ2, a large value is shown.
For example, as shown in FIG. 14A, when the axial center P1 is the thinnest among the thicknesses of the hard coating 12, the film thickness δmax (δmax is 4 μm, for example) at the thickest portion and the film at the axial center P1. By obtaining the difference (δmax−δ2) from the thickness δ2 (δ2 is 2 μm, for example), the thickness variation is obtained.
As shown in FIG. 14B, when the axial center P1 is the thickest of the hard coatings 12, the axial center P1 has a film thickness δ2 (δ2 is 3 μm, for example), and the film thickness of the thinnest portion. By obtaining the difference (δ2−δmin) from δmin (where δmin is 2 μm, for example), thickness variation can be obtained.
As shown in FIG. 14C, when the film thickness δ2 at the axial center P1 is an intermediate value, the film thickness δmax (δmax is, for example, 3 μm) at the thickest portion and the film thickness δ2 (δ2 at the axial center P1) For example, a difference (δmax−δ2) from 1.5 μm) is obtained. Further, the difference (δ2−δmin) between the film thickness δ2 (δ2 is 1.5 μm, for example) and the film thickness δmin (δmin is 0.5 μm, for example) at the thinnest portion is obtained. Among these differences (δmax−δ2) and (δ2−δmin), a thickness variation is obtained by adopting a larger value (currently δmax−δ2). When the thickness δ2 of the formed hard coating 12 changes depending on the location, the load acting on the film becomes non-uniform, and an excessive contact surface pressure acts locally. As described above, when the film thickness δ2 of the hard coating 12 applied to the shaft 8M is within a range of ± 2 μm or less with respect to the film thickness δ2 of the axial center P1, the load acting on the hard coating 12 is uniform. Turn into. Thereby, it is possible to prevent an excessive contact surface pressure from acting locally. Therefore, not only the wear resistance is lowered, but also the hard coating 12 can be prevented from peeling off. The peeled hard coating does not attack the mating member.
For example, sample No. 7, in the test bearing in which the thickness of the hard coating 12 is 2 μm and the thickness variation is 1 μm, the wear amount of the shaft 8M is 0.5 μm or less after the test, and the rolling element 10 is worn. The amount is 1 μm and the wear amount of the outer ring 9 is 2 μm, so that the entire bearing can be kept low.

Further, the axial formation range of the hard coating 12 having the abrasion resistance required in the present invention is obtained by subtracting the value obtained by multiplying the axial dimension of the roller chamfer by “2” from the roller length. It is preferable that the value is larger than the value determined by the value, that is, the roller (rolling element) length−the axial dimension of the roller (rolling element) chamfer × 2 (both ends). More preferably, it is more than the rolling surface.
When the roller follower shaft 8M is caulked and fixed to the rocker arm, the hard coating 12 is formed on the shaft 8M. The deformation amount after caulking is the amount of deformation before caulking (the axial direction of the shaft 8M after caulking). It is a region of +0.1 mm or less with respect to the shaft diameter at the center P1. Since the roller follower caulks both ends of the shaft 8M formed at the time of assembly, if a film is formed on a deformed portion exceeding the shaft diameter +0.1 mm before caulking, the hard coating peels off and the wear resistance cannot be exhibited. Instead, it attacks the opponent's parts. That is, the peeled film becomes a foreign substance.

(5) Surface hardness of bearing shaft (base material) Usually, the method of confirming the surface hardness (rolling surface hardness) of a base material not coated with a hard coating is to use a Rockwell hardness meter or a Vickers hardness meter. The hardness of the substrate surface is directly measured. However, in the case of a substrate having a hard coating 12 on the surface, the above measurement method cannot be used. Therefore, the cross-sectional hardness of the base material is measured with a Vickers hardness meter, and the value at the point 0.03 mm from the interface with the hard coating is used as the base material surface hardness. Since the hard coating 12 is applied to the substrate surface, the substrate surface hardness is preferably close to the hard coating hardness.
In the measuring method of the shaft surface hardness according to the present embodiment, measurement was performed by measuring 10 axial centers of the shaft 8M at appropriate circumferential intervals using a micro Vickers hardness tester (HMV-1 manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation). The average value was obtained. Specifically, in order to obtain the surface hardness at a point of 0.03 mm from the interface with the hard coating, as shown in FIG. 15, the axial center of the shaft 8M is cut along a virtual plane kh substantially perpendicular to the axial direction. To do. As shown in FIG. 16, a point P2 on the straight line L4 connecting the surface of the shaft 8M, that is, the outer peripheral edge 8Ma, to the shaft center L3 on the cut surface sh is measured with the micro Vickers hardness tester at a test load of 300 g. That is, the hardness at a point of L5 (L5 = 0.03 mm) is measured from the interface between the coating 12 and the shaft 8 in the axial center direction. Thus, let the average value of the measured value measured 10 places for every circumferential direction appropriate interval be base-material surface hardness.
The surface hardness of the base material on which the hard coating 12 is applied, whose abrasion resistance has been confirmed in the present invention, is HV650 or more and HV1000 or less. Specifically, the sample Nos. The bearing surface hardness of 19 bearings 5 is HV813. In this case, after the test, the wear amount of the shaft 8M is suppressed to 1 μm or less, the wear amount of the rolling element 10 is suppressed to 1.5 μm, the wear amount of the outer ring 9 is suppressed to 1.5 μm, and the wear of the entire bearing is reduced. I was able to.
On the other hand, sample No. The base material surface hardness of the test bearing according to the comparative example 77 is HV633. In this test bearing, after the test, the wear amount of the shaft 8M was 73 μm, the wear amount of the rolling element 10 was 23.5 μm, the wear amount of the outer ring 9 was 22 μm, and the wear amount of the entire bearing was large. This is because, due to the insufficient strength of the base material, the base material is plastically deformed, and in particular, wear of the shaft 8M has progressed.
When the lower limit of the substrate surface hardness is HV650, the required strength of the substrate is satisfied, and the deformation amount of the substrate can be suppressed to a predetermined amount or less. Therefore, the adhesiveness between the substrate surface and the hard coating 12 formed on the substrate surface can be improved. When the upper limit of the substrate surface hardness is HV1000, the necessary toughness value of the substrate is satisfied, and the adhesion to the hard coating 12 can be improved without cracking the substrate.

  Even after the heat treatment, for example, when the hard film 12 made of metal-free amorphous hydrocarbon containing sp2- and sp3-hybridized carbon, which is a diamond-like carbon film, is used as the hard film 12, it is formed on the shaft surface before film formation. By performing shot peening, the surface hardness can be close to HV1000. In the case of a film formed by the AD method, there are particles having a size exceeding the average particle size in the raw material powder. A particle having a large particle size does not contribute to film formation and collides with the surface of the base material to be subjected to peening treatment, and the surface hardness of the base material can be close to HV1000.

(6) Roundness after forming a hard coating on the surface of the rolling surface of the bearing shaft The roundness after forming the hard coating 12 on the surface of the cylindrical substrate is, for example, Talirond (made by Taylor Hobson Co., Ltd.) Measure with Talyrond262). The “roundness” is a geometric tolerance that refers to a magnitude of deviation from a geometrically correct circle of a circular shape. This roundness is expressed as the radius difference between the two circles when the distance between the two concentric circles is the minimum when the circular shape is sandwiched between two concentric geometric circles. Roundness XXμm, or roundness Displayed as XXmm. In the method of measuring “roundness” after forming the hard coating 12 according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17, the film formation range of the shaft 8M is represented by an arrow A4 using the above-mentioned talironde. The average value of the measured values measured at 10 locations in the circumferential direction at appropriate intervals in the axial direction was determined.
The roundness of the shaft 8M after the formation of the hard coating, which had the necessary wear resistance in the present invention, was 4 μm or less. When the roundness exceeds 4 μm, the film thickness δ2 changes depending on the location, the load applied to the film becomes non-uniform, and the contact surface pressure becomes locally excessive. Therefore, not only the wear resistance is lowered, but also the possibility of inducing peeling of the hard coating 12 is increased. Furthermore, the aggression to the mating part increases due to the peeling of the hard coating 12.

In order to set the roundness of the shaft 8M to 4 μm or less, it is necessary to set the roundness of the shaft base material 8 to 2 μm or less.
Therefore, the rolling surface is necessary by satisfying one or both of the roundness of the rolling surface of the shaft base material 8 of 2 μm or less and the roundness of the rolling surface of the shaft 8M of 4 μm or less. Has sufficient wear resistance. Since the roundness of the rolling surface of the shaft 8M is set to 4 μm or less, the film thickness δ2 does not change depending on the location, the load applied to the hard coating 12 is made uniform, and local excessive contact pressure can be prevented. it can. Therefore, it is possible to maintain the rolling surface with necessary and sufficient wear resistance and prevent the hard coating 12 from peeling off. As a result, it is possible to prevent an increase in aggression on the counterpart part. By setting the roundness of the rolling surface of the shaft base material 8 to 2 μm or less, the roundness of the shaft 8M can be set to 4 μm or less. With such a bearing 5, wear under lubrication mixed with hard foreign matters can be reduced.

(7) About the clearance of the shaft, rolling element, and outer ring of the rolling bearing By forming the hard coating 12 on the surface of the shaft, the clearances of the components constituting the bearing 5, that is, the shaft 8M, the rolling element 10, and the outer ring 9, change. The clearance of the rolling bearing is defined by a radial clearance and a circumferential clearance δ1 per 10 rolling elements.
The radial clearance of the bearing 5 that had the necessary wear resistance in the present invention was 2 μm or more and 45 μm or less.
The lower limit value of the radial clearance of the bearing provided with the hard coating can be 2 μm. Assembling of the bearing 5 can be facilitated, and by applying a hard coating, dimensional changes due to thermal expansion of the base material can be suppressed, and problems such as seizure and wear due to poor lubrication can be prevented in advance. Can do. By setting the upper limit value of the radial clearance to 45 μm, it is possible to suppress vibration and sound caused by the skew of the rolling elements, and to prevent a decrease in bearing life.

On the other hand, the circumferential clearance δ1 per rolling element 10 of the bearing 5 having the necessary wear resistance was 2 μm or more and 25 μm or less.
The lower limit of the circumferential clearance δ1 of the bearing (with a hard coating) can be 2 μm. Assembling of the bearing 5 can be facilitated, and by applying a hard coating, dimensional changes due to thermal expansion of the base material can be suppressed, and problems such as seizure and wear due to poor lubrication can be prevented in advance. Can do. Since the upper limit value of the circumferential clearance δ1 is set to 25 μm, it is possible to suppress vibration and sound caused by the skew of the rolling elements and prevent a reduction in bearing life.
For example, sample No. As shown in FIG. 16, in the test bearing in which the radial clearance is 34 μm and the circumferential clearance δ1 per rolling element is 7 μm, the wear amount of the shaft 8M is 1 μm or less after the test, and the rolling element 10 is worn. The amount can be kept as low as 2.5 μm and the wear amount of the outer ring 9 can be as low as 1 μm.
On the other hand, sample No. 70, in the test bearing according to the comparative example in which the radial clearance is 1 μm and the circumferential clearance δ1 is 1 μm, the wear amount of the shaft 8M is 59 μm and the wear amount of the rolling element 10 is 29 μm after the test. The wear amount of the outer ring 9 was 11 μm, and the wear amount of the entire bearing was increased. This is due to the fact that these gaps become smaller due to thermal expansion, and wear progresses due to poor lubrication.

(8) Hydrogen content of hard coating made of metal-free amorphous hydrocarbons containing sp2- and sp3-hybridized carbon formed on the rolling surface of the bearing shaft The hydrogen content of hard coating 12 formed on the surface of shaft 8M The amount is analyzed by, for example, ERDA (Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis: HRBS500 manufactured by Kobe Steel). As a method for measuring the hydrogen content of the hard coating 12 according to this embodiment, an average value of measured values obtained by measuring the axial center of the shaft 8M at 10 intervals at appropriate circumferential intervals as shown in FIG. The region from the surface to a film thickness of 0.3 μm was analyzed. The measurement of hydrogen content by ERDA is observed from the film surface in order to evaluate the composition distribution in the depth direction. It is sufficient to read the hydrogen content in the region up to 0.3 μm in the depth direction from the measurement result.
The hydrogen content in the region from the surface of the hard coating 12 to 0.3 μm, which had the necessary wear resistance in the present invention, is 10 atomic% to 30 atomic%, preferably 16 atomic% to 25 atomic%. Met. When the hydrogen content is less than 10 atomic%, the adhesion is lowered. When the hydrogen content exceeds 30 atomic%, the bondability between the film materials is reduced, the film is easily peeled off, and the wear resistance is lowered.

(9) Metal content of hard coating made of metal-free amorphous hydrocarbon containing sp2- and sp3-hybridized carbon formed on the rolling surface surface of the shaft of the bearing The metal content of hard coating 12 formed on the surface of shaft 8M The amount is analyzed by, for example, SIMS (Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry: ADEPT-1010 manufactured by ULVAC-PHI). In particular, in order to improve the adhesion between the hard coating 12 and the substrate, Cr (chromium) is improved, and the adhesion between the amorphous hydrocarbon layer (including the metal-free amorphous hydrocarbon layer) and the Cr (chromium) layer is improved. For this purpose, W (tungsten) is contained. As a method for measuring the metal content of the hard coating 12 according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, an average value of measured values obtained by measuring 10 axial centers of the shaft 8M at appropriate circumferential intervals was obtained.

  The content of Cr (chromium) + W (tungsten) in the hard coating 12 having abrasion resistance necessary in the present invention was 5 atomic% or more and 50 atomic% or less. When the content of Cr (chromium) + W (tungsten) is less than 5 atomic%, the adhesion between the hard coating 12 and the substrate is lowered. When it exceeds 50 atomic%, more than half of the hard coating 12 constituting the amorphous hydrocarbon film becomes a metal, the hardness is lowered and the wear resistance is lowered.

  The above parameters affect the wear resistance of the bearing 5 in which the hard coating 12 is formed on the rolling surface. Each parameter not only affects the wear resistance independently, but the wear resistance is further improved by combining the regions that maintain the wear resistance.

According to the bearing according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, at least the axial middle portion of the shaft base 8 of the shaft 8M is hardened by heat treatment, and the hard coating 12 is applied to the rolling surface of the shaft base 8, The critical load of the hard coating 12 measured by the scratch method was 40N or more and 110N or less. Since the lower limit value of the critical load by the scratch method measurement is 40 N, it is possible to prevent the hard coating 12 from peeling off and to exhibit wear resistance. Moreover, the attack to the other components resulting from peeling of the hard film 12 can be prevented beforehand. Since the upper limit value of the critical load is 110 N, it is possible to prevent the hard coating 12 from being worn only part of the coating surface during the time for which the hard coating 12 exhibits wear resistance, so that only a part of the coating surface is worn. Undesirably increasing the size can be prevented. With the bearing 5 that defines a critical load by such a scratch method measurement, wear under lubrication mixed with hard foreign matters can be reduced.
Furthermore, when the critical load of the hard coating 12 is set to 60 N or more and 100 N or less, the hard coating 12 may be undesirably peeled during the time when the hard coating 12 exhibits wear resistance or after the wear resistance is exhibited. It can prevent more reliably.

In the present invention, the film thickness δ2 of the hard coating 12 may be 1 μm or more and 5 μm or less, and the film thickness δ2 may be within a range of ± 2 μm or less with reference to the film thickness δ2 of the center P1 in the axial direction of the hard coating 12. . In this case, it is possible to improve the wear resistance under lubrication mixed with soot (hard carbon particles: carbon) which is a hard foreign matter of the bearing 5.
The radial clearance of the bearing 5 may be 2 μm or more and 45 μm or less, and the circumferential clearance δ1 per rolling element 10 may be 2 μm or more and 25 μm or less. The lower limit value of the radial clearance of the bearing provided with the hard coating can be 2 μm. Assembling of the bearing 5 can be facilitated, and by applying a hard coating, dimensional changes due to thermal expansion of the base material can be suppressed, and problems such as seizure and wear due to poor lubrication can be prevented in advance. Can do. By setting the upper limit value of the radial clearance to 45 μm, it is possible to suppress vibration and sound caused by the skew of the rolling element 10 and prevent a reduction in bearing life.

  Further, the lower limit value of the circumferential clearance δ1 of the bearing (with a hard coating applied) can be set to 2 μm. Assembling of the bearing 5 can be facilitated, and by applying a hard coating, dimensional changes due to thermal expansion of the base material can be suppressed, and problems such as seizure and wear due to poor lubrication can be prevented in advance. Can do. Since the upper limit value of the circumferential clearance δ1 is set to 25 μm, it is possible to suppress vibration and sound caused by the skew of the rolling elements and prevent a reduction in bearing life.

The hard coating 12 may be a diamond-like carbon film or an abbreviation DLC film. By applying this DLC film to the rolling surface of the substrate, it is possible to reduce wear under lubrication mixed with hard foreign matters. The DLC film is, for example, a substrate temperature of 300 ° C. or less, preferably at room temperature, a chemical vapor deposition method such as a plasma CVD method, or a physical vapor phase such as a laser ablation method, a sputtering method, an ion beam deposition method, or an ion plating method. It is formed by a growth method. The DLC film does not form unless the high energy particles are rapidly cooled on the substrate, and the film quality of the DLC improves as the temperature decreases.
The DLC is composed of carbon and hydrogen, and the DLC film includes carbon and hydrogen composed of various molar ratios, and may include at least one of silicon, nitrogen, oxygen, and the like. The DLC film is an amorphous structure in which sp3 bonds with a diamond structure and sp2 bonds with a graphite structure are mixed. The sp3 bond imparts hardness and the sp2 bond imparts slidability (lubricity). To do. Therefore, the properties of the DLC film change depending on the mixing ratio of sp2 bonds and sp3 bonds. Therefore, the DLC film can adjust the hardness of the film surface by adjusting the mixing ratio of these sp2 bonds and sp3 bonds.
The hard coating 12 may be formed by dispersing ceramic fine particles in a gas to form an aerosol, and causing the aerosol to collide with the substrate surface. When the aerosol is sprayed onto the surface of the substrate to form a film, it is preferable to collide with a pressure of 0.01 kPa to 120 kPa. When the pressure is less than 0.01 kPa, the aerosol colliding speed increases, and the base material is etched and no film is formed. When the aerosol is collided at a pressure exceeding 120 kPa, the collision speed becomes slow, ceramic particles are deposited on the substrate, and no film is formed. In addition, the hard coating 12 can be formed on the substrate at room temperature.

  The arm body 1 is formed with an insertion hole 6a through which the shaft 8M is inserted. The shaft 8M is inserted into the insertion hole 6a, and the shaft end 8a of the shaft 8M is caulked and fixed to the rocker arm. The deformation amount in the radial direction after caulking in the hard film forming range may be within the range of the shaft diameter before caulking + 0.1 mm or less. In this case, the hard coating 12 can be prevented from being undesirably peeled off, and the wear resistance of the hard coating 12 can be reliably exhibited. It is possible to prevent the hard coating 12 from peeling off and becoming a foreign matter.

  The hardness of the shaft end 8a of the shaft 8M may be HRC10 or more and HRC35 or less. In this case, the shaft 8M and the rocker arm can be securely fixed. As a method of making this shaft end portion 8a HRC10 or more and HRC35 or less, for example, induction surface hardening excluding the shaft end portion 8a, or induction hardening (excluding not only the surface but also the inside) excluding the shaft end portion 8a, Low-temperature nitriding treatment with masking on the shaft end 8a (ion nitriding, gas nitriding, salt bath nitriding, etc. at 550 ° C or lower), and a method of annealing the shaft end 8a of a general overall quenching treatment product by induction heat treatment it can. When the shaft end portion 8a of the roller follower is not fixed by caulking, it is not necessary to set the hardness of the shaft end portion 8a to HRC10 or more and HRC35 or less, so that general general hardening processing can also be employed. The range that satisfies the hardness of the shaft end portion 8a is preferably a range that extends from the shaft end surface to a position of 1 mm or more in the axial direction. In this case, the shaft 8M and the rocker arm can be more reliably fixed.

  As an example of the hard coating 12, when the hard coating 12 containing amorphous hydrocarbons including sp2- and sp3-hybridized carbon (including metal-free amorphous hydrocarbons) is applied, shot peening is performed on the shaft surface before film formation. By applying this, the surface hardness can be made close to HV1000. In the case of a film formed by the AD method, there are particles having a size exceeding the average particle size in the raw material powder. A particle having a large particle size does not contribute to film formation and collides with the surface of the base material to be subjected to peening treatment, and the surface hardness of the base material can be close to HV1000. Thus, by making the substrate surface hardness close to HV1000, the required toughness value of the substrate is satisfied, and the adhesion to the hard coating 12 can be improved without cracking the substrate.

When the content of Cr (chromium) + W (tungsten) in the hard coating 12 is 5 atomic% or more and 50 atomic% or less, the adhesion between the hard coating 12 and the substrate is improved and the hardness is reduced. Can be prevented. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a decrease in wear resistance.
When the hydrogen content in the region from the surface of the hard coating 12 to 0.3 μm is 10 atomic% to 30 atomic%, preferably 16 atomic% to 25 atomic%, the adhesion between the hard coating 12 and the substrate In addition, it is possible to prevent the bondability between the film materials from being lowered. Thereby, it can prevent that the hard film 12 peels undesirably, and can prevent a wear-resistant fall.

Alumina may be applied as an aerosol raw material ceramic for the hard coating 12. Among oxide-based ceramics such as alumina, zirconia, and titania, in particular, the use of alumina as a raw material can reduce the true specific gravity and facilitate aerosolization. In this case, the average particle diameter of the particles used may be 0.01 μm or more and 2.0 μm or less. By setting it as such an average particle diameter, aerosolization is facilitated and the film formation by AD method can be implemented easily.
The hard coating 12 may be formed by injecting aerosol onto the substrate surface and colliding with a pressure of 0.01 kPa or more and 120 kPa or less. In this case, the substrate can be formed without being etched. In addition, the collision speed of the particles does not become slow, and therefore it is possible to prevent the ceramic particles from being deposited on the substrate. Therefore, the hard coating 12 can be more reliably formed.

The hard coating 12 may be formed at room temperature by colliding the aerosol with the substrate. Therefore, when the hard coating 12 is formed by the AD method, it is not necessary to control the temperature, and the equipment cost can be reduced accordingly.
As the rolling bearing, a bearing having a rolling element, an outer ring, and an inner ring can be applied. In this case, at least the axially intermediate portion of the inner ring outer diameter surface is cured by heat treatment, and the hard coating 12 is applied to at least one of the inner and outer rings and the rolling elements. Even in this case, the same operations and effects as the present embodiment are obtained.

When the axial intermediate portion of the outer diameter surface of the shaft 8M is equal to or greater than the rolling width 10W of the rolling element 10, the axial intermediate portion of the shaft base 8 is hardened by heat treatment and then the hard coating 12 is applied. . Therefore, the rolling surface can be maintained at a necessary and sufficient wear resistance, and the hard coating 12 can be prevented from being broken or peeled off.
The intermediate portion in the axial direction on the outer diameter surface of the shaft 8M may be equal to or larger than the width dimension of the outer ring 9.
It is preferable that the hardness of the rolling surface portion of at least one of the shaft 8M, the outer ring 9, and the rolling element 10 is HRC 58 or more up to a depth of 50 μm. Although not only wear but rolling fatigue occurs based on the contact surface pressure when the bearing is used, in this case, the rolling fatigue life can be sufficiently secured.

  In the case of curing the surface layer of the substrate, the rolling surface portion may have a portion having a depth of 50 μm or more and a HRC of 35 or less. Further, the shaft 8M may be a solid shaft or a hollow shaft.

The range of formation of the hard film 12 of the shaft 8M on the roller follower is within a range in which the deformation after caulking is +0.1 mm or less with respect to the shaft diameter before caulking (the shaft diameter at the axial center P1 of the shaft 8M after caulking). It is also good. Since the roller follower caulks both ends of the shaft 8M formed at the time of assembling, the deformation range after caulking of the hard coating 12 is determined by the amount of deformation after caulking (the axial center P1 of the shaft 8M after caulking). By setting it within the range of +0.1 mm or less with respect to the shaft diameter in FIG. Therefore, the wear resistance can be exhibited, and it is possible to prevent the opponent parts from attacking.
Instead of caulking the shaft end 8a of the shaft 8M, a structure in which the arm body 1 is crimped to fix the shaft 8M and the arm body 1 or a structure in which the shaft 8M is press-fitted into the arm body 1 may be employed. For example, when the shaft 8M is press-fitted into the arm body 1, it is possible to eliminate the need for a caulking jig and tool, and to reduce the number of processing steps. When the arm body 1 is caulked and the shaft 8M and the arm body 1 are fixed, a general whole quenching process can be adopted for the shaft base material 8.

This bearing can be used under engine oil lubrication mixed with the abbreviation “PM” such as a combustion intermediate product of fuel containing soot (hard carbon particles: carbon) which is a hard foreign matter. In this case, it is possible to reduce wear at each part of the engine component and to reduce the wear amount.
The bearing can also be used in engine oil containing hard carbon particles, that is, carbon of 2 mass% or more. As the carbon ratio increases, the wear amount of the bearing may increase. However, by using the bearing according to the embodiment of the present invention in such engine oil, the wear amount of the bearing is reduced, and the bearing life is reduced. Can be prevented.
Moreover, you may use this bearing for a diesel engine and a direct-injection gasoline engine with much generation | occurrence | production of a hard foreign material. In these cases, it is possible to prevent the bearing from being significantly worn.

In this embodiment, the case where the hard coating is applied to the roller follower has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and application to a support bearing such as a cam follower, a crankshaft, and a balancer shaft is also possible. The wear resistance of these support bearings and the like can be improved.
In the present embodiment, the hard coating is applied to the rolling bearing, but the above-described hard coating may be applied to the sliding bearing so that the parameters are applied to the rolling bearing. Even in this case, the same operations and effects as the present embodiment are obtained. As the rolling bearing, a rolling element having a ball can be used.

It is a front view of the rocker arm concerning one embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the bearing part in the rocker arm. It is a fracture front view of the bearing. It is an expanded sectional view of the important section of the bearing. It is sectional drawing of the testing machine of the same bearing. It is sectional drawing which shows typically a shaft cross section when only a part of shaft is worn greatly. It is a perspective view which represents roughly the fracture toughness value measuring method of the hard film concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which represents roughly the adhesiveness (scratch method) measuring method of the hard film. It is a perspective view which represents roughly the measuring method of the hardness of the hard film. It is a perspective view which represents roughly the measuring method of the film thickness of the hard film. It is a perspective view which represents roughly the measuring method of the surface roughness of the hard film. It is a perspective view which represents roughly the measuring method of the film formation range of the hard film. It is a figure showing the shape of the film after a film formation range measurement. FIGS. 14A and 14B are diagrams showing the thickness variation of the hard coating, FIG. 14A is a diagram when the center in the axial direction is the thinnest, FIG. 14B is a diagram when the center in the axial direction is the thickest, and FIG. c) is a diagram in the case where the film thickness at the center in the axial direction is an intermediate value. It is a perspective view showing the state of the previous stage which calculates | requires the surface hardness of 0.03 mm point from the interface with a hard film. It is a side view which shows the state which measures the point on the straight line which connects an axial center from the outer periphery part of an axis | shaft in the cut surface surface of an axis | shaft. It is a perspective view which shows schematically the measuring method of roundness after forming a hard film. It is a perspective view which shows roughly the measurement location of the hydrogen content contained in a hard film. It is a perspective view which shows schematically the measurement location of the metal content contained in a hard film.

Explanation of symbols

5 ... Bearing 8M ... Shaft 9 ... Outer ring 10 ... Rolling element 12 ... Hard coating

Claims (10)

A bearing comprising a shaft and an outer ring, and a plurality of rolling elements interposed between the shaft and the outer ring,
At least an axial middle portion of the shaft is cured by heat treatment, and a hard film is applied to at least one rolling surface of the shaft, outer ring, and rolling element,
The critical load of this hard coating is 40 N or more and 110 N or less, the thickness of the hard coating is 1 μm or more and 5 μm or less, and this film thickness is ± 2 μm or less based on the thickness in the axial center of the hard coating. Bearing characterized by being in the range of A bearing comprising a shaft and an outer ring that is in sliding contact with the outer diameter surface of the shaft,
At least the axially intermediate portion of the shaft is cured by heat treatment, and a hard coating is applied to the rolling surface of either or both of the shaft and the outer ring,
The critical load of the hard coating is 40 N or more and 110 N or less, the thickness of the hard coating is 1 μm or more and 5 μm or less, and the thickness is ± 2 μm or less with reference to the thickness in the axial center of the hard coating. Bearing characterized by being in the range of   The bearing according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a critical load of the hard coating is 60N or more and 100N or less.   4. The bearing according to claim 1, wherein the hard film is a DLC film.   The bearing according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the hard coating is formed by dispersing ceramic fine particles in a gas to form an aerosol, and causing the aerosol to collide with a substrate surface. 5. The bearing according to claim 1, wherein a total content of Cr (chromium) + W (tungsten) in the hard coating is 5 atomic% or more and 50 atomic% or less.   The hydrogen content in a region from the surface of the hard coating to 0.3 μm in any one of claims 1 to 4 and claim 6 is 10 atomic% to 30 atomic%. bearing.   The bearing according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the bearing is a roller follower used with the shaft fixed to a rocker arm. In Claim 8, the roller follower is fixed to the rocker arm by caulking the shaft end portion of the roller follower, and the amount of deformation after caulking is determined in accordance with the amount of deformation after caulking. A bearing characterized by being within a range of +0.1 mm or less with respect to the shaft diameter at the center in the axial direction.   10. The bearing according to claim 9, wherein the hardness of the shaft end portion of the roller follower is HRC10 or more and HRC35 or less in a range of 1 mm or more in the axial direction from the shaft end surface.

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