JP2024073329A - Tapered roller bearings - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a tapered roller bearing capable of stabilizing the attitude of a cage and suppressing vibration and noise. [Solution] A tapered roller bearing (1) comprises inner and outer rings (11, 12), a plurality of tapered rollers (15) interposed between the inner and outer rings (11, 12), and a cage (17) that holds the tapered rollers (15), and includes a plurality of cage segments (20) in which the cages (17) are arranged in an annular shape. Each cage segment (20) has pockets that hold a set number of tapered rollers (15). Each cage segment (20) comprises a plurality of column portions extending in the axial direction, and a pair of connecting portions that extend in the circumferential direction and connect the plurality of column portions, respectively. Both axial ends of the cage segment (20) are provided with protrusions (29) that protrude radially outward and extend in the circumferential direction, and each protrusion (29) has a guide surface (29a) that is guided by an outer ring raceway surface (14). [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to tapered roller bearings, for example, large tapered roller bearings for use in the main shafts of wind power generation equipment or industrial machinery, particularly those with an outer diameter exceeding 1 m.

As a segment cage for use in tapered roller bearings, a raceway surface guide type segment cage as shown in FIG. 23 has been proposed (Patent Document 1). The guide surface 50 of this segment cage is provided at the tip of the pocket pillar 51 as shown in FIG. 24. This guide surface 50 is protruding and is provided near the center of the raceway surface on which the rollers 52 roll.

European Patent No. 1408248

Conventional segment cages have guideway protrusions located near the center of the raceway surface, which means the cage's position is unstable when the tapered roller bearing is in operation.

The object of the present invention is to provide a tapered roller bearing that can stabilize the position of the cage and suppress vibration and noise.

The tapered roller bearing of the present invention is a tapered roller bearing comprising an inner and outer ring, a plurality of tapered rollers interposed between the inner and outer rings, and a retainer for retaining the tapered rollers, the retainer including a plurality of retainer segments arranged in an annular shape,
Protrusions are provided at both axial ends of the retainer segments, protruding radially outward and extending circumferentially, and each of the protrusions has a guide surface that is guided by the outer ring raceway surface or the outer ring inner circumferential surface.

With this configuration, the guide surfaces of the protrusions that protrude radially outward and extend circumferentially at both axial ends of the retainer segment are guided by the outer ring raceway surface or the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring. In other words, the guide surfaces of the retainer segments contact the outer ring raceway surface at surfaces close to both ends of the outer ring, rather than at the axial center. This makes it possible to stabilize the position of the retainer more than conventional retainers, in which the guide surface protrusions are located near the center of the raceway surface, and to suppress vibration and noise.

The cage segment may contact the guide surface of the protrusion between the side chamfer end of the rolling surface of the tapered roller and the end face of the outer ring. By limiting the guide surface of the protrusion in this way, undesired whirling of the cage can be suppressed, and the attitude of the cage can be more reliably stabilized.

The length from the side chamfer end of the rolling surface of the tapered roller to the end face of the outer ring may be 3% to 20% of the axial length of the tapered roller. In this case, the runout accuracy of the cage can be reduced to a specified value or less. The specified value is a value that is arbitrarily determined by design, etc., and is determined by obtaining an appropriate value, for example, by either one or both of tests and simulations. If the length is less than 3% of the axial length of the tapered roller, the axial length of the protrusions may be limited, and excessive stress may be concentrated on the protrusions, etc. If the length exceeds 20% of the axial length of the tapered roller, the load capacity, etc. of the tapered roller bearing may be limited, making it less versatile as a tapered roller bearing.

The axial length of the protrusion may be 30% to 80% of the length from the chamfered end of the rolling surface of the tapered roller to the end face of the outer ring. In this case, the guide surface of the protrusion can be stably contacted between the chamfered end of the rolling surface of the tapered roller and the end face of the outer ring.

The guide surface of the protrusion may be a rounded surface, and may have different rounded surfaces in the axial and circumferential directions. In this case, it is possible to ensure the necessary amount of guide surface for the protrusion to contact the outer ring raceway surface or the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring.

The protrusion may be a guide surface that is guided by an inner circumferential surface of the outer ring, and the guide surface may be a surface parallel to a central axis of the bearing in a vertical cross section of the tapered roller bearing.
The longitudinal section is a view of the tapered roller bearing cut along a plane including the bearing center axis.
According to this configuration, the guide surfaces of the projections can be machined uniformly parallel to the central axis of the bearing regardless of the gradient of the tapered roller bearing, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

The cage segment may have a plurality of column sections extending in the axial direction and a pair of connecting sections extending in the circumferential direction to connect the plurality of column sections, and a pocket for holding the tapered rollers may be formed between the adjacent column sections of the plurality of column sections and the pair of connecting sections, and guide claws that enable the tapered rollers to be inserted into the pocket from the inner diameter side of the cage segment may be provided on the outer diameter side of the adjacent column sections, and a connecting member that connects the plurality of cage segments may be provided detachably on an engagement section provided on each of the cage segments.

In this case, when the inner ring assembly, which is an integrated unit of the inner ring, tapered rollers, and cage, is assembled into the outer ring, even if the inner ring assembly is turned over, the cage segments arranged in an annular shape are connected by the connecting members. This makes it easy to assemble the tapered roller bearing without the cage segments coming apart.

The tapered roller bearing of the present invention has protrusions at both axial ends of the cage segments that protrude radially outward and extend circumferentially, and each of the protrusions has a guide surface that is guided by the outer ring raceway surface or the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring. This stabilizes the position of the cage and suppresses vibration and noise.

1 is a vertical sectional view of a tapered roller bearing according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which tapered rollers are inserted into the retainer segment of the tapered roller bearing. FIG. FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the tapered roller bearing with the outer ring omitted. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the IVA portion of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of a portion IVB in FIG. 1 . FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of a tapered roller bearing according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged view of a VIA portion in FIG. 5 . FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of a portion VIB in FIG. 5 . FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view of a tapered roller bearing according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a retainer segment used in the tapered roller bearing. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tapered roller bearing with the outer ring removed. FIG. 2 is a front view of the tapered roller bearing with the outer ring removed. 4 is a perspective view showing an assembly procedure of the tapered roller bearing. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the assembly procedure of FIG. 11 from a different angle. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the tapered rollers and a large rib portion of the inner ring when the tapered rollers are arranged in the inner ring with the large end face of the inner ring facing down. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the tapered roller bearing in the middle of assembly. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the tapered roller bearing in the middle of assembly. FIG. 16 is a vertical sectional view of the tapered roller bearing in FIG. 15 during assembly. 16 is a vertical sectional view of the tapered roller bearing in the state shown in FIG. 15 with the annular jig removed. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the inner ring assembly is turned over and assembled into the outer ring. FIG. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the state in which the inner ring assembly is assembled into the outer ring. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a rotating state of a tapered roller arranged on an inner ring raceway surface. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the height of a small rib portion of an inner ring and a tapered roller when the tapered roller arranged on an inner ring raceway surface is rotated. FIG. FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view of a tapered roller bearing according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional segment retainer. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the segment retainer.

[First embodiment]
A tapered roller bearing according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4B. This tapered roller bearing is applied to, for example, the main shaft of a wind power generating device or a large tapered roller bearing for industrial machinery, particularly with an outer diameter exceeding 1 m.

<Outline of tapered roller bearing structure>
As shown in FIG. 1, the tapered roller bearing 1 includes inner and outer rings 11 and 12, a plurality of tapered rollers 15 interposed between the inner and outer rings 11 and 12, and a cage 17 for holding the tapered rollers 15. The inner ring 11 has a tapered raceway surface 13 on its outer peripheral surface, and the outer ring 12 has a tapered raceway surface (outer ring raceway surface) 14 on its inner peripheral surface. The tapered rollers 15 are disposed between the raceway surfaces 13 and 14 so as to be able to roll freely, and a tapered rolling surface is formed on the outer peripheral surface of each of the tapered rollers 15. The cage 17 holds the tapered rollers 15 at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. A small flange portion 18 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 11 adjacent to the small diameter side portion of the raceway surface 13, and a large flange portion 19 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 11 adjacent to the large diameter side portion of the raceway surface 13. The inner and outer rings 11 and 12 and the tapered rollers 15 are made of, for example, bearing steel or stainless steel.

<Cage>
2, the cage 17 is an outer ring guided cage including a plurality of cage segments 20 arranged in an annular shape. Each cage segment 20 may be simply referred to as a segment 20. Each cage segment 20 has the same shape and is made of synthetic resin, for example, and is molded using the same mold or the like.
As shown in Fig. 3, each cage segment 20 has pockets 16 that hold a fixed number of tapered rollers 15. Each cage segment 20 includes a plurality of column portions 23 extending in the axial direction, and a pair of connecting portions 21, 22 that extend in the circumferential direction and respectively connect the plurality of column portions 23. The pockets 16 that hold the tapered rollers 15 are formed between adjacent column portions 23 by the plurality of column portions 23 and the pair of connecting portions 21, 22. Each of the pair of connecting portions 21, 22 has an arc shape.

1 , of the pair of connecting portions 21, 22, one connecting portion 21 arranged on the small end face side of the tapered roller 15 is a small diameter side arcuate portion 21 located on the smaller diameter side than the other connecting portion 22. The other connecting portion 22 is a large diameter side arcuate portion 22 located on the larger diameter side than the small diameter side arcuate portion 21.
2, guide claws 24 that enable the tapered rollers 15 to be inserted into the pockets 16 from the inner diameter side of the cage segment 20 are provided on the outer diameter side of adjacent column portions 23. The guide claws 24 prevent the tapered rollers 15 inserted in the pockets 16 from slipping out to the outer diameter side. Note that a connecting member (not shown) that connects a plurality of cage segments 20 may be provided.

<Means for stabilizing the cage attitude>
As shown in Fig. 1, each of the cage segments 20 has a protrusion 29 at each of its axial ends, which is a cage attitude stabilizing means for stabilizing the attitude of the cage 17. In this example, the protrusions 29 at both axial ends are provided on the outer peripheral surfaces of the small diameter side and large diameter side arcuate portions 21, 22. Each of the protrusions 29 protrudes radially outward from the outer peripheral surfaces of the small diameter side and large diameter side arcuate portions 21, 22 and extends in the circumferential direction. Each of the protrusions 29 has a guide surface 29a that is guided by the outer ring raceway surface 14. In the vertical cross section of the tapered roller bearing 1 shown in Fig. 1, the guide surface 29a is a substantially parallel surface that faces the outer ring raceway surface 14 with a predetermined radial clearance therebetween.

4A and 4B, the cage segment 20 contacts the guide surface 29a of the protrusion 29 between the rolling surface chamfer end P1 and the outer ring end face P2 of the tapered roller 15. The length L1 from the rolling surface chamfer end P1 to the outer ring end face P2, where the guide surface 29a contacts, is 3% to 20% of the axial length of the tapered roller 15. The length L1 is the length along the outer ring raceway surface 14 in the vertical cross section of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4A and 4B, the axial length L2 of the protrusion 29 is 30% to 80% of the length L1 from the rolling surface chamfer end P1 to the outer ring end face P2, where the guide surface 29a contacts. The guide surface 29a of the protrusion 29 is an R surface, and the R surface is different in the axial direction shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B and the circumferential direction shown in FIG. 2. For example, the radius of curvature of the axially R-surface of the guide surface 29a shown in Figures 4A and 4B is larger than the radius of curvature of the circumferentially R-surface shown in Figure 2.

<Action and effect>
1 as described above, the guide surfaces 29a of the projections 29 provided at both axial ends of the retainer segment 20 so as to project radially outward and extend circumferentially are guided by the outer ring raceway surface 14. In other words, the guide surfaces 29a of the retainer segment 20 are brought into contact with the outer ring raceway surface 14 at surfaces close to both ends of the outer ring 12, rather than at the axial center of the outer ring raceway surface 14. This makes it possible to stabilize the posture of the retainer 17 more than with a conventional retainer in which the guide surface projections are provided near the center of the raceway surface, and to suppress vibration and noise.

In the cage segment 20, the guide surface 29a of the projection 29 contacts the area between the rolling surface chamfer end P1 and the outer ring end surface P2 of the tapered roller 15 shown in Fig. 4A. By limiting the guide surface 29a of the projection 29 in this manner, undesired whirling of the cage 17 is suppressed, and the attitude of the cage 17 can be more reliably stabilized.
The length L1 from the rolling surface side chamfer end P1 of the tapered roller 15 to the outer ring end face P2 is set to 3% to 20% of the axial length of the tapered roller 15. In this case, the runout accuracy of the cage 17 can be reduced to a specified value or less. If the length L1 is less than 3% of the axial length of the tapered roller 15, the axial length L2 of the projection 29 is limited, and excessive stress may be concentrated on the projection, etc. If the length L1 exceeds 20% of the axial length of the tapered roller 15, the load capacity, etc. of the tapered roller bearing may be limited, making the tapered roller bearing less versatile.

The axial length L2 of the protrusion 29 is set to 30% to 80% of the length L1 from the side chamfer end P1 of the rolling surface of the tapered roller 15 to the outer ring end surface P2. In this case, the guide surface 29a of the protrusion 29 can be stably contacted between the side chamfer end P1 of the rolling surface of the tapered roller 15 and the outer ring end surface P2. The guide surface 29a of the protrusion 29 is a rounded surface, and the rounded surface has different curvatures in the axial and circumferential directions. In this case, it is possible to secure the necessary amount of guide surface 29a of the protrusion 29 that should be in contact with the outer ring raceway surface 14.

<Other embodiments>
In the following description, parts corresponding to matters previously described in each embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated description is omitted. When only a part of the configuration is described, the other parts of the configuration are the same as the previously described embodiment unless otherwise specified. The same configuration has the same action and effect. It is possible to combine not only the parts specifically described in each embodiment, but also partially combine embodiments together, provided that there is no particular problem with the combination.

[Second embodiment: guide surface parallel to the bearing central axis]
As shown in FIG. 5, each protrusion 29 of the cage segment 20 is a guide surface guided by the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring. The inner peripheral surface of the outer ring includes large-diameter and small-diameter cylindrical surface portions 14A and 14B. As shown in FIG. 6A, the large-diameter cylindrical surface portion 14A has a cylindrical surface shape that is connected to the large-diameter side portion of the outer ring raceway surface 14 across a step Ds. As shown in FIG. 6B, the small-diameter cylindrical surface portion 14B has a cylindrical surface shape that is smoothly connected to the small-diameter side portion of the outer ring raceway surface 14. These large-diameter and small-diameter cylindrical surface portions 14A and 14B are machined to have, for example, substantially the same surface roughness as that of the outer ring raceway surface 14. In the vertical cross-sectional view of the tapered roller bearing in FIG. 5, the guide surface 29a of each protrusion 29 is a surface parallel to the bearing central axis C1. With this configuration, the guide surface 29a of the protrusion 29 can be uniformly machined parallel to the bearing central axis C1 regardless of the gradient of the tapered roller bearing 1, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost. In addition, the same effects as those of the previously described embodiment are achieved.

[Third embodiment: connecting member]
As shown in FIG. 7 , in this embodiment, a connecting member 25 (described later) for connecting a plurality of retainer segments 20 is detachably provided on an engaging portion 27 provided on each retainer segment 20 .
In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 8, six column sections 23 are provided in one segment 20, and five pockets 16 for accommodating tapered rollers 15 (Figure 7) are provided between adjacent column sections 23. On the outer diameter side of the opposing surfaces of adjacent column sections 23 that form each pocket 16, guide claws 24 are provided to prevent the tapered rollers 15 (Figure 7) inserted in the pocket 16 from slipping out to the outer diameter side.

The cage 17 (FIG. 7) formed by arranging the segments 20 in an annular shape is of an outer ring guide type. Arc-shaped guide projections (projections) 29 are provided on both axial ends of the column portion 23, i.e., on the outer surfaces of both axial ends. The guide projections 29 may be provided only on any of the column portions 23, including the column portions 29 at both ends.
The segment 20 is arranged in an annular shape with the end faces of the small diameter side arcuate portion 21 and the large diameter side arcuate portion 22 abutting against each other.

Protrusions 26 are provided on both ends of the large diameter side surface of the large diameter side arcuate portion 22 of the segment 20 so as to protrude in the axial direction. The protrusions 26 have an engagement portion 27 that engages the connecting member 25. As shown in FIG. 7, the connecting member 25 arranged on the large diameter side of each annularly arranged segment 20 is detachably provided on the engagement portion 27. As shown in FIG. 8, it is preferable that the protrusions 26 on both ends of the large diameter side arcuate portion 22 are provided so as to avoid contact between the protrusions 26 of adjacent segments 20.

<About the ring jig>
16, the annular jig 31 has a ring portion 31a that abuts against the small diameter end face of the inner ring 11, and an L-shaped engaging portion 31b that protrudes from the axial end of the ring portion 31a toward the outer diameter side. When the large diameter sides of the segments 20 arranged in an annular shape are connected by the connecting member 25, the engaging portion 31b is fitted into the wing portion 28 of the segment 20 with the ring portion 31a abutting against the small diameter end face of the inner ring 11.

<Connecting parts, etc.>
As shown in FIG. 9, the connecting members 25 wound around the large diameter side of each segment 20 are fastened by a fastening member 30 such as a turnbuckle. When the fastening member 30 is configured as a turnbuckle, the turnbuckle has a body portion with a female thread formed therein, and the ends of the connecting members 25 can be connected to each other by screwing a male thread portion provided at the end of the fastening member 30 into this body portion. By rotating the body portion, tension can be applied to the connecting members 25, and by rotating the body portion in the opposite direction to the tightening direction, the fastening of both ends of the connecting members 25 can be released. The ends of the connecting members 25 can be connected to each other by providing a fastening portion at the end of the connecting members 25 and winding the connecting members 25 together, or by using a cable tie.

A wire or a belt may be used as the connecting member 25. When a wire is used as the connecting member 25, a detachable hook or a turnbuckle may be used as the fastening member 30. A turnbuckle is most preferable because it is detachable, the fastening force does not loosen, and the fastening force is adjustable. When a belt is used as the connecting member 25, a detachable buckle is preferable as the fastening member 30 because the fastening force does not loosen.
8 is made of resin or steel. The resin from which the segment 20 is made may be polyetheretherketone mixed with carbon fiber or polyetheretherketone mixed with glass fiber.

<Assembling tapered roller bearings using segments>
Before the tapered rollers and the like are assembled into the outer ring 12 of FIG. 7, an inner ring assembly in which the inner ring 11, tapered rollers 15 and cage 17 are integrated is assembled as shown in FIGS.
To assemble the inner ring assembly, first, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, the tapered rollers 15 are arranged on the raceway surface 13 of the inner ring 11 with the large end face of the inner ring 11 facing down.

If tapered rollers 15 are arranged on raceway surface 13 with the large end face of inner ring 11 facing down, there is a possibility that tapered rollers 15 will fall off from inner ring 11 due to their own weight. To prevent tapered rollers 15 from falling off inner ring 11, the distance from the central axis of inner ring 11 to the tip of large rib portion 19 is made greater than the distance from the central axis of inner ring 11 to the center of gravity of tapered roller 15, and diameter J of large rib portion 19 satisfies the following formula.
(J/2)-HCOSI>y1

In other words, as shown in Figure 13, with the tapered rollers 15 arranged on the raceway surface 13 with the large end face of the inner ring 11 facing down, if the angle between the side of the large rib portion 19 that contacts the tapered roller 15 and the line perpendicular to the central axis of the inner ring 11 is I, the chamfer width of the tip of the large rib portion 19 is H, the distance from the central axis of the inner ring 11 to the center of gravity of the tapered roller 15 is y1, and the diameter of the large rib portion 19 is J, then if the above formula is satisfied, the tapered rollers 15 can be prevented from falling off. In Figure 13, D is the diameter of the large end face of the tapered roller 15, G is the diameter of the small end face of the tapered roller 15, F is the length of the tapered roller 15, and E is the distance from the central axis to the end of the raceway surface 13 on the large rib portion 19 side.

After the tapered rollers 15 are lined up on the raceway surface 13 of the inner ring 11, as shown in FIG. 14, each segment 20 is successively placed on top of the raceway surface 13 from the outer diameter side, and the tapered rollers 15 are inserted into the pockets 16 (FIG. 11) from the inner diameter side of each segment 20.
15 and 16, an annular jig 31 is fitted onto the wing portions 28 protruding from the small diameter side surfaces of the annularly arranged segments 20, and a connecting member 25 is passed through the engaging portion 27 of the protrusions 26 protruding from the large diameter side surfaces. Furthermore, the ends of the connecting members 25 wound around the outer diameter sides of the segments 20 are bound together with fastening members 30. The connecting members 25 are tightened with the fastening members 30 to integrate the multiple annularly arranged segments 20.

The fastening member 30 is located between the protruding parts 26 that protrude from both ends of the large diameter side surface of the large diameter arcuate part 22, and the space between the protruding parts 26 on both ends forms an accommodation portion for the fastening member 30.
The connecting member 25 may be a single continuous member in the circumferential direction, or may be divided into a plurality of members in the circumferential direction, with the ends of each divided connecting member 25 being connected to each other by fastening members 30. When the connecting member 25 is divided into a plurality of members, it is preferable that the fastening members 30 are equally spaced circumferentially.

When the connecting member 25 is wound around the outer circumference of the annularly arranged segments 20 and the connecting member 25 is tightened with the fastening member 30, the small diameter side of the annularly arranged segments 20 tends to open up. In order to prevent the small diameter side from opening up, an annular jig 31 is fitted into the wing portion 28 on the small diameter side of the annularly arranged segments 20 when tightening the connecting member 25.

As shown in FIG. 16, the annular jig 31 is placed axially over the wing portions 28 of the small diameter side arc-shaped portions 21 of the segments 20 arranged in an annular shape, and can be removed by moving it along the central axis after the inner ring assembly is assembled (FIG. 17).
Next, the inner race assembly is assembled into the outer race 12 by turning it over so that the small diameter side of the inner race assembly faces downward, as shown in FIG.

When this inner race assembly is assembled into the outer race 12, even if the inner race assembly is turned over with the small diameter side facing downward, the segments 20 arranged in an annular shape are connected at their outer peripheries by the connecting member 25, so that the segments 20 will not come apart.
The tapered rollers 15 inserted into the pockets 16 of the segments 20 are also prevented from slipping out of the pockets 16 by the guide pawls 24 (FIG. 8) provided on the outer diameter side of the pillars 23 that form the pockets 16 .

The annular jig 31 (FIG. 16) used when assembling the inner race assembly is to be removed when assembling the outer race 12.
Even if the annular jig 31 (Figure 16) is removed and the inner ring assembly is turned over with the small diameter side facing downward, each segment 20 connected by the connecting member 25 has its tapered roller 15 inserted and held in the pocket 16 of each segment 20 sandwiched between the large rib portion 19 and the small rib portion 18 located on both axial sides of the raceway surface 13 of the inner ring 11, and the tapered roller 15 is caught on the small rib portion 18 of the inner ring 11, so that the segments 20 are prevented from falling off.

The height of the small flange portion 18 of the inner ring 11 that prevents each segment 20 from falling off satisfies the following conditions.
When the tapered roller 15 fitted between the large rib portion 19 and the small rib portion 18 of the inner ring 11 rotates, if the large end face of the tapered roller 15 is not in contact with the large rib portion 19, the tapered roller 15 rotates about point A, as shown in the schematic diagram of Figure 20. If the large end face of the tapered roller 15 is in contact with the large rib portion 19, it is considered that the tapered roller 15 rotates about point B.

When the large end face of tapered roller 15 contacts large rib portion 19 and rotates about point B, if diameter M of small rib portion 18 of inner ring 11 is sufficiently large, the small diameter side end face of tapered roller 15 will contact point C on the side surface of small rib portion 18, as shown in the schematic diagram of Figure 21. This restricts the rotation of tapered roller 15, and tapered roller 15 will get caught on small rib portion 18 of inner ring 11.
Point C on the side of small rib portion 18 at which tapered roller 15 catches is the intersection point between the spline curve that traces the trajectory of the small end face corner of tapered roller 15 when tapered roller 15 rotates and the side of small rib portion 18, and at this time, diameter M of small rib portion 18 of inner ring 11 satisfies the following condition.
(M/2)-KcosL>y3

Here, the diameter of the small rib portion 18 of the inner ring 11 is M, the angle that the side surface of the small rib portion 18 of the inner ring 11 on the point C side makes with a line perpendicular to the central axis of the inner ring 11 is L, the chamfer width of the tip of the small rib portion 18 is K, and the distance from the contact point C where the side surface of the small rib portion 18 and the small diameter end face of the tapered roller 15 come into contact with each other to the central axis when the tapered roller 15 is rotated around point B at the tip of the large rib portion 19 of the inner ring 11 is y3.

As described above, by inverting the inner ring assembly so that the small diameter side faces downward and assembling it into the outer ring 12, the tapered roller bearing 1 can be assembled as shown in FIG.
When the assembly of the tapered roller bearing 1 is complete, the tapered roller bearing 1 can be installed in the device and then the connecting members 25 fastening the outer periphery of each segment 20 can be removed. This is because, after the assembly of the tapered roller bearing 1 is complete, the segments 20 will not come apart even if the fastening members 30 (FIG. 9) are loosened and removed.

In the third embodiment, a wing portion 28 that protrudes toward the small diameter side is provided on the small diameter side surface of the small diameter side arcuate portion 21, and when the large diameter side of each annularly arranged segment 20 is bound with a connecting member 25, an annular jig 31 is fitted into the wing portion 28 on the small diameter side of each annularly arranged segment 20.

[Fourth embodiment]
22, a small diameter side engaging portion 32 is provided on the small diameter side surface of the small diameter side arcuate portion 21, and a connecting member 33 wound around the small diameter side of each annularly arranged segment is passed through the small diameter side engaging portion 32. Furthermore, the ends of this connecting member 33 may be detachably fastened to each other by a fastening member (not shown), thereby eliminating the need for the annular jig 31.

The resin retainer segments are formed using a mold or the like, but can also be formed by machining or using a 3D printer.
The tapered roller bearing of each embodiment can also be applied to a tapered roller bearing having an outer diameter of 1 m or less. The tapered roller bearing of each embodiment may be applied to applications other than wind power generation equipment or industrial machinery.
The tapered roller bearing of each embodiment may be applied to a double-row tapered roller bearing.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not limiting. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

1...tapered roller bearing, 11...inner ring, 12...outer ring, 14...outer ring raceway, 14A, 14B...large diameter side and small diameter side cylindrical surface portions (outer ring inner peripheral surface), 15...tapered rollers, 16...pocket, 17...retainer, 20...retainer segment, 21, 22...connecting portion, 23...column portion, 24...guide claw, 25...connecting member, 27...engagement portion, 29...projection, 29a...guide surface,

Claims (7)

A tapered roller bearing comprising inner and outer rings, a plurality of tapered rollers interposed between the inner and outer rings, and a cage for holding the tapered rollers, the cage including a plurality of cage segments arranged in an annular shape,
A tapered roller bearing in which protrusions protruding radially outward and extending circumferentially are provided at both axial ends of the retainer segment, and each of the protrusions has a guide surface that is guided by an outer ring raceway surface or an outer ring inner circumferential surface. A tapered roller bearing according to claim 1, in which the retainer segment contacts the guide surface of the projection between the side chamfer end of the rolling surface of the tapered roller and the end surface of the outer ring. A tapered roller bearing as described in claim 2, in which the length from the side chamfer end of the rolling surface of the tapered roller to the end face of the outer ring is 3% to 20% of the axial length of the tapered roller. A tapered roller bearing according to claim 2 or 3, in which the axial length of the protrusion is 30% to 80% of the length from the side chamfer end of the rolling surface of the tapered roller to the end face of the outer ring. A tapered roller bearing according to claim 1 or 2, in which the guide surface of the protrusion is an R surface that has a different R surface in the axial direction and the circumferential direction. In the tapered roller bearing according to claim 1 or 2, the protrusion is a guide surface that is guided by the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring, and in a longitudinal section of the tapered roller bearing, the guide surface is a surface parallel to the bearing center axis. In the tapered roller bearing according to claim 1 or 2, the retainer segment comprises a plurality of column sections extending in the axial direction and a pair of connecting sections extending in the circumferential direction and connecting the plurality of column sections, a pocket for holding the tapered roller is formed between the adjacent column sections of the plurality of column sections and the pair of connecting sections, guide claws that enable the tapered roller to be inserted into the pocket from the inner diameter side of the retainer segment are provided on the outer diameter side of the adjacent column sections, and connecting members that connect the plurality of retainer segments are provided removably on engaging sections provided on each of the retainer segments.

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