WO2022111751A1

WO2022111751A1 - Device and method for installing a seal on a bearing ring of a rolling bearing

Info

Publication number: WO2022111751A1
Application number: PCT/DE2021/100869
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bogdan Fratila; Liviu Jelenschi; Ioan David; Codrut-Adrian CHIJER
Original assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
Priority date: 2020-11-24
Filing date: 2021-11-03
Publication date: 2022-06-02
Also published as: EP4251896A1; RO135762A2; CN116368307A

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for installing a seal (11) on a bearing ring (5, 6) of a rolling bearing (4) which has an inner ring (5) and an outer ring (6), comprising an installation table (3) which is designed to fix one of the bearing rings (5, 6) while simultaneously rotating the other bearing ring (6, 5). The installation device additionally comprises a feed device (2) which is designed to press a strand-shaped seal (11) into a groove (9, 10) located in the rotating bearing ring (5, 6) in a continuous process.

Description

Device and method for mounting a seal on a bearing ring of a roller bearing

The invention relates to a method for installing a strand-shaped seal on a bearing ring, ie the inner ring or outer ring, of a roller bearing. The invention further relates to a device suitable for carrying out such a method.

A sealing unit for roller bearings is known, for example, from EP 0 748 968 B1. This sealing unit is provided for the fluoride-tight sealing of a gap formed between two elements rotating relative to one another. The sealing unit according to EP 0 748 968 B1 includes components of different resilience and should be suitable for sealing angular contact ball bearings.

Other seals for roller bearings made up of metallic and/or non-metallic components are disclosed, for example, in the documents WO 2015/127912 A1, DE 10 2012 206 892 A1, DE 10 2010 053 859 A1 and DE 102018 122 201 A1.

EP 0 747 615 B1 discloses a strand-shaped seal made from expanded graphite and a method for producing such a seal. The string-shaped seal comprises an expanded graphite base element in which expanded graphite particles are located. A major surface of the expanded graphite base member is provided with an impregnating layer of sealing material.

A seal for a roller bearing described in DE 10 2012 223 903 A1 comprises a ring body which is inserted into a first bearing ring of a roller bearing and has a sealing area which makes contact with a second bearing ring of the roller bearing and describes a polygonal cross section. The entire seal can come off be made of plastic. DE 10 2012 223 903 A1 mentions acrylonitrile butadiene rubber as a possible material.

Various variants of sealing cords are described, for example, in the documents EP 1 314 918 A8 and DE 102007 061 580 A1. In both cases, sealing cords have a core and a sheath enclosing the core.

The object of the invention is to design the assembly of a seal that is in the form of a strand on a bearing ring of a roller bearing in a particularly production-friendly manner, with a particularly high degree of process reliability being sought.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a device having the features of claim 1 for mounting a seal on a bearing ring of a roller bearing, which has an inner ring and an outer ring as bearing rings. The object is also achieved by a method for assembling a seal on a roller bearing according to claim 10. Embodiments and advantages of the invention explained below in connection with the assembly method also apply to the assembly device suitable for carrying out the method and vice versa.

The mounting device is intended to mount a seal, which is initially in the form of a strand, on one of the bearing rings of the Wälzla gers, i.e. either on the inner ring or on the outer ring. The Montagevor direction includes a mounting table, which is designed to fix one of the bearing rings while rotating the other bearing ring. The non-rotating bearing ring can be fixed in a variety of ways, for example with the aid of a mechanical braking device. In the simplest case, especially for large bearings, the weight of the bearing ring can be sufficient to keep it in a fixed position on the assembly table. In any case around- The assembly device also includes a supply device, also referred to as an assembly head, which is designed to press a strand-shaped seal into a groove located in the rotating bearing ring in a continuous process.

The seal can either be made from the same material or from a combination of different materials. In the latter case, the seal can be constructed in particular from metallic and non-metallic materials. A construction of the originally strand-shaped seal from different non-metalli's materials of different rigidity is possible. In all cases, the cross-section of the linear seal is designed so that the seal can be anchored stably in the groove of one bearing ring and also achieve the desired sealing effect in relation to the other bearing ring. For this purpose, it can be advantageous to manufacture a sealing foot to be inserted into the groove of the first bearing ring from a stiff material, whereas a sealing lip adjoining the sealing foot, which comes to rest on the second bearing ring, is comparatively flexible. A different resilience of the seal foot on the one hand and the sealing lip on the other hand is typically also influenced by the cross-sectional design of the mentioned sections of the seal, even in cases of a structure of the same material. Finally, it is also possible to coat the seal as a whole or defined surface sections of the seal. For example, the sealing lip can be completely or partially provided with a friction-reducing coating, whereas such a coating does not exist in the area of the sealing foot.

As part of the process that can be carried out with the assembly device, with the first bearing ring stationary and the second bearing ring rotating at the same time, the seal is continuously inserted into a groove in the rotating bearing ring with the aid of a rotating disc whose axis of rotation is perpendicular to the central axis of the bearing rings is formed, pressed. A freely rotatable disk, which is mounted directly or indirectly on a pivotable arm, can be used to insert the seal into the groove formed in the bearing ring. A disc that is hat-shaped, ie has an outwardly directed flange, is particularly suitable. In this case, the flange serves in particular to press the sealing foot into the groove in a targeted manner. In the simplest case, the groove has a rectangular cross-section, optionally with a rounded groove base.

A channel through which the string of sealant to be fed into the groove is advanced may be attached to the pivotable arm or formed directly by that arm. According to an advantageous development, a lubricant supply, in particular an oil supply, with which a lubricant or another substance to be used during assembly is applied to the linear seal, opens into this channel. According to one possible configuration, the string-shaped seal, which is to be pushed forward through the channel, is initially present in a coiled form.

A friction roller drive, for example, which can be attached to the arm mentioned, is suitable for advancing the strand-shaped seal in the channel. The friction roller drive can include a driven friction roller and a friction roller that rotates without its own drive, with the seal passing through a gap formed between the two friction rollers in a manner that is gentle on the material. A friction roller drive with several, in particular two, driven friction rollers can also be used. Depending on the cross-sectional design of the strand-shaped seal, the rollers of the friction roller drive can be designed as profile rollers.

The seal to be inserted into the groove of the bearing ring must be cut off at a suitable point towards the end of the assembly process at the latest, unless a seal of exactly the right length was already available at the beginning of the assembly process. From the lengths of the strand-shaped seal, a cutting device can be attached to the arm of the driving device. In order to enable easy adjustment of the assembly device to differently dimensioned roller bearings, there can be a positioning device on the assembly table, which can, for example, have several linear drive devices synchronized with one another, which are suitable for moving and/or centering the roller bearing on the assembly table. includes. The linear drive devices can be mechanically or electronically synchronized with each other. For example, three linear drive devices, each contacting a peripheral portion of the rolling bearing, are arranged in a star shape on the assembly table. That bearing ring which is to be rotated continuously during assembly of the linear seal is set in rotation, for example with the aid of a friction drive device. A friction drive device has the advantage that it can be used for different types of roller bearings, whereby it contacts the bearing rings of the different roller bearings while optimally protecting their surface. To monitor the assembly process, a sensor system, which comprises at least one optical sensor, for example, can be attached to the feed device, which is designed as an assembly head.

An embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail with reference to a drawing. Show in it:

Fig. 1 shows a device for mounting a seal on a bearing ring of a

rolling bearing in a perspective view,

Fig. 2 and 3 a mounting head of the device according to Figure 1 in different views.

A mounting device, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, includes a feed device 2, which is also generally referred to as a mounting head and is used to insert a linear seal 11 into a bearing ring 5, 6 of a rolling bearing. gers 4 to use. In the present case, the roller bearing 4 is a grooved ball bearing with an inner ring 5 and an outer ring 6 as bearing rings 5, 6. The roller bearing 4 is located on an assembly table 3 during the assembly process designated. The rolling bodies, ie balls, of the rolling bearing 4 are denoted by 8 .

In the inner ring 5 is as well as in the outer ring 6 each have an annular umlau fende groove 9, 10, in which the seal 11 is to be used. The seal 11 includes a seal foot 12 and a sealing lip 13, which after assembly to position on an end face 14, 15 of the outer ring 6 or the inner ring 5 arrives. In the exemplary embodiment, the seal 11 is made of the same material.

For the correct positioning of the roller bearing 4 on the assembly table 3, a support and clamping device 16 is provided, which comprises a linear actuator 17 of the first type and two linear actuators 18, 19 of the second type. The linear actuators 17, 18, 19 are mechanically coupled to one another by a drive and synchronization device 20, which is located centrally between the linear actuators 17, 18, 19 arranged in a star shape. The linear actuators 17, 18, 19, which are generally also referred to as linear drive devices, are associated with roller assemblies 21 on which the bearing rings 5, 6 rest in a rotatable manner. A frictional drive device 22 is provided for the targeted drive of a bearing ring 5 , 6 , ie either the inner ring 5 or the outer ring 6 , which includes various friction rollers 23 , 24 . In this case, the outer ring 6 can be driven with the aid of an outer friction roll le 23 . Internal friction rollers 24, which allow the inner ring 5 to be driven, can be driven via a belt drive 25 in one case. The remaining inner friction rollers 24 do not have their own drive.

The mounting head 2 can be positioned with the aid of a swivel arm 26 which is mounted on a manipulator base part 27 . The manipulator base part 27 is mounted on the assembly table 3. At its end remote from the manipulator base part 27 , the swivel arm 26 is connected in an articulated manner to an intermediate part 28 of the manipulator. On the Manipulator intermediate part 28 in turn is a fluttering device 29 which carries the mounting head 2 .

The mounting head 2 comprises an arm 30 which has the shape of a metal strip which has been bent several times. An end section 31, a foot section 32, and an intermediate section 33 of the arm 30 lie in mutually parallel planes, with the intermediate section 33 being at the smallest distance from the groove 9. At the foot portion 32 of the arm 30, an angle profile 46 is attached. A channel 35 is connected to the angle profile 46, through which the linear seal 11 is pushed during assembly. A first section 36 of the channel 35 is perpendicular to the groove 9 and a second section 37 from the channel 35 in the tangential direction of the groove 9 on the surface of the string-shaped seal 11 outside the groove 9 allows.

At the end portion 31 of the arm 30, a disk 38 is mounted so as to be freely rotatable. The total hat-shaped disc 38 has a flange 39, the ge the seal 11 to be more precise: the seal base 12 in the intended manner in the groove 9 presses.

To advance the seal 11 through the channel 35, a friction roller drive 41 is provided, which is located on the angle section 46 and includes an electric motor 42. A non-driven roller of the friction roller drive 41 is denoted by 43 .

Furthermore, the mounting head 2 includes a cutting device 44, which is also held on the angle profile 46 and with which the seal 11 can be cut off at the appropriate point. A blade of the cutting device 44 is denoted by 45 . A linear actuator of the cutting device 44 is denoted by 47 . In the exemplary embodiment, the linear actuator 47 is a pneumatic actuator. List of reference symbols Assembly device Feed device, assembly head Assembly table Roller bearing Bearing ring, inner ring Bearing ring, outer ring Gearing Rolling element Groove in the inner ring Groove in the outer ring Seal Sealing foot Sealing lip Face of the outer ring Face of the inner ring Support and clamping device Linear actuator of the first type Linear actuator of the second type Linear actuator of the second type Drive and synchronization device Roller arrangement for storage of the roller bearing Friction drive device Outer friction roller Inner friction roller Belt drive Swivel arm Manipulator base part Manipulator intermediate part Mounting device arm of the mounting head End section of arm Foot section of arm Intermediate section of arm - channel First section of channel Second section of channel Disc Flange Lubricant feed Friction roller drive Electric motor Idle roller Cutter Blade Angular profile Cutter actuator

Claims

patent claims

First device for mounting a seal (11) on a bearing ring (5, 6) of an inner ring (5) and an outer ring (6) having roller bearing (4), summed up

- an assembly table (3), which is designed to fix one of the bearing rings (5, 6) while rotating the other bearing ring (6, 5),

- A feed device (2) which is designed to press a strand-shaped seal (11) in a continuous process into a rotating La gerring (5, 6) groove (9, 10).

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized by a rotatably mounted on a pivotable arm (30) disc (38) for inserting the strangför-shaped seal (11) into the groove (5, 6).

3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the rotatable disc (38) describes a hat shape.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by a channel (35) attached to the arm (30) for the passage of the strand-shaped seal (11).

5. The device according to claim 4, characterized by a lubricant feed (40) opening into the channel (35).

6. Device according to one of Claims 2 to 5, characterized by a friction roller drive (41) which is fastened to the arm (30) and is designed to advance the linear seal (11).

7. Device according to one of claims 2 to 6, characterized by an arm (30) attached cutting device (44) for separating the strangför-shaped seal (11).

8. Device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by a plurality of positioning of the roller bearing (4) on the assembly table (3) formed from linear drive devices (17, 18, 19).

9. Device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized by a for driving the rotating bearing ring (5, 6) provided for frictional drive device (22).

10. Method for mounting a linear seal (11) on a bearing ring (5, 6) of a rolling bearing (4) having an inner ring (5) and an outer ring (6), the seal (11) being fixed when the first bearing ring (5 , 6) and simultaneously rotating second bearing ring (6, 5) continuously with the aid of a rotating disc (38), the axis of rotation of which is aligned perpendicularly to the central axis of the bearing rings (5, 6), into a groove (9, 10) which is in the rotating bearing ring (6, 5) is formed, is pressed.