WO2011064063A1 - Sheet-metal comb-shaped cage for rolling contact bearings and method for assembly of said cage - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a rolling contact bearing (8) with an inner race and an outer race (10) and a plurality of rolling contact bodies (9) rolling in a bearing cage (1) between the inner race and outer race (10), wherein the bearing cage (1) has bearing pockets (3) distributed over the circumference for one rolling contact body (9) each. In order to produce a cost-effective and thermally loadable rolling contact bearing (8), the bearing cage (1) is produced, according to the invention, integrally from steel, wherein the bearing pockets (3) thereof engage around the rolling contact bodies (9) with a wrap angle (α₂) of greater than 180°.

Description

 Name of the invention

ROLLER BEARING BLECHKAM MKÄFIG AND METHOD FOR CONNECTING TO IT MENBAU Description

Field of the invention

The invention relates to a rolling bearing with an inner ring and an outer ring and a plurality of rolling in a bearing cage between the inner ring and outer ring rolling elements, wherein the bearing cage distributed over the circumference bearing pockets for each having a rolling element.

Background of the invention

From DE 10 2006 015 547 A1 discloses a cage assembly for a rolling bearing in a Harmony Drive is known, which is made in one piece of plastic and holding means for the rolling elements in the form of elastic tongues. Due to the thermally limited usability of plastic, such a cage assembly is not suitable for thermally demanding applications.

From EP 0 506 496 A1 a bearing cage for rolling bearings for high operating temperature is known. Due to the high operating temperatures, the disclosure teaches a multi-part construction of the bearing cage with simple forms of the items. In this case, a separation of the bearing ring in components of different material composition takes place in the form of a retaining ring and the rolling elements against each other insulating separators.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION Starting from the solutions of the known prior art, the invention is therefore based on the object to propose a rolling bearing for higher operating temperatures, which is inexpensive and easy to manufacture. Description of the invention

The object is achieved by a roller bearing with an inner ring and an outer ring and several, rolling in a bearing cage between inner ring and outer ring rolling elements, the bearing cage distributed over the circumference bearing pockets for each rolling element and is integrally made of steel and the bearing pockets gripping the rolling elements with a wrap angle greater than 180 °.

The one-piece production of the bearing cage made of steel eliminates material costs compared to multipart bearing cages. In particular, if necessary, the material costs of different types of material can be saved. Furthermore, the assembly of the parts of the bearing cage eliminates additional assembly costs and parts management costs. Furthermore, by the proposed bearing cage over a multi-part design of the bearing cage or a one-piece, but with necessarily increased material thickness provided bearing cage made of plastic - if such should satisfy the required thermal requirement - space can be saved, so that particularly compact and / or with Increased lubricant reserve as grease fill provided rolling bearings can be provided. The use of steel rather than, for example, plastic allows rolling bearing applications in elevated operating temperature applications, for example 300 ° C and higher.

For this purpose, in particular, a production of the bearing cage made of sheet metal, for example made of stainless and / or elastic steel of small plate thickness has been found, wherein the bearing cage is preferably produced by means of a die-cutting process tool falling. By setting a wrap angle greater than 180 °, the rolling elements, preferably balls, captively taken up in the circumferential direction and in the axial direction, wherein the bearing cage remains open on one side and a optimized lubricant exchange is maintained. For securing the rolling elements by the formation of the proposed wrap angle undercuts are formed for the rolling elements, which are modeled on the shape of the rolling elements to form homogeneous rolling surfaces. A corresponding clearance for supplying the rolling elements with lubricant and maintaining a self-adjusting lubricating film can be provided in an advantageous manner.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the production of the bearing cage can be carried out in several stages. In this case, a precursor of the bearing cage can be made with openings of the bearing pockets whose radius is greater than the radius of the rolling elements and thus the wrap angle is less than or equal to 180 °. Advantageously, the rolling elements are inserted into this precursor of the bearing cage without mechanical effort and then by forming the bearing pockets, the undercuts, which lead to a wrap angle greater than 180 °, generated.

To illustrate the undercuts, the precursor between the bearing pockets in cross-section may have roof-shaped widened areas with two legs enclosing a given angle of inclination, wherein the undercut takes place by deforming the legs while increasing the contact angle. The embossing of the undercuts can be done, for example, by means of caulking or comparable forming techniques, for example by acting on the legs in the circumferential direction with an opposing forming force. As a result of the material displacement in the direction of the rolling elements of two adjacent bearing pockets in the circumferential direction, the roof-shaped region between the bearing pockets is flattened and in each case an undercut is produced on the mutually facing sides of the bearing pockets. Accordingly, the formation of the remaining undercuts on the remaining storage bags takes place simultaneously or in succession, for example by means of a corresponding number of shaping or caulking tools arranged in the circumferential direction. According to an alternative embodiment, the placement of the bearing pockets of the bearing cage takes place when the bearing cage is finished, ie with already existing undercuts having a wrap angle greater than 180 °. For this purpose, the bearing pockets can be designed to be limited elastic and the rolling elements introduced under elastic widening of the wrap angle in the bearing pockets, for example, be clipped.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The rolling bearing formed according to the invention will be explained in more detail below in several preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Showing:

Figure 1 is a partial processing of a preliminary stage of a one-piece, formed of sheet metal bearing cage; FIG. 2 shows a partial development of a roller bearing with the bearing cage provided with undercuts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows the preliminary stage 2 of the bearing cage 1 in a partial development from a radial point of view with two bearing pockets 3 for receiving the rolling elements provided here in spherical form. The precursor 2 is made of sheet metal by means of a deep-drawing process. Here are the bearing pockets 3 circular segment around the centers 4 of the not yet inserted rolling elements pronounced and have in the representation down and thus in the rolling bearing axially aligned openings 5, which are drawn around the centers 4 wrap angle eh greater than or equal to 180 ° and thus release the diameter d of the rolling elements. As a result, the rolling elements can be inserted into the bearing pockets without overcoming an insertion force. The precursor 2 is then reshaped so that the wrap angle eh is less than 180 ° and thus the rolling elements captive in the Storage bags 3 are included. For this purpose, between the bearing pockets 3 of the roof-shaped widened region 6 is provided with two legs 7, which include a bearing angle ßi, which can be an acute angle or - as shown here - a right angle. In special applications, the contact angle ßi can be up to 120 °. Due to the roof-shaped design of the legs 7, a stock of material is kept between the bearing pockets, by means of which after insertion of the rolling elements undercuts for the rolling elements can be formed.

Figure 2 shows this the finished mounted rolling bearing 8 in a partial development of radially inside, omitting the inner ring of the rolling bearing 8 with the finished bearing cage 1, the rolling elements 9 and the outer ring 10. As a result of the forming of the roof-shaped widened area 6, for example by caulking formed on the bearing pockets 3, the circumferences of the rolling elements 9 engaging behind undercuts 1 1, which limit the wrap angle a ₂ so that the openings 5 are smaller than the diameter d of the rolling elements 9 and these are secured captive in the bearing pockets 3. In the illustrated embodiment, the wrap angle a _{2 is} greater than 180 ° and thus formed as a super-blunt angle.

As a result of the formation of the undercuts 1 1 of the contact angle ß _{2 is} flattened with respect to the contact angle ßi of Figure 1 and is greater than 90 ° - here about 150 °. The slope γ of the legs 7 falls in the embodiment shown to 15 °. It is understood that depending on the design of the rolling bearing 8, the parameters described can be adapted to the circumstances depending on the number of rolling elements 9 and their diameter d.

The figure 2 further represents an advantageous embodiment of the rolling bearing 8 in partial development, which provides the bearing cage 1 tool without the precursor 2 of Figure 1, wherein the undercuts 1 1 are formed prior to introduction of the rolling elements 9 and the rolling elements under elastic stress of the Undercuts 1 1 are clipped into the storage bags 3. In this case, depending on the elastic properties of the bearing cage 1, which depend inter alia on the material properties of the steel used, on the thickness of the sheet used and the like, the expression the undercuts 1 1 are selected so that the rolling elements 9 can be clipped in production with tolerable forces and low elastic deformation of the storage bags 3 and at the same time captive held in this.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 bearing cage

 2 preliminary stage

 3 storage bag

 4 center point

 5 opening

 6 roof-shaped extended area

 7 thighs

 8 rolling bearings

 9 rolling elements

 10 outer ring

 1 1 undercut

αι wrap angle

α ₂ wrap angle

ßi contact angle

ß ₂ angle of attack

 Y slope

d diameter

Claims

claims Rolling bearing (8) having an inner ring and an outer ring (10) and a plurality, in a bearing cage (1) between the inner ring and outer ring (10) rolling rolling elements (9), wherein the bearing cage (1) over the circumference distributed bearing pockets (3) for each having a rolling body (9), characterized in that the bearing cage (1) is made in one piece from steel and the bearing pockets (3) engage around the rolling elements (9) with a wrap angle (a ₂ ) greater than 180 °. Rolling bearing (8) according to claim 1, characterized in that the bearing cage (1) open on one side and the rolling elements (9) by means of the wrap angle (a ₂ ) formed undercuts (1 1) captive in the bearing pockets (3) are added , Rolling bearing (8) according to claim 2, characterized in that the bearing cage (1) in a preliminary stage (2) with a wrap angle (α-ι) made smaller equal to 180 ° and the undercuts (1 1) after inserting the rolling elements (9) are formed. Rolling bearing (8) according to claim 3, characterized in that in the preliminary stage (2) between the bearing pockets (3) in cross section roof-shaped widened areas (6) with two a predetermined contact angle (ßi) enclosing legs (7) are provided, wherein the Undercut (1 1) by deforming the legs (7) by increasing the contact angle (ßi) takes place. Rolling bearing (8) according to claim 4, characterized in that the deformation of the legs (7) takes place by means of caulking. Rolling bearing (8) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the bearing pockets (3) are designed to be limited elastic and the rolling elements (9) with elastic widening of the wrap angle (a ₂ ) in the bearing pockets (3) are introduced. Rolling bearing (8) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the bearing cage (1) is produced by means of a deep-drawing process.