Bearings – Rotary bearing – Antifriction bearing
Patent
1993-07-09
1995-01-10
Hannon, Thomas R.
Bearings
Rotary bearing
Antifriction bearing
384480, F16C 1300, F16C 3380
Patent
active
053801040
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to bearings for rollers and the like, and provides an improved bearing structure for overcoming a disadvantage which applies in industrial applications, in particular in food handling and manufacturing plants, but which clearly will have wider application.
In food factories, for the handling and/or manufacture of foodstuff, it is common to use what is sometimes referred to as roller decking. Roller decking comprises a plurality of rotatably supported rollers which lie parallel and in spaced relationship and define a surface for the supporting of articles of foodstuff so that the articles can be conveyed across the decking by rotation of the rollers for example so as to move away from or to processing machinery, or to move from location to location of the plant. The rollers may be arranged in an inclined plane so that the food articles will travel thereover by virtue of gravity, or in some cases the rollers may be driven for the propulsion of the articles. Roller decking is of course used in non-food installations.
A roller of a roller decking comprises essentially a cylindrical portion in the form of a sleeve of plastics or metallic material, and the ends of the sleeve receive roller element bearings comprising inner and outer races with rolling elements therebtween such elements being for example balls or cylinders. The roller bearings usually have shafts extending therefrom by which they are mounted for example on supporting framework forming part of the roller decking, whereby the rollers are mounted for rotation about their axes.
A problem with the rollers is that especially if they are utilised in a damp or wet environment, there is a tendency for water and/or particles to collect inside the roller sleeve, leading to the collection of trapped deposits which in turn lead to the breeding of bacteria which is undesirable as it can constitute a health hazard.
The present invention seeks to provide a roller bearing for use in roller decking, which overcomes this disadvantage.
In accordance with the invention in a general aspect thereof a roller bearing suitable for use in a roller of roller decking, comprises inner and outer races with rolling elements therebetween, the outer race being in the form of a blanking cup suitable for fitting into the end of a sleeve, and the inner race being provided with or for connection to a mounting shaft extending away from the end of the sleeve in which the roller bearing is to be received.
By virtue of using a blanking cup as the outer race, an effective means for preventing the ingress of materials and liquids into the sleeve through the roller bearing is provided, whereby the abovementioned difficulty regarding the breeding of bacteria is avoided.
The inner race preferably also is in the form of a cup having a central bore for receiving the said shaft, and in the assembled roller decking, the bottom of said bore for the shaft preferably receives a spring whereby, when two of such bearings are used for the support of a roller or roller decking, the roller will be displacable against spring action for removal of same from the decking for replacement and repair.
The inner and outer races preferably are of moulded plastics construction, machined if necessary, and the rolling elements preferably are steel balls arranged in equiangular relationship around the axis of the bearing, and held in such relationship by means of a plastics roller bearing cage.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example,
with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a section of roller decking; and
FIG. 2 is a sectional elevation to an enlarged scale taken through an end of one of the rollers of the decking shown in FIG. 1, the section being taken on the line II--II in FIG. 1.
Referring to the drawings, a section of roller decking is indicated by the reference numeral 10, and the decking will be seen to comprise side rails 12 and 14 of channel sectioned angle iron forming part of t
REFERENCES:
patent: 1362910 (1920-12-01), Zoeller et al.
patent: 2190336 (1940-02-01), Olson
patent: 4606659 (1986-08-01), Hogan
BNL Limited
Hannon Thomas R.
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