Bearings – Linear bearing – Lubricating
Patent
1995-04-24
1996-03-05
Footland, Lenard A.
Bearings
Linear bearing
Lubricating
384 15, 384 45, F16C 2906
Patent
active
054961130
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention concerns a linear bearing element mounted on the running face of a guide rail and comprising, on at least one of its two front ends, a wiper which bears by an end region against the running face to retain lubricant in the linear bearing element, at least one lubricant supply device, with its inlet end connected to an outer supply duct and its outlet end connected with the bearing region being arranged on or in the bearing element.
From DE-C-2 130 420 a bearing element is known which comprises a wiper unit permitting a constantly dosed lubrication of a rolling bearing by simple and inexpensive means. This device comprises a wiper made of a polymeric material with a wiping edge which is intended to clean the running face during the reciprocating motion of a bearing element made in the form of a recirculating roller shoe and thus keep away impurities from the rolling bearing while, at the same time, preventing lubricant from escaping from the bearing element. In this device, lubricant is transferred into the bearing element from the outside via an element made of an absorbent material surrounding the wiping edge which is in contact with the running face. However, it is possible that undesired emulsions present on the running face be transported into the bearing together with the lubricant.
Another linear bearing element of the initially cited type is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,272 whose lubricant supply device is a lubricant injection unit with a complicated elongate structure comprising an adaptor housing, an injection pipe, a lubricant reservoir, a measuring and filtering element and distributing canals which are connected to supply canals. The supply canals are arranged in the wiper giving it a complicated structure for a spare part so that when the wiper lip is worn out, a relatively expensive component has to be replaced. Moreover, the supply device of this prior art linear bearing element is screwed directly into a threaded bore of the bearing element with a part of its length protruding out of a front end thereof and this results in large dimensions of the bearing in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail.
It is an object of the invention to provide a linear bearing having a compact wiper unit which prevents the ingress of dirt and permits the supply of defined, minimum quantities of lubricant to the running faces and bearing regions without leakage losses.
It is intended that with such a wiper unit the lubricant should be retained as far as possible completely in the bearing element so that the quantities of lubricant required for re-lubrication can be drastically reduced. Users of equipment comprising bearings having wiper units should thus be enabled to better comply with laws concerning environmental protection.
The invention achieves this object by the fact that the supply device is configured as a dosing valve and arranged in a chamber of an attachment body comprising distributing canals which are connected to the outer supply duct and open into the chamber, the attachment body being fixed on an end face of the bearing element.
Dosing valves are standard commercial components used in central lubrication systems. They open and close as a function of the pressure of the lubricant delivered.
Each attachment body of the bearing element can be made as a component having a U-shaped cross-section surrounding the guide rail and comprising a plurality of chambers in which dosing valves are arranged.
The wiper can be made as a plate-shaped component arranged between the attachment body and the bearing element. It is appropriate, in this case, to arrange a transfer opening in the wiper to connect the dosing valve at its outlet end with the bearing region. However, it is also possible to arrange the wiper on the end face of the attachment body away from the bearing element.
A simple method of fabrication comprises making the chambers for the dosing valves in the form of pocket bores in the attachment body.
The dosing valve can be configured as a bush-type component comprising spaces a
REFERENCES:
patent: 4927272 (1990-05-01), Ward, Jr.
patent: 5380096 (1995-01-01), Tanaka
patent: 5435649 (1995-07-01), Kuwahara
Koschmieder Hartmut
Winkelmann Ludwig
Footland Lenard A.
INA Walzlager Schaeffler KG
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