Method for clearance adjustment in a rolling bearing

Details Method for clearance adjustment in a rolling bearing Method for clearance adjustment in a rolling bearing

1998-01-12

2000-03-07

Footland, Lenard A.

Bearings

Rotary bearing

Antifriction bearing

384568, 384571, F16C 2308

Patent

active

060331224

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention refers to a method for clearance adjustment in a rolling bearing having an angle of contact close to 0.degree., and of the type incorporating a number of rollers provided between and in contact with two race tracks, said rollers and race tracks having longitudinal section profiles of essentially the same radii of curvature, said rollers thereby being axially movable along the race tracks without being hindred by axial limitations at the race tracks, in order to allow relative misalignment and axial displaceability of the race tracks.
The method can be applied to any adjustable bearings having a contact angle of or close to 0.degree., e.g. to spherical roller bearings, but it is particularly favourable at bearings where the radius of curvature of the longitudinal section profiles of said roller and race track is bigger than the distance between the outer race track and and the axis of the bearing, as measured perpendicularly to the race track. The contact angle at bearings of the last-mentioned type is altered to such a small extent as compared to spherical bearings when subjected to axial adjustment that the axial load component is not worth mentioning.
Bearings of the last-mentioned type are known e.g. from EPB1-0175858, and they combine different advantages from other types of bearings, such as axial freedom as a cylindrical roller bearing, self alignment as a spherical roller bearing and low section height as a needle roller bearing.
The life and stiffness of a bearing is extensively dependent on the radial internal clearance of the bearing, and it therefore is desirable to optimize the internal clearance for obtaining an optimized life and stiffness.
Conventional rolling bearings are generally delivered with different internal clearances, which is dependent of the specific application for which the bearing is intended. With regard to the field of application it is necessary for the bearing to have either a positive or negative operational clearance, which in some instances is achieved during mounting, e.g. for angular contact bearings and taper roller bearings. It is also possible to provide bearings with specially made bearing rings, which during manufacture are matched to produce a predetermined positive or negative clearance or preload value after mounting. This of course means that an extensive number of different bearings with different internal clearance must be kept in stock.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for clearance adjustment at bearings of the type referred to manufactured to have a reduced number of internal clearances, by which method it is possible to obtain an extensive range of clearance classes with efficient and simple steps, thereby reducing the requirement of keeping a big stock of bearings having different predetermined internal clearance.
In a bearing of the type now referred to, this adjustment of the operational clearance is achieved according to the present invention by actively displacing the inner and outer race rings axially relative to each other.
In a first embodiment of the invention one of the race rings of the bearing is manufactured with its centre displaced from the central position at half the distance between the ends of the rings. When such an unsymmetrical race ring in a first relation is displaced axially in one direction, the clearance is altered either to become greater or smaller, and by turning said one ring in reversed direction, the same direction of axial displacement will result in the same clearance adjustment but in reversed order, i.e. instead of becoming greater, the clearance will become smaller and vice versa. The same effect of course could be achieved by turning around the entire bearing at mounting, but this is not possible in cases where e.g. the inner race ring has a taper bore.
In another embodiment according to the invention both race rings of the bearing are manufactured with their centres displaced from the central position at half the distance between the ends of the rings. When mounting

REFERENCES:
patent: 1280664 (1918-10-01), Clark
patent: 3306687 (1967-02-01), Smith
patent: 3370900 (1968-02-01), Messerschmidt
patent: 3934957 (1976-01-01), Derner
patent: 3957319 (1976-05-01), Gorski

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