Metal working – Means to assemble or disassemble – Roller or ball bearing
Reexamination Certificate
1996-03-11
2001-02-06
Bryant, David P. (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Means to assemble or disassemble
Roller or ball bearing
C029S258000, C029S464000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182353
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a bearing tool for swaging a bearing into a bearing housing, and more particularly, to a bearing swaging tool that is operable in confined spaces without the need for clamps or power tools.
BACKGROUND PRIOR ART
Bearing swaging tools are commonly used, for example, in the aircraft industry to fix bearings in place in bores adapted to house those bearings. The prior art provides several structures for swaging bearings to bearing housings.
A bearing swaging tool is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,575, issued to Grunze, et al. on May 12, 1992. Other structures for swaging bearings to bearing housings are provided in the following U.S. Pat. No. 3,262,298, issued Jul. 26, 1966; U.S. Pat. No. 3,444,606, issued May 20, 1969; U.S. Pat. No. 3,639,961, issued Feb. 8, 1972; U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,241, issued Oct. 19, 1976; U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,212, issued Mar. 9, 1982; U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,105, issued Jan. 31, 1984; U.S. Pat. No. 4,476,617, issued Oct. 16, 1984; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,448, issued Mar. 11, 1986.
In the aircraft industry, bearing swaging tools are used not only in fabrication of airplanes, but also in installation of replacement bearings during maintenance of the aircraft. In many cases, the bearings are located in confined spaces. Many prior art bearing swaging tools are not useful in confined spaces, as they require a drill press, or other external structure, such as C-clamp structure, for application of the axial force required for swaging. Disassembly of the aircraft is normally required if these bearing swaging tools are used.
Additionally, many prior art bearing swaging constructions involve complicated structures which result in increased manufacturing costs or are impractical and difficult for use in confined spaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,575, issued to Grunze, et al. on May 12, 1992, shows a bearing swaging tool which is an improvement over prior art tools but requires the use of a fairly complex structure, and the operator of the swaging tool must rotate two separate members of the tool to perform an accurate and efficient swaging operation. Additionally, the swaging tool of the '575 patent requires a substantial number of components which results in increased cost of manufacture, and an increase in the size of the swaging tool.
The prior art structures do not provide a bearing swaging tool that works by rotation of a single member of the swaging tool wherein the rotation of the single member results in the tightening of the bearing swaging tool as well as the rotation of swaging members while still permitting control of the amount of rotation with respect to the bearing without undue tightening of the swaging members against the bearing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention includes a bearing swaging tool that solves problems of the prior art. More particularly, the invention includes a bearing swaging tool that is smaller, less expensive to manufacture, and more easily operated through rotation of only a single member of the tool. The bearing swaging tool embodying the invention allows for control of the amount of rotation of the swaging member of the tool with respect to the bearing without undue tightening of the swaging member against the bearing.
The invention provides a swaging tool construction wherein a roller fixture assembly located on one side of a bearing is selectively advanced via an elongated threaded member toward a locating fixture assembly located on the opposite side of the bearing at a rate less than the thread pitch on the threaded member because slippage is provided within the locating fixture assembly. The roller fixture assembly is also rotated via rotation of the same threaded member for proper swaging of the bearing.
One advantage of this invention is that it is easier to use than bearing swaging tools in the prior art. This advantage is due to the incorporation of a structure which allows the roller fixture to rotate with the threaded member, while the axial movement of the roller fixture assembly toward the bearing is selectively less than the threaded pitch of the threaded member due to selective slippage incorporated into the locating fixture. An operator simply turns the same threaded member to both selectively tighten the swaging tool against the bearing and to rotate the roller fixture to swage the bearing. The selective slippage built into the locating fixture of the swaging tool avoids the problem of advancing the roller fixture toward the bearing at a rate which would be too fast for proper swaging.
Other advantages of this invention are the smaller size and reduction in the cost of manufacture of the bearing swaging tool. These reductions are due to the use of less material and fewer components in the manufacture of the bearing swaging tool.
One embodiment of the invention includes a bearing swaging tool for swaging a bearing into an opening in a bearing housing, the bearing having opposite sides and an axially extending bore therethrough. The tool includes an elongated threaded member that extends through the bore of the bearing. The tool also includes a roller fixture assembly adapted to be positioned on one side of the bearing and positioned on one end of the elongated member. The roller fixture assembly has a number of rollers and a roller fixture shell that supports the rollers for engagement with the bearing to swage the bearing against the bearing housing. The bearing swaging tool also has a locating fixture assembly adapted to be positioned on the opposite side of the bearing from the roller fixture assembly. The locating fixture assembly is supported on the other end of the elongated member and includes a locating fixture with one side adapted to be positioned against the bearing. The locating fixture includes means for selectively controlling the amount of axial movement of the locating fixture with respect to the elongated member in response to rotation of the elongated member with respect to the bearing.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following detailed description, claims and drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3184941 (1965-05-01), Schneider
patent: 3262298 (1964-02-01), Samuels et al.
patent: 3444606 (1969-05-01), Jones
patent: 3639961 (1972-02-01), Shiflet
patent: 3986241 (1976-10-01), Ruppe
patent: 4318212 (1982-03-01), Schnabel
patent: 4428105 (1984-01-01), Abott et al.
patent: 4476617 (1984-10-01), Kobylarz
patent: 4574448 (1986-03-01), Brandenstein et al.
patent: 5111575 (1992-05-01), Grunze et al.
patent: 5165169 (1992-11-01), Boyce
patent: 5184402 (1993-02-01), Kadokawa
patent: 5213455 (1993-05-01), Reynolds
patent: 1342944 (1963-10-01), None
patent: 2442098 (1979-11-01), None
patent: 2643584 (1990-02-01), None
Franzen Robert E.
Grunze Mark R.
Bryant David P.
Butler Marc W.
Quarles & Brady LLP
Rexnord Corporation
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