Roller bearing ring and disassembly process

Abstract

The present invention starts from a roller bearing ring (10, 11) having at least one raceway (12), wherein the raceway includes a first axial end (14) and a second axial end (16), and both the diameter (18) of the first axial end and the diameter (20) of the second axial end are greater than or both less than the average diameter of the raceway. It is proposed that the roller bearing ring includes a projection (22) which is on the same side (24) of the bearing ring as the raceway and limits the raceway, but is not part of the raceway.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention starts with a roller bearing ring, a roller bearing and its disassembly process. Background Art

[0002] Roller bearing rings are known, which include a raceway of an outer ring, and the raceway is part of a sphere. A roller bearing that may include a roller bearing ring is called a toroidal roller bearing (e.g., ). Such a bearing can be installed between a shaft and a housing, and can be disassembled with a specific tool. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The task of the present invention is in particular to provide a universal roller bearing ring that supports the easy disassembly of a roller bearing including the roller bearing ring.

[0004] The present invention starts with a roller bearing ring having at least one raceway, wherein the raceway includes a first axial end and a second axial end, and both the diameter of the first axial end and the diameter of the second axial end are greater than the average diameter of the raceway or both are less than the average diameter of the raceway.

[0005] It is proposed that the roller bearing ring includes a protrusion, which is on the same side of the bearing ring as the raceway and limits the raceway, but is not part of the raceway. The average diameter of the raceway is defined as where the integral is along the axis of rotation of the bearing ring, a and b are the coordinates of the starting point and the ending point of the raceway, and D(x) is the diameter of the raceway as a function of the coordinate x measured along the axis of rotation. The raceway is rotationally symmetric with respect to the axis of rotation. Accordingly, the easy disassembly of a roller bearing including the roller bearing ring is supported. In particular, it is possible to transfer the disassembly force from the roller bearing ring to the roller elements of the roller bearing via the protrusion, which helps to prevent self-locking during the disassembly process. Self-locking means that during the disassembly process, due to the relative axial movement between the outer ring and the inner ring, the minimum diameter of the bearing decreases and the maximum diameter of the bearing increases, so that the bearing gets stuck (e.g., between the shaft and the housing).

[0006] Preferably, the roller bearing ring includes a groove near the raceway on the side where the raceway is located. By this, easy fixing of the protrusion can be achieved.

[0007] Advantageously, the roller bearing ring includes a structural element that is partially located in the groove and at least partially forms the protrusion. Thus, a cost-effective structure can be achieved.

[0008] In addition, it is proposed that the construction element is a circlip. By this, an easy installation process can be achieved.

[0009] Preferably, the roller bearing ring includes another projection on the side where the raceway is located, so that the raceway is located between two projections. By this, the roller bearing ring supports easy disassembly of the roller bearing in two axial directions.

[0010] Advantageously, the part of the raceway included in the axial section passing through the roller bearing ring has the form of an arc. Thus, the roller bearing ring can be a part of a roller bearing that can accommodate misalignment and heavy radial loads but can also undergo axial displacement (like a cylindrical roller bearing). Preferably, the radius of the arc is greater than the maximum distance from the point of the arc to the rotational axis of the roller bearing ring, which provides the possibility that the bearing ring is a part of a toroidal roller bearing.

[0011] Preferably, the roller bearing ring is an outer ring or an inner ring. In both cases, easy disassembly of the entire roller bearing can be supported.

[0012] Furthermore, a roller bearing is proposed, which has an outer ring constructed according to the previous description and an inner ring also constructed according to the previous description, wherein the roller elements of the roller bearing contact the raceway of the inner ring and the raceway of the outer ring. If the outer ring includes a projection on the axial side opposite to the axial side where the inner ring includes its projection, the axial displacement of the outer ring relative to the inner ring can be restricted. Thus, in this case, where the projection of the outer ring contacts one face side of the roller element, and the projection of the inner ring contacts the other face side of the roller element, further axial displacement of the outer ring relative to the inner ring is inhibited.

[0013] In addition, a procedure for disassembling a roller bearing is proposed, in particular for disassembling the roller bearing as described above, wherein a first force is applied to the outer ring and a second force is applied to the inner ring, wherein the first force and the second force are opposite to each other, and at least one of the roller elements of the roller bearing contacts a protrusion adjacent to the raceway of the outer ring, and wherein the at least one roller element contacts a protrusion adjacent to the raceway of the inner ring. Thus, easy disassembly can be achieved. In particular, the relative axial displacement between the inner ring and the outer ring can be restricted, which limits the increase in the maximum outer diameter of the roller bearing and at the same time the decrease in the minimum inner diameter of the roller bearing to such an extent that self-locking does not occur between the shaft and the seat. Preferably, the axial position of each protrusion is such that the roller can contact the two protrusions before the bearing clearance disappears. In particular, the disassembly is quick and easy and does not depend on specially trained personnel and / or special disassembly tools. Description of the Drawings

[0014] Other advantages result from the following description of the drawings. The drawings illustrate examples of the invention. The drawings, the description and the claims contain combinations of many features. Those skilled in the art will also consider these features individually and summarize them into meaningful further combinations.

[0015] Figure 1 An axial section through the upper half of a roller bearing according to the invention is shown.

[0016] List of Reference Numerals

[0017]

[0018] Detailed Description

[0019] Figure 1 An axial section through the upper half of a roller bearing is shown. The roller bearing includes a roller bearing ring 10 according to the invention, which includes a raceway 12 having a first axial end 14 and a second axial end 16. The roller bearing ring 10 is the outer ring. In addition, the roller bearing includes a second roller bearing ring 11, which is the inner ring of the roller bearing and is also constructed according to the invention. The diameter 18 of the first axial end 14 and the diameter 20 of the second axial end 16 are both smaller than the average diameter of the raceway 12. The raceway 12 is located on the radially inner side 24 of the roller bearing ring 10. On the side 24, the roller bearing ring 10 includes a protrusion 22, which limits the raceway 12 but is not part of the raceway 12.

[0020] The projection 22 is formed by a construction element 28 which is partially located in the groove 26 of the roller bearing ring 10. The groove 26 is located directly at the axial end 14 of the raceway 12 and extends around the rotational axis 32 of the roller bearing ring 10 in the circumferential direction of the roller bearing ring 10 by approximately 360°. The groove 26 is also located on the side 24 of the roller bearing ring. The construction element 28 is a circlip. On the side 24, the roller bearing ring 10 includes another projection 30 which is formed by another circlip located in another groove of the roller bearing ring 10. This other groove is also located on the side 24 and also extends around the rotational axis 32 of the roller bearing ring 10 in the circumferential direction by approximately 360°. The other groove and the other projection are located directly at the second axial end 16 of the raceway 12. Thus, the raceway 12 is located between the projection 22 and the projection 30. The roller bearing ring 11 also includes a first projection 48 and a second projection 50. They are also located directly at the axial ends of the raceway 38 of the roller bearing ring 11, where the raceway 38 is axially located between these projections 48, 50. In addition, the projections 48, 50 are also formed by circlips located in grooves of the roller bearing ring 11, and the groove extends around the rotational axis in the circumferential direction by approximately 360°.

[0021] In addition, the part of the raceway included in the axial section passing through the roller bearing ring 10 has the form of an arc. The radius 34 of this arc is greater than the maximum distance from the points of the arc to the rotational axis 32 of the roller bearing ring 10. The raceway 38 is also an arc in the axial section. In addition, in the axial section, the roller elements 36 are located between the roller bearing rings 10, 11 and directly contact the roller bearing rings 10, 11 through the raceways. In the axial section, the raceways of the roller elements are composed of two arcs, where the radius of the last-mentioned arc is smaller than the radius of the arc of the raceway of the bearing ring. Due to the described geometry, the roller bearing is called a toroidal roller bearing.

[0022] In the case of installing a roller bearing, the roller bearing ring 11 can be press fitted onto the shaft, and the roller bearing ring 10 can be press fitted into the hole for fastening. In this configuration, the protrusions of the described roller bearing are advantageous for disassembling the roller bearing. To disassemble the roller bearing, a force 44 is applied to the outer ring, which axially pulls the outer ring along the rotational axis 32 until the protrusion 22 directly contacts the roller element 36 and the roller element directly contacts the protrusion 50. When this occurs, the force is transmitted to the roller bearing ring 11, whereby the roller bearing ring 11 moves in the axial direction relative to the axis of the shaft, wherein, due to the friction with the shaft, a second force 46 is applied to the roller bearing ring 11, and the second force 46 is directed in the opposite direction to the force 44. Since the protrusions 22, 50 limit the relative axial movement of the roller bearing rings 10, 11, the increase in the maximum diameter of the outer ring and the decrease in the minimum diameter of the inner ring are limited to such an extent that the clamping forces from the seat and the shaft do not stop or inhibit the axial movement of the roller bearing (which is necessary for the disassembly process). Self-locking does not occur.

[0023] For disassembling the roller bearing, in principle, it is sufficient for the roller bearing to include only two of the four protrusions 22, 30, 48, 50. Of course, if the roller bearing includes only two protrusions, they must be on opposite axial sides, and one must be part of the outer ring and the other must be part of the inner ring. However, it is more advantageous for the roller bearing to include all four protrusions 22, 30, 48, 50, because in this way, it is not possible for the roller bearing to be installed in the wrong way and unable to perform the disassembly process along a specific axial direction supported by two protrusions as described above.

[0024] A similar situation is when disassembling a toroidal roller bearing and its seat from the shaft of the rolling line of a continuous casting machine. In this case, the toroidal roller bearing is usually loosely fitted with both the seat and the bearing for quick and easy disassembly. However, due to the environment in the continuous casting machine, the shaft surface sometimes becomes severely corroded. In this case, the present invention can facilitate disassembly using conventional tools and methods.

[0025] In a conventional toroidal roller bearing that is not according to the present invention, there are no inner ring protrusions. There can be one or two outer ring protrusions, but these protrusions are not designed to contact the rollers during installation. Therefore, they are located at positions separated from the raceways and do not limit the raceways. Thus, the outer ring and the inner ring can move relative to each other axially to a large extent. As already mentioned, in this case, self-locking may occur during disassembly. Therefore, applying a greater force will only result in a more jammed (stuck) situation of the bearing, which means that a method of destroying the bearing may be required to disassemble it. With the present invention, none of these situations occur, and the bearing can be easily disassembled and even reused.

Claims

1. A roller bearing, comprising roller bearing rings (10, 11), said roller bearing rings having at least one raceway (12), wherein, The raceway includes a first axial end (14) and a second axial end (16), and both the diameter (18) of the first axial end and the diameter (20) of the second axial end are greater than or less than the average diameter of the raceway. Characterized in that, The roller bearing ring includes a protrusion (22), the protrusion (22) is on the same side (24) of the bearing ring as the raceway and restricts the raceway, but is not part of the raceway. The protrusion is configured to contact the roller elements of the roller bearing when disassembling the roller bearing, so as to restrict the axial displacement of the roller bearing ring. The roller bearing ring includes an outer ring and an inner ring, wherein the roller elements (36) of the roller bearing contact the raceway (38) of the inner ring and the raceway (12) of the outer ring. The outer ring includes a protrusion on the axial side (40) opposite to the axial side (42) where the inner ring includes its protrusion.

2. The roller bearing according to claim 1, Characterized in that, The roller bearing ring includes a groove (26) close to the raceway on the side where the raceway is located.

3. The roller bearing according to claim 2, Characterized in that, The roller bearing ring includes a structural element (28), the structural element (28) is partially located in the groove and at least partially forms the protrusion.

4. The roller bearing according to claim 3, Characterized in that, The structural element is a snap ring.

5. The roller bearing according to any one of claims 1 to 4, Characterized in that, The roller bearing ring includes another protrusion (30) on the side where the raceway is located, so that the raceway is located between the protrusion and the other protrusion.

6. The roller bearing according to any one of claims 1 to 4, Characterized in that, The part of the raceway included in the axial section passing through the roller bearing ring has the form of an arc.

7. The roller bearing according to claim 6, characterized in that, The radius (34) of the arc is greater than the maximum distance from the point of the arc to the rotation axis (32) of the roller bearing ring.

8. A process for disassembling a roller bearing according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, A first force (44) is applied to the outer ring and a second force (46) is applied to the inner ring, wherein the first force and the second force are opposite to each other, and at least one of the roller elements of the roller bearing contacts the protrusion adjacent to the raceway of the outer ring, and wherein the at least one roller element contacts the protrusion adjacent to the raceway of the inner ring.

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