High-performance thrust bearing

Abstract

A high-performance thrust bearing comprises an upper shell, a lower shell and an antifriction gasket set. The upper shell comprises an inclined plane. And the included angle between the inclined plane and the central axis of the upper shell on the cross section along the arrangement direction of the upper shell and the lower shell is an acute angle. The lower shell comprises a containing groove. And the accommodating groove is rectangular on the cross section along the arrangement direction of the upper shell and the lower shell, and the length of the rectangle is parallel to the inclined plane. The anti-friction gasket set is composed of a plurality of anti-friction gaskets, and every two adjacent anti-friction gaskets abut against each other tightly. The inner diameter of the anti-friction gasket of the annular arc-shaped structure is equal to the inner diameter of the annular containing groove, and the outer diameter of the anti-friction gasket of the annular arc-shaped structure is smaller than the outer diameter of the annular containing groove. According to the thrust bearing, the two sides of the antifriction gasket are in friction, the friction effect is improved, and meanwhile the service life of the antifriction gasket is prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of automobile parts, in particular to a high-performance thrust bearing. Background Art

[0002] As is known to all, in a strut-type suspension used for the front wheels of a four-wheeled vehicle, a strut assembly and a coil spring inserted into an outer cylinder of a main shaft are provided in a hydraulic shock absorber. When the strut assembly rotates together with the coil spring during a steering operation, there are a form in which the piston rod of the strut assembly rotates and a form in which the piston rod does not rotate. However, in any form of the strut-type suspension, it is necessary to ensure that the strut assembly can rotate smoothly. Therefore, a bearing needs to be provided on the strut assembly.

[0003] The upper end of the suspension bearing is usually connected to the vehicle body through a top connecting plate. The force from the wheel is transmitted to the vehicle body through the coil spring and the suspension bearing. Therefore, the suspension bearing needs to be able to withstand both axial and radial forces. The suspension bearing structure usually includes an upper bearing cover connected to the top connecting plate, a lower bearing cover directly or indirectly connected to the coil spring, and a rolling assembly located between the upper and lower covers. Another commonly used suspension bearing structure is that in addition to the upper cover and the lower cover, there is also a horizontally arranged annular plastic sheet. The lower bearing cover and the plastic sheet can rotate around the axis relative to the upper cover. This type of suspension bearing is inexpensive.

[0004] The above suspension bearing in the prior art is only provided with one annular plastic sheet, which can only rub one surface during friction, reducing the service life of the plastic sheet, thereby reducing the service life of the entire suspension bearing. In addition, the plastic sheet is generally punched and cut from a whole piece of plastic plate, and the material waste rate is relatively large, thereby increasing the cost of the entire product and being unfavorable for promotion. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides a high-performance thrust bearing that can avoid the above-mentioned problems.

[0006] A high-performance thrust bearing comprises an upper shell, a lower shell connected to the upper shell, and a friction-reducing pad group arranged between the upper shell and the lower shell. The upper shell comprises an upper shell body, and an inclined surface arranged on the upper shell body and facing the lower shell. The angle between the inclined surface and the central axis of the upper shell body in the cross section along the arrangement direction of the upper shell and the lower shell is an acute angle. The lower shell comprises a lower shell body, and a receiving groove arranged on the lower shell body and facing the lower shell body. The receiving groove is rectangular in the cross section along the arrangement direction of the upper shell and the lower shell, and the length of the rectangle is parallel to the inclined surface. The friction-reducing pad group consists of a plurality of friction-reducing pads, and two adjacent friction-reducing pads are tightly pressed against each other. Each of the friction-reducing pads is an annular arc structure, and the inner diameter of the friction-reducing pad of the annular arc structure is equal to the inner diameter of the annular receiving groove, and the outer diameter of the friction-reducing pad of the annular arc structure is smaller than the outer diameter of the annular receiving groove. When the upper shell and the lower shell are combined together, the height of the accommodating groove in the cross section along the arrangement direction of the upper shell and the lower shell is greater than the thickness of the anti-friction pad but less than 1.2 times the thickness of the anti-friction pad.

[0007] Furthermore, the upper shell and the lower shell are made of thermoplastic plastic.

[0008] Furthermore, the angle between the length of the rectangle and the central axis of the upper shell is also an acute angle, and the value of the acute angle is equal to the value of the angle between the inclined surface and the central axis of the upper shell.

[0009] Furthermore, the value of the acute angle is between 35 degrees and 73 degrees.

[0010] Furthermore, the anti-friction gasket is a flat plate structure made of thermoplastic material or thermosetting material.

[0011] Furthermore, the anti-friction pad is a multi-layer structure made of a metal substrate combined with a low friction coefficient and a wear-resistant non-metallic layer.

[0012] Furthermore, when assembling the plurality of anti-friction washers, a tool is used to press the plurality of anti-friction washers into the receiving groove so that two adjacent anti-friction washers are tightly pressed against each other.

[0013] Furthermore, each of the anti-friction pads is provided with an oil groove.

[0014] Furthermore, the high-performance thrust bearing also includes a protective plastic shell covering the outer sides of the upper shell and the lower shell. The protective plastic shell not only covers the outer side of the upper shell facing away from the lower shell, but also covers the side wall of the lower shell facing away from the central axis of the upper and lower shells and part of the side wall of the shell facing away from the upper shell.

[0015] Furthermore, the lower shell also includes a butt-jointing ring which is arranged on the lower shell body and extends toward the upper shell, and the annular inner side wall of the upper shell butts against the butt-jointing ring.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the high-performance thrust bearing provided by the present invention is provided with the inclined surface on the upper shell and the receiving groove is obliquely provided on the lower shell, so that the multiple friction-reducing pads received in the receiving groove are also obliquely provided, so that the axial and radial load requirements of the thrust bearing can be met, and the multiple friction-reducing pads can be made by injection molding and stamping, and then spliced ​​to form a ring, so that the waste of materials can be reduced as much as possible. In addition, the two adjacent friction-reducing pads should be tightly against each other, and the inner diameter of the friction-reducing pad of the annular arc structure is equal to the inner diameter of the annular receiving groove, and the outer diameter of the friction-reducing pad of the annular arc structure is smaller than the outer diameter of the annular receiving groove. At the same time, when the upper shell and the lower shell are combined together, the height of the receiving groove on the cross section along the arrangement direction of the upper shell and the lower shell is greater than the thickness of the friction-reducing pad but less than 1.2 times the thickness of the friction-reducing pad, so when the thrust bearing rotates at a low speed, the two adjacent friction-reducing pads will not overlap each other. During high-speed rotation, since the accommodating groove is inclined relative to the central axis, and the height of the accommodating groove is greater than the thickness of the anti-friction gasket but less than 1.2 times the thickness of the anti-friction gasket, and the outer diameter of the annular arc structure is smaller than the outer diameter of the annular accommodating groove, the anti-friction gasket will expand outward, and at the same time, under the action of the component force generated by the inclined accommodating groove, the anti-friction gasket will float up, thereby not only causing friction on both sides of the anti-friction gasket to improve the friction effect, but also increasing the life of the anti-friction gasket. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the exploded structure of a high-performance thrust bearing provided by the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of a high-performance thrust bearing.

[0019] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A partial enlarged view of the high-performance thrust bearing at point A.

[0020] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the anti-friction pad of the high-performance thrust bearing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The specific embodiments of the present invention are further described in detail below. It should be understood that the description of the embodiments of the present invention herein is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention.

[0022] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of the structure of the high-performance thrust bearing provided by the present invention. The high-performance thrust bearing includes an upper shell 10, a lower shell 20 buckled on the upper shell 10, a circle of anti-friction pads 30 sandwiched between the upper shell 10 and the lower shell 20, and a protective rubber shell 40 covering the outer sides of the upper shell 10 and the lower shell 20. It can be imagined that the high-performance thrust bearing also includes some other functional modules, such as assembly components, mounting components, lubricating grease, etc., which are well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail one by one here.

[0023] The upper shell 10 includes an upper shell 11, and an inclined surface 12 disposed on the upper shell 11 and facing the lower shell 20. The upper shell 11 is annular and can be integrally formed by injection molding. Its material can be hard engineering plastics, such as thermoplastic injection molding, or it can be made of high-strength aluminum alloy. The angle between the inclined surface 12 and the central axis of the upper shell 11 on the cross section along the arrangement direction of the upper shell 10 and the lower shell 20 is an acute angle. The value of the acute angle is between 35 degrees and 73 degrees. The function of the inclined surface 12 and the reason for setting the value of the acute angle will be explained below in conjunction with the lower shell 20 and the anti-friction pad group 30.

[0024] The lower shell 20 includes a lower shell 21, a receiving groove 22 arranged on the lower shell 21 and facing the lower shell, and a top ring 23 arranged on the lower shell 21 and extending toward the upper shell 10. The lower shell 21 is also annular, and its material can also be hard engineering plastics, such as thermoplastic plastics such as high-strength polyurethane injection molding. Of course, it can also be made of metal. Since the lower shell 20 is annular, the receiving groove 22 should also be an annular groove. In the cross section along the arrangement direction of the upper shell 10 and the lower shell 20, the receiving groove 22 is a rectangle, and the length of the rectangle is parallel to the inclined surface 12, that is, the angle between the length of the rectangle and the central axis of the upper shell 11 is also an acute angle. The value of the acute angle is equal to the value of the angle between the inclined surface 12 and the central axis of the upper shell 11. The width of the rectangle should be slightly larger than the thickness of the anti-friction pad group 30, which will be described in detail below. Since the receiving groove 22 is arranged obliquely, the thrust bearing can meet the requirements of bearing axial and radial loads, because in actual use, it is impossible that there is only axial external force, and there must be radial external force, such as when the car sways or bumps left and right. When the upper shell 10 and the lower shell 20 are buckled together, the annular inner wall of the upper shell 10 abuts against the abutting ring 23, and when the protective plastic shell 40 is covered on the outer side of the upper shell 10 and the lower shell 20, the protective plastic shell 40 and the abutting ring 23 clamp the upper shell 10 therebetween, so as to achieve the purpose of fixing the relative position of the upper shell 10 and the lower shell 20 along their radial direction.

[0025] The anti-friction pad group 30 is composed of a plurality of anti-friction pads. The circumferential dimensions of the plurality of anti-friction pads, i.e., the length of the arc length of the inner and outer radial directions, may be the same or different, but the thickness of the plurality of anti-friction pads must be consistent. In the present embodiment, the circumferential dimensions of the anti-friction pads are the same, so each anti-friction pad is the same, and its structure is described by taking one anti-friction pad as an example. An oil groove 31 is provided on at least one of the plurality of anti-friction pads, and in the present embodiment, in order to facilitate industrial manufacturing, an oil groove 31 is provided on each anti-friction pad. The oil groove 31 is used to fill lubricating grease. The anti-friction pad can be a flat plate structure made of a thermoplastic material or a thermosetting material, so it can be first injection molded into a strip, and then cut into an annular arc-shaped piece with the same specifications and dimensions. It can be understood that the oil groove 31 can be injection molded at the same time as the injection molding. In addition, the thermoplastic material or the thermosetting material should be a material with a low friction coefficient and high wear resistance. Specifically, the thermoplastic material includes but is not limited to one of POM, PA, PPS, PES, PEEK, PEI, PAI or a composite wear-resistant material containing one of these materials. The thermosetting material includes but is not limited to one of PTFE, PI, phenolic resin, epoxy resin or a composite wear-resistant material containing one of these materials. The anti-friction gasket can be a multilayer structure made of a metal substrate combined with a low friction coefficient and a wear-resistant non-metallic layer. The metal substrate includes but is not limited to a low carbon steel plate, a stainless steel plate, a copper plate, etc. The wear-resistant non-metallic layer includes but is not limited to one of POM, PA, PPS, PES, PEEK, PEI, PAI, PTFE, PI, phenolic resin, epoxy resin or a composite wear-resistant material containing one of these materials. The seat-resistant non-metallic layer is arranged on both sides of the metal substrate. When the anti-friction gasket is a multilayer structure made of a metal substrate combined with a low friction coefficient and a wear-resistant non-metallic layer, it can first be made into strips of metal strips and then stamped into individual anti-friction gaskets, which can not only reduce material waste but also improve production efficiency.

[0026] The size of each anti-friction gasket is very critical, and each anti-friction gasket is an annular arc structure. The inner diameter r of the annular arc structure is equal to the inner diameter of the annular receiving groove, and the outer diameter of the annular arc structure is smaller than the outer diameter of the annular receiving groove 22. At the same time, when the upper shell 10 and the lower shell 20 are combined together, the height h of the receiving groove 22 in the cross section along the arrangement direction of the upper shell 10 and the lower shell 20 is greater than the thickness of the anti-friction gasket but less than 1.2 times the thickness of the anti-friction gasket. Since the inner diameter r of the annular arc structure is equal to the inner diameter of the annular receiving groove, when assembling, two adjacent anti-friction gaskets should be tightly pressed together. Preferably, when assembling multiple anti-friction gaskets, use a tool to press the multiple anti-friction gaskets into the receiving groove 22 so that two adjacent anti-friction gaskets can be tightly pressed together. This is because in most cases, the lower shell 20 rotates at a low speed relative to the upper shell 10, and two adjacent anti-friction pads cannot overlap each other. Once overlap occurs, it will be difficult to restore the original state because the height h of the receiving groove 22 is greater than the thickness of the anti-friction pad but less than 1.2 times the thickness of the anti-friction pad. When rotating at a high speed, since the receiving groove 22 is tilted relative to the central axis, and the height h of the receiving groove 22 is greater than the thickness of the anti-friction pad but less than 1.2 times the thickness of the anti-friction pad, and the outer diameter of the annular arc structure is smaller than the outer diameter of the annular receiving groove 22, the anti-friction pad will expand outward, and at the same time, under the action of the component force generated by the tilted receiving groove 22, the anti-friction pad will float up, so that not only both sides of the anti-friction pad are rubbed to improve the friction effect, but also the life of the anti-friction pad is improved. In addition, the value of the acute angle is between 35 degrees and 73 degrees. If the value of the acute angle is less than 35 degrees, not only will the radial load-bearing effect of the anti-friction gasket group 30 be reduced, but also the anti-friction gasket will be difficult to float when rotating at high speed. If the value of the acute angle is greater than 73 degrees, in addition to affecting the axial load-bearing effect of the anti-friction gasket group 30, the anti-friction gasket will also tilt during use, such as the edge where the outer diameter of the anti-friction gasket is located abutting against the inclined surface 12, and the edge where the inner diameter of the anti-friction gasket is located abutting against the accommodating groove 22, which will cause the thrust bearing to be difficult to function in a short time and be damaged. In addition, it should be noted that since the height h of the accommodating groove 22 is greater than the thickness of the anti-friction gasket but less than 1.2 times the thickness of the anti-friction gasket, when in use, the anti-friction gasket group 30 and the inclined surface 12 of the upper shell 10 are in a virtual connection state. In reality, lubricating grease will be filled between the anti-friction gasket group 30 and the inclined surface 12 of the upper shell 10.

[0027] The protective rubber shell 40 can be made of fluororubber, and through the rubber coating process, it is not only coated on the outer side of the upper shell 10 facing away from the lower shell 20, but also coated on the side wall of the lower shell 20 facing away from the central axis of the upper and lower shells 11, 21 and on part of the side wall of the shell 20 facing away from the upper shell 10, so as to fix the relative position between the upper and lower shells 10, 20, and also help to improve the sealing between the upper and lower shells 10, 20. Therefore, the shape of the protective rubber shell 40 is determined by the outer shapes of the upper and lower shells 10, 20.

[0028] In addition, it can be understood that in order to improve the sealing performance of the thrust bearing, a sealing ring (not shown) can be provided between the protective rubber shell 40 and the side wall of the lower shell 21, and between the top ring 23 of the lower shell 20 and the inner wall of the upper shell 10. This is a prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0029] Compared with the prior art, the high-performance thrust bearing provided by the present invention sets the inclined surface 12 on the upper shell 10 and obliquely sets the receiving groove 22 on the lower shell 20, so that the multiple anti-friction gaskets received in the receiving groove 22 are also inclined, thereby meeting the axial and radial load requirements of the thrust bearing. At the same time, multiple anti-friction gaskets can be made by injection molding and stamping, and then spliced ​​to form a ring, thereby reducing material waste as much as possible. In addition, the two adjacent anti-friction gaskets should be tightly abutted against each other, and the inner diameter r of the anti-friction gasket of the annular arc structure is equal to the inner diameter of the annular accommodating groove, and the outer diameter of the anti-friction gasket of the annular arc structure is smaller than the outer diameter of the annular accommodating groove 22. At the same time, when the upper shell 10 and the lower shell 20 are combined together, the height h of the accommodating groove 22 in the cross section along the arrangement direction of the upper shell 10 and the lower shell 20 is greater than the thickness of the anti-friction gasket but less than 1.2 times the thickness of the anti-friction gasket. Therefore, when the thrust bearing rotates at a low speed, there will be no overlap between the two adjacent anti-friction gaskets. During high-speed rotation, since the receiving groove 22 is inclined relative to the central axis, and the height h of the receiving groove 22 is greater than the thickness of the anti-friction gasket but less than 1.2 times the thickness of the anti-friction gasket, and the outer diameter of the annular arc structure is smaller than the outer diameter of the annular receiving groove 22, the anti-friction gasket will expand outward, and at the same time, under the action of the component force generated by the inclined receiving groove 22, the anti-friction gasket will float up, thereby not only causing friction on both sides of the anti-friction gasket to improve the friction effect, but also increasing the life of the anti-friction gasket.

[0030] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any modification, equivalent substitution or improvement within the spirit of the present invention is included in the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A high performance thrust bearing, characterized in that: The high-performance thrust bearing comprises an upper shell, a lower shell connected to the upper shell, and a friction-reducing pad group arranged between the upper shell and the lower shell, the upper shell comprises an upper shell, and an inclined surface arranged on the upper shell and facing the lower shell, and the angle between the inclined surface and the central axis of the upper shell in the cross section along the arrangement direction of the upper shell and the lower shell is an acute angle, the lower shell comprises a lower shell, a receiving groove arranged on the lower shell and facing the lower shell, and the receiving groove is a rectangle in the cross section along the arrangement direction of the upper shell and the lower shell, and the rectangle The length is parallel to the inclined plane, the anti-friction gasket group is composed of a plurality of anti-friction gaskets, and two adjacent anti-friction gaskets should be tightly abutted against each other, each of the anti-friction gaskets is an annular arc structure, and the inner diameter of the anti-friction gasket of the annular arc structure is equal to the inner diameter of the annular receiving groove, and the outer diameter of the anti-friction gasket of the annular arc structure is smaller than the outer diameter of the annular receiving groove. When the upper shell and the lower shell are combined together, the height of the receiving groove in the cross section along the arrangement direction of the upper shell and the lower shell is greater than the thickness of the anti-friction gasket but less than 1.2 times the thickness of the anti-friction gasket.

2. The high performance thrust bearing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper shell and the lower shell are made of thermoplastic plastic.

3. The high performance thrust bearing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The angle between the length of the rectangle and the central axis of the upper shell is also an acute angle, and the value of the acute angle is equal to the value of the angle between the inclined surface and the central axis of the upper shell.

4. The high performance thrust bearing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The value of the acute angle is between 35 degrees and 73 degrees.

5. The high performance thrust bearing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The anti-friction pad is a flat plate structure made of thermoplastic material or thermosetting material.

6. The high performance thrust bearing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The anti-friction pad is a multi-layer structure made of a metal substrate combined with a low friction coefficient and a wear-resistant non-metal layer, and the non-metal layer is arranged on both sides of the metal substrate.

7. The high performance thrust bearing according to claim 1, characterized in that: When assembling the plurality of anti-friction washers, a tool is used to press the plurality of anti-friction washers into the accommodating grooves so that two adjacent anti-friction washers are tightly pressed against each other.

8. The high performance thrust bearing according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the anti-friction pads is provided with an oil groove.

9. The high performance thrust bearing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The high-performance thrust bearing also includes a protective rubber shell covering the outer sides of the upper shell and the lower shell. The protective rubber shell not only covers the outer side of the upper shell facing away from the lower shell, but also covers the side wall of the lower shell facing away from the central axis of the upper and lower shells and part of the side wall of the shell facing away from the upper shell.

10. The high performance thrust bearing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower shell also includes a butt-jointing ring which is arranged on the lower shell body and extends toward the upper shell, and the annular inner side wall of the upper shell butts against the butt-jointing ring.

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