Modular tool for measuring disassembly torque

Abstract

A modular tool (10) for measuring the disassembly torque of a metal shield (36) for a seal (35) of a bearing unit (30), the tool (10) having:-a torquemeter (20) equipped with an internal hexagonal wrench (22); -a base element (40) rotating integrally with the torquemeter (20); -a modular element (50) rotating integrally with the base element (40) and the shield (36) of the bearing unit (30); and-a support platform (60) for the bearing unit (30); wherein:-the size of the base element (40) relative to the bearing unit (30) is immutable; -the modular element (50) has a variable size as a function of the size of the bearing unit (30).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a modular tool for measuring the disassembly torque. In particular, the tool can be used to check the torque of a shield for disassembling a seal from a bearing unit. Background Art

[0002] The bearing unit is provided with seals for protecting the internal components of the bearing unit (essentially the raceways and rolling elements) from external contaminants (water, dust, sludge) and for retaining the grease inside the bearing unit.

[0003] The seal is usually formed by one or more metal shields on which a coating of an elastomeric material is co-moulded, which in turn is provided with a contact or non-contact sealing lip. The metal shield is preferably, but not exclusively, mounted on the stationary ring of the bearing unit by interference, with the lip in contact or light contact with the rotating surface of the rotating ring of the bearing unit.

[0004] For the correct operation of the seal, it is important to measure the torque used to disassemble the metal shield from the fixed ring of the bearing unit. In order to perform the assembly of the shield in a correct manner, the disassembly torque must have a value within a predetermined range that complies with the assembly specifications.

[0005] At present, the disassembly torque of the shield is measured in different ways and depends on the size of the bearing unit. For this purpose, measuring tools that differ from one another in both type and size are used, depending on the size of the bearing unit. Furthermore, it frequently happens that different production sites use different tools for bearing units of the same type and size. This results in the disadvantage that, depending on the tool used, different torque values ​​are obtained, which in some cases are outside the specified range. Summary of the invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a modular tool for measuring the torque for disassembling a sealing shield from a bearing unit which does not have the above-mentioned disadvantages.

[0007] According to the invention, there is provided a modular tool for measuring disassembly torque, the modular tool having the characteristic features indicated in the appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show non-limiting examples of embodiments of the invention, in which:

[0009] - Figure 1 A cross-sectional view showing a tool for measuring a torque for removing a sealing shield from a bearing unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0010] - Figure 2 Shown according to Figure 1 Details of the tools;

[0011] - Figure 3 and Figure 4 Shown according to Figure 1 a cross-sectional view of a base element of a tool; and

[0012] - Figure 5 and Figure 6 Shown according to Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the modular elements of the tool. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Reference Figure 1 The modular tool 10 is used to measure a disassembly torque, and in particular, to measure a torque for disassembling a metal seal shield from a corresponding bearing unit 30 .

[0014] The bearing unit 30 has a central axis of rotation X and comprises:

[0015] - a stationary radial outer ring 31;

[0016] - a rotatable radial inner ring 33;

[0017] - a row 32 of rolling elements, in this example balls, between a radially outer ring 31 and a radially inner ring 33; and

[0018] - At least one seal 35 for protecting the bearing unit 30 from external contaminants.

[0019] Throughout the present description and claims, terms and expressions indicating position and orientation, such as “radial” and “axial”, are understood to be with respect to the central rotation axis X of the bearing unit 30 .

[0020] Also refer to Figure 2 , the seal 35 comprises:

[0021] a shaped metal shield 36 mounted by interference inside the seat 31 ′ of the radial outer ring 31 and provided with a plurality of through holes 37; the holes 37 are arranged circumferentially and at 90° relative to each other and preferably are four in number; the holes 37 are shaped so as to engage with the tool 10, as will be explained below; and

[0022] A coating 38 of elastomeric material, co-moulded onto the metal shield 36 and provided with at least one sealing lip 39 .

[0023] The modular tool 10 according to the present invention comprises:

[0024] - a torque gauge 20, for example a torque wrench, which is of a known type and which is only Figure 1 As schematically shown in FIG. 1 , the torque meter 20 is provided with a hexagonal key 22 and a display 21 for viewing the measured torque value;

[0025] a base element 40 , which is immutable with respect to the dimensions of the bearing unit 30 and which has as its axis of symmetry the axis of rotation X of the bearing unit 30 during use;

[0026] a modular element 50 which is variable according to the size of the bearing unit 30 and which assumes as an axis of symmetry the axis of rotation X of the bearing unit 30 during use; and

[0027] A support platform 60 for the bearing unit 30 , configured to stably lock both the radially outer ring 31 and the radially inner ring 33 .

[0028] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the base element 40 further comprises:

[0029] a hexagonal head 41 adapted to engage with the hexagonal key 22 of the torque meter 20 , so that a relative rotation of the torque meter 20 and the base element 40 is prevented;

[0030] - a substantially cylindrical body 42 integral with the hexagonal head 41; and

[0031] - A plurality of teeth 43 which, in the preferred embodiment shown, are integral with the body 42, protrude axially from the body 42 and are preferably four in number, are arranged at 90° relative to each other in the circumferential direction and have a cross section in the shape of a circular crown segment.

[0032] Reference Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the modular element 50 further comprises:

[0033] - a substantially cylindrical body 51;

[0034] a plurality of through-slots 52 formed in a circumferential arrangement inside the body 51; according to the preferred embodiment shown, the number of slots 52 is preferably four, arranged at 90° relative to each other and having a cross-section in the shape of a circular crown segment; the size of the cross-section of the slots 52 is substantially equal to the size of the teeth 43 of the base element 40, so that the corresponding teeth 43 can be engaged inside the corresponding through-slots 52, so that the base element 40 and the modular element 50 rotate integrally; and

[0035] - A plurality of pins 53 having a substantially cylindrical shape, the plurality of pins 53 protruding in the axial direction from a main body 51 integral with the plurality of pins 53; according to the preferred embodiment shown, the number of the pins 53 is preferably four, and they are arranged at 90° relative to each other in the circumferential direction; the circular cross-section of the pins 53 is substantially the same as the circular cross-section of the holes 37 of the shielding member 36, so that the corresponding pins 53 can be engaged inside the corresponding through holes 37, so that the modular element 50 and the metal shielding member 36 can rotate integrally with each other.

[0036] The modularity of the element 50 is provided by the radial positioning of the pins 53. In fact, depending on the size of the bearing unit 30, the size of the metal shield 36 and therefore the radial position of the holes 37 in the shield 36 and the corresponding pins 53 of the modular element 50 will vary: for larger diameters of the bearing unit 30 and therefore of the shield 36, the pins 53 will be positioned radially with respect to the axis of symmetry X at a proportionally larger radius R.

[0037] The operating principle of tool 10 can be easily understood by considering the following:

[0038] - the bearing unit 30 is stably locked on the platform 60;

[0039] - the torque meter 20, the base element 40, the modular element 50 and the metal shield 36 rotate integrally with each other;

[0040] The metal shield 36 is locked inside the seat 31 ′ of the radial outer ring 31 by interference fit.

[0041] The torque meter 20 will transmit a gradually increasing torque to the metal shield 36, and the value of the transmitted torque can be viewed on the display 22. As the transmitted torque increases, the shield 36 will begin to rotate relative to the radial outer ring 31.

[0042] By definition, the value of the torque required to rotate the shield 36 by an angle of 45° relative to the radial outer ring 31 is the minimum torque value for establishing the rotatability of the shield 36. If this torque value is greater than the torque indicated in the specification regarding the "rotatability" of the shield 36, the shield 36 can be considered to be effectively locked inside the seat 31' of the radial outer ring 31.

[0043] The modular tool according to the invention thus makes it possible to avoid the use of different instruments for measuring the disassembly torque of the sealing shield. This thus avoids the risk that different instruments may provide different torque values ​​and in some cases may provide torque values ​​outside the specified range. Thanks to the invention, instead, a single modular tool can be used, which is characterized by a standard base element 40 (i.e. a standard base element that is invariable with respect to the size of the bearing unit) and modular elements, which can be adapted to bearing units with different sizes.

[0044] Furthermore, the modular tool can also be used as a standard tool in different production locations.

[0045] What’s more, the tool can be used in the production assembly department as well as in the quality control department. Therefore, the dismantling torque can be double-checked using the same tool. In addition, the quality control department can create a quality control summary table for various dismantling torque values ​​depending on the size of the bearing unit, with the certainty of providing reliable results regardless of the measuring instrument.

[0046] In addition to the embodiments of the present invention as described above, it must be understood that there are many other variations. It must also be understood that these embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the present invention, the application of the present invention, or the possible configurations of the present invention. On the contrary, although the above description allows those skilled in the art to implement the present invention at least according to one of the examples of the embodiments of the present invention, it must be understood that many variations of the described components are possible without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims, interpreted literally and / or according to their legal equivalents.

Claims

1. A modular tool (10) for measuring the disassembly torque of a metal shield (36) of a seal (35) for a bearing unit (30), wherein: - the bearing unit (30) has an axis of rotation (X) and comprises a radial outer ring (31) which is fixed and provided with a seat (31') and a radial inner ring (33) which is rotatable, and - the shielding member (36) is installed in the seat (31') of the radial outer ring (31) by interference fit and is provided with a plurality of through holes (37), The tool (10) comprises: - a torque meter (20) equipped with an Allen key (22); - a base element (40) which rotates integrally with the torque meter (20) and which has as an axis of symmetry the axis of rotation (X) of the bearing unit (30) during use; - a modular element (50) which rotates integrally with the base element (40) and the shield (36) of the bearing unit (30) and which has as an axis of symmetry the axis of rotation (X) of the bearing unit (30) during use; and - a support platform (60) for the bearing unit (30) configured so as to stably lock both the radially outer ring (31) and the radially inner ring (33); The tool (10) is characterized in that: - the dimensions of the base element (40) relative to the bearing unit (30) are immutable; The modular element (50) has dimensions that are variable according to the dimensions of the bearing unit (30).

2. The tool (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that The base element (40) comprises: - a hexagonal head (41) adapted to engage with an Allen key (22) of the torque meter (20) so as to prevent relative rotation of the torque meter (20) and the base element (40); - a cylindrical body (42) integral with said hexagonal head (41); and - a plurality of teeth (43) integral with said body (42) and projecting axially therefrom.

3. The tool (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that The modular element (50) comprises: - a cylindrical body (51); - a plurality of through slots (52) formed inside the body (51) in a circumferential arrangement and having a cross section substantially equal to that of the teeth (43) of the base element (40), so that a respective tooth (43) can engage inside a respective through slot (52); and - a plurality of cylindrical pins (53) integral with the body (51), projecting axially from the body (51) and having a circular cross-section substantially identical to that of the holes (37) of the shield (36), so that the respective pins (53) can engage inside the respective through holes (37).

4. The tool (10) according to claim 3, characterized in that The teeth (43) of the plurality of teeth and the slots (52) of the plurality of slots are arranged at 90 degrees relative to each other in the circumferential direction and have a cross-section in the shape of a circular crown segment.

5. The tool (10) according to claim 3, characterized in that The number of pins (53) among the plurality of pins is four, and they are arranged at 90 degrees relative to each other in the circumferential direction.

6. The tool (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that For larger diameters of the bearing unit (30), the pin (53) will be positioned radially relative to the axis (X) at a proportionally larger radius (R).

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