Bearing cage for rolling bearing
By designing multiple web-connected ring elements and slot structures in the rolling bearing cage, the problem of insufficient lubricant distribution is solved, effective transmission and storage of lubricant from the inside to the outside is achieved, and the service life of the bearing is extended.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202410948651.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2023-07-19
- Filing Date
- 2024-07-16
- Publication Date
- 2025-01-21
AI Technical Summary
The existing rolling bearing cages have insufficient lubricant distribution, resulting in lubricant accumulation in areas of the bearing that do not require lubrication, and may result in insufficient lubricant during bearing operation, reducing the service life of the bearing.
Design an improved bearing cage, which forms a lubricant transmission channel through multiple web-connected ring elements and slot structures to transport lubricant from the radially inner side of the bearing cage to the outer side, and in the bearing cage. Cutouts are provided on the radial outside as a lubricant storage area to ensure sufficient lubrication on the outside of the cage.
Through the improved cage design, lubricant can be effectively distributed to the radial outside of the bearing cage, ensuring the lubrication state of the bearing, extending the service life of the bearing, and improving the working performance of the bearing.
Smart Images
Figure CN119333478A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention relates to a bearing cage for a rolling bearing according to the preamble of claim 1 . Background Art
[0002] Rolling bearing cages or segments of rolling bearing cages are used to hold rolling elements between inner and outer rings in rolling bearings. To lubricate the bearings, lubricants or greases are usually introduced into the inner space of the bearing or between the inner and outer rings. However, this results in the lubricant or grease being present in areas of the bearing that do not require lubrication during the entire service life, without participating significantly in the lubrication of the rolling elements during the operation of the bearing.
[0003] For example, unused lubricant often accumulates in the inner space of the bearing in areas where lubrication is not required. In the case of a multi-row bearing, such as used in a truck wheel bearing unit, such an area is located, for example, centrally between the first and second raceways and in front of a seal or guide flange ( / guide flange) (TRB guide flange).
[0004] As mentioned above, lubricant is usually introduced into the inner space of the bearing. Depending on the cage geometry, however, insufficient lubricant may occur radially outside the cage, for example in the region of the outer raceway. In other words, the presence of lubricant outside the cage may be limited, which may reduce the possible service life of the bearing.
[0005] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a bearing cage for a rolling bearing which has an improved cage geometry and also facilitates the distribution of lubricant on the radial outer side of the cage. Summary of the invention
[0006] This object is achieved by a bearing cage for a rolling bearing according to technical solution 1.
[0007] A bearing cage for rolling bearings, in particular for tapered roller bearings, is proposed below. The bearing cage comprises at least one first ring element and at least one second ring element connected to each other via a plurality of webs, the ring elements and the webs forming pockets designed to guide and retain rolling elements.
[0008] The rolling bearing may have an outer ring and an inner ring, wherein the outer ring and the inner ring each have a raceway on which the rolling elements can roll. In order to minimize the friction resistance in the rolling bearing, a lubricant, in particular a grease, is provided, which lubricates the contact surfaces between the bearing rings or raceways and the rolling elements and between the rolling elements and the cage.
[0009] In addition, the bearing retainer can be made of plastics, in particular, the bearing retainer can be made of polyamide PA66. In addition, the bearing retainer can also be made of fiber-reinforced plastics, in particular, the bearing retainer can also be made of glass-fiber-reinforced polyamide PA66.
[0010] In order to also facilitate the distribution of the lubricant on the radially outer side of the cage, at least one ring element has a slot in the area of the edge of the end face of a rolling element that can be accommodated in the cavity, which slot is designed to transport the lubricant from the radial inside of the bearing cage to the radial outside of the bearing cage.
[0011] Since the major portion of the lubricant is located inside the bearing and on the axial side, the end faces of the rolling elements are usually in contact with or covered with the lubricant. This can be further enhanced in the case where the bearing cage is provided with a further lubricant storage area attached in the axial direction, for example in the case of a tapered roller bearing, at the small end of the cage. The fact that at least one slot is formed in the contact area between the end face of the rolling element accommodated in the cell and the ring element of the cage means that the lubricant can be transferred to the outside of the cage by the rotation of the rolling element. In other words, at least one slot forms a lubricant transport channel, through which the lubricant can be transported to the radial outside of the cage.
[0012] According to a further preferred embodiment, at least one web has at least one cut-out on the radially outer side of the bearing cage, which is implemented as a lubricant storage area. Due to the rotation of the rolling elements and the associated transmission of lubricant through the at least one slot to the radially outer side of the cage, the at least one cut-out can be gradually filled with lubricant during use. It can be particularly advantageous if the at least one lubricant storage area is pre-filled with lubricant, so that sufficient lubrication of the radially outer side of the cage can be ensured from the outset.
[0013] Furthermore, at least one lubricant reservoir area can be implemented as an axially extending radial notch in the web, which preferably extends in the axial direction to at least one ring element of the bearing cage. In particular, at least one notch can be implemented as a V-shaped notch. The filling notch along the cage web on the radial outside of the cage serves as a lubricant supply for the raceway of the outer ring and ensures a good level of lubricant in this area.
[0014] Furthermore, a plurality of webs may be provided with cutouts which are implemented as lubricant storage areas. Preferably, each web of the bearing cage is provided with a cutout. Preferably, at least one cutout extends from the axially inner ring element to at least one contact area between the rolling element and the cage web. The at least one cutout may advantageously increase the flexibility of the cage in the web area, thereby facilitating mounting of the cage in the bearing.
[0015] Preferably, at least one slot is formed in the region of the web. Since the slot represents a lubricant transport channel, it is advantageous if the slot is implemented in the region of the web, or adjacent to the web, on which the at least one cutout is implemented, so that the at least one cutout can be effectively filled with lubricant.
[0016] The lubricant storage area can also be realized so as to be fluidically connected to at least one slot in the circumferential direction. Thereby, the transmission of lubricant into the lubricant storage area can be improved.
[0017] Furthermore, the slots can be provided on both sides of the web. For example, each cell can thus have two slots which are implemented in the region of two webs which delimit the cell in the circumferential direction. This makes it possible to provide a rolling bearing which can be used regardless of the preferred direction of rotation, since lubricant can be conveyed from the inside to the outside of the cage via one of the two slots, depending on the direction of rotation.
[0018] According to a further embodiment, at least one ring element of the bearing cage has a further lubricant storage area designed to receive lubricant. For example, the further lubricant storage area can be arranged in the axial inner area. Due to the rolling bearing cage having a further lubricant storage area designed to receive lubricant, for example, better lubrication and / or better utilization of the lubricant present in the rolling bearing can be achieved. In the case of a tapered roller bearing, due to the inclined outer boundary surface, the rotation of the lubricant located in the further lubricant storage area can increase the transport effect of the lubricant towards the small roller end face and the at least one slot (in particular used as a lubricant transmission channel) due to centrifugal forces.
[0019] Preferably, at least one ring element is U-shaped, the U-shaped ring element is open toward the cavity, and the other lubricant storage area is implemented in the inner space of at least one ring element. Preferably, at least one slot is implemented in at least one ring element having another lubricant storage area. This makes it possible to achieve targeted positioning of lubricants in rolling bearing cages so that the lubricants are effectively available for a long time. In particular, the lubricant retained in the other lubricant storage area can be directly delivered to the radial outside of the bearing cage through at least one slot. For example, this can increase the service life of the bearing using the bearing cage according to the exemplary embodiment. In particular, the lubricant introduced into the area of the rolling element before using the rolling bearing can be forced to leave the rolling element area and toward another lubricant storage area during the first rotation, where the lubricant can be collected by the U-shaped ring element. Preferably, another lubricant storage area is pre-filled with lubricant.
[0020] Preferably, at least one radially outwardly arranged face of the further lubricant storage area may extend at an angle between 0° and 90° relative to the axis of rotation. In other words, at least one radially outwardly arranged face of the further lubricant storage area may be conical or straight. The angle in this case may be selected depending on the requirements for the conveying effect.
[0021] In some further exemplary embodiments, the rolling bearing cage is tapered. The rolling bearing cage may, for example, have a first diameter at a first axial end and a second diameter at a second axial end, the first diameter being greater than the second diameter. For example, the lubricant storage area may be arranged on the smaller diameter of the rolling bearing cage. This is a simple way to enable lubricant to be forced into the lubricant storage area by centrifugal force and, for example, to enable base oil that lubricates the contact surface to flow out. Additionally or alternatively, the lubricant storage area may also, for example, be arranged on the larger diameter of the tapered rolling bearing cage.
[0022] According to a further aspect, a rolling bearing having a bearing cage as described above is proposed.
[0023] Further advantages and advantageous embodiments are indicated in the description, the drawings and the claims. In particular in this respect, the combinations of features indicated in the description and the drawings are merely examples, such that the features may also exist alone or in other combinations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. The exemplary embodiments and the combinations shown in the exemplary embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to establish the scope of protection of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is limited only by the attached claims.
[0025] In the attached picture:
[0026] Figure 1 : shows a perspective view of a bearing retainer according to one embodiment,
[0027] Figure 2 : Shows the Figure 1 A perspective view of the radial outer side of the bearing cage, and
[0028] Figure 3 : Shows the Figure 1 A three-dimensional view of the radial inner side of a bearing cage.
[0029] Reference numerals list
[0030] 1 Bearing cage
[0031] 2 Ring elements
[0032] 4 Ring Components
[0033] 6. Belly
[0034] 8 Rolling elements
[0035] 10 Cavity
[0036] 12 Edge
[0037] 14 End face
[0038] 16 Slots
[0039] 18 Lubricant
[0040] 20 Incision
[0041] 22 Lubricant storage area
[0042] 24 Arrow
[0043] 26 Arrow
[0044] 28 Arrow
[0045] 30 Another lubricant storage area
[0046] 32 Arrow DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0047] In the following, identical or functionally identical elements are denoted by the same reference numerals.
[0048] Reference Figures 1 to 3 A bearing cage 1 for rolling bearings, in particular for tapered roller bearings, is described. The bearing cage 1 has a first ring element 2 and a second ring element 4 connected to each other via a plurality of webs 6, the ring elements 2, 4 and the webs 6 realizing a cell 10 designed to guide and retain rolling elements 8, in particular tapered rollers.
[0049] In order to also assist the distribution of the lubricant on the radially outer side of the cage 1, the first ring element 2 has two slots 16 in the region of an edge 12 of an end face 14 of a rolling element 8 which can be accommodated in a pocket 10, the two slots 16 being designed to convey the lubricant 18 from the radially inner side of the bearing cage 1 to the radially outer side of the bearing cage 1. Figure 2 , Figure 3 ). Figures 1 to 3 As can be seen in FIG. 2 , two slots 16 are realized in the region of the web 6 in order to ensure the most efficient possible transport of the lubricant 18 to the web 6 .
[0050] Adjacent to the slots 16 is a cut-out 20, which is realized as a V-shaped notch, which serves as a lubricant storage area 22, which is realized on each of the webs 6, radially outside the bearing cage 1. Due to the rotation of the rolling elements (as indicated by arrows 24) and the associated transmission of lubricant 18 through the slots 16 from the radial inside of the cage 1 to the radial outside of the cage (as indicated by arrows 26), during use, the cut-out 20 can gradually fill with lubricant 18 (see Figure 2 ).
[0051] Advantageously, the cutouts 20 can be pre-filled with lubricant, so that sufficient lubrication of the radial outer side of the cage 1 can be ensured right from the start.
[0052] As in Figure 2 As can be seen in FIG. 2 , the lubricant 18 can be distributed along the cutouts 20 which extend from the ring element 2 in the axial direction, preferably as far as the contact area between the rolling elements 8 and the cage web 6 , as indicated by arrows 28 .
[0053] In addition, the ring element 2 of the bearing cage 1 according to the exemplary embodiment shown has a further lubricant reservoir area 30 ( Figure 3 The further lubricant reservoir area 30 is arranged in an axially inner area of the bearing cage 1 .
[0054] exist Figures 1 to 3In the case of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the rolling bearing cage 1 is conical, wherein the first ring element 2 has a smaller diameter than the second ring element 4 . Figure 1 , Figure 3 As can be seen in FIG. 1 , the further lubricant storage area 30 is arranged on the smaller diameter of the rolling bearing cage 1. This is a simple way that the lubricant 18 can be forced by centrifugal force towards the area in which the rolling elements 8 are arranged (as indicated by the arrow 32) and transported to the radially outer surface of the cage 1 through the slots 16 by the rotation 24 of the rolling elements 8. The radially outer surface of the further lubricant storage area 30 can be more or less conical (or even cylindrical) at a certain angle to the axis of rotation, depending on the requirements of the conveying effect. Additionally or as an alternative, the further lubricant storage area 30 can also be arranged on the larger diameter of the tapered rolling bearing cage 1, for example.
[0055] In summary, as a result of providing the slots 16, the lubricant 18 can be transmitted from the radial inside of the cage to the radial outside of the cage 1 by the rotation of the rolling elements, where the lubricant 18 can be preferentially collected in the cutouts 20 along the web 6. The cutouts 20 along the web 6, which are filled during use and / or have been pre-filled, serve as a lubricant supply for the raceway of the outer ring and ensure a good lubrication condition in this area, making it possible to extend the service life of the rolling bearing.
Claims
1. A bearing cage (1) for a rolling bearing, in particular for a tapered roller bearing, comprising at least one first ring element (2) and at least one second ring element (4) connected to each other via a plurality of webs (6), the ring elements (2, 4) and the webs (6) realizing a cavity (10) designed to guide and retain rolling elements (8), characterized in that The at least one ring element (2, 4) has at least one slot (16) in the region of an edge (12) of an end face (14) of a rolling element (8) that can be accommodated in the cavity (10), the at least one slot (16) being designed to convey lubricant (18) from the radial inside of the bearing cage (1) to the radial outside of the bearing cage (1).
2. The bearing retainer (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The at least one slot (16) is formed in the region of the web (6).
3. The bearing retainer (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: At least one web (6) has at least one cutout (20) on the radial outside of the bearing cage, the at least one cutout (20) being realized as a lubricant reservoir area (22).
4. The bearing retainer (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that: The lubricant storage area (22) is realized in the circumferential direction so as to be fluidically connected to the at least one slot (16).
5. The bearing retainer (16) according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: At least one lubricant reservoir area (22) is formed as an axially extending radial recess in the web (6), which preferably extends in the axial direction to at least one ring element (2, 4) of the bearing cage (1).
6. Bearing cage (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that At least one ring element (2, 4) of the bearing cage (1) has a further lubricant reservoir area (30) designed to receive lubricant (18).
7. The bearing retainer (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that: The at least one ring element (2, 4) is U-shaped, the U-shaped ring element (2, 4) is open in the direction of the cavity (10), and the other lubricant storage area (30) is realized in the inner space of the at least one ring element (2, 4).
8. The bearing retainer (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that: At least one radially outwardly disposed surface of the further lubricant reservoir area (30) extends at an angle relative to the axis of rotation, the angle being between 0° and 90°.
9. The bearing cage (1) according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that The at least one slot (16) is realized in at least one ring element (2, 4) having the further lubricant storage area (30).
10. The bearing cage (1) according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that The at least one lubricant storage area (22) and / or the further lubricant storage area (30) are pre-filled with lubricant.
11. A rolling bearing having a bearing cage according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 10.