Self-aligning roller bearing

Abstract

A self-aligning roller bearing has an inner bearing ring element, an outer bearing ring element, and at least one row of roller elements interposed therebetween. The inner bearing ring element has a retaining flange arranged on a first axial side of the roller bearing, the retaining flange being configured to prevent the roller element from disengaging from the roller bearing. The roller bearing has a first sealing ring element on the first axial side for sealing the first axial opening, the first sealing ring being rotatable relative to the inner bearing ring and sealing against the sealing mating surface of the inner bearing ring. The retaining flange has at least one loading slot configured to allow the roller element to be inserted between the inner bearing ring element and the outer bearing ring element during assembly of the roller bearing, and the sealing mating surface is located axially outward of the at least one loading slot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a self-aligning roller bearing. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a self-aligning roller bearing comprising at least one sealing ring element for sealing a space between an inner bearing ring element and an outer bearing ring element of the roller bearing. Background Art

[0002] Rolling (element) bearings are well-known mechanical components that are used to rotatably support, for example, shafts or axles in rotating applications. There are different types of rolling (element) bearings, including rollers and / or balls as rolling elements.

[0003] A common type of rolling bearing is the self-aligning roller bearing, which is known for its ability to accommodate large loads and also shaft misalignment. The outer and inner bearing rings are designed so that they can be misaligned relative to the bearing's axis of rotation. This self-aligning capability is achieved through the use of drum-shaped rollers and corresponding raceway surfaces on the outer and inner bearing rings. The bearings can be configured, for example, as single-row or double-row roller bearings.

[0004] Self-aligning roller bearings can be equipped with sealing rings for preventing debris / contaminants from entering the bearing and also for accommodating lubrication within the bearing. One such bearing is known, for example, from US Pat. No. 8,979,386 B2, which discloses a rolling (element) bearing comprising a sealing element removably attached to an axial end side of the bearing. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the above situation, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved self-aligning roller bearing. More specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a self-aligning roller bearing that has improved sealing and lubrication functions and also facilitates assembly / disassembly of the bearing.

[0006] The above-mentioned objects and other objects are at least partially provided by the subject matter disclosed in Technical Solution 1. Preferred and advantageous embodiments can be found in the dependent technical solutions and the corresponding descriptions and drawings.

[0007] According to the present invention, the above-mentioned and other objects are at least partially provided by a self-aligning roller bearing comprising: an inner bearing ring element, an outer bearing ring element, and at least one row of roller elements interposed between the inner bearing ring element and the outer bearing ring element. The inner bearing ring element includes a retaining flange disposed on a first axial side of the roller bearing, wherein the retaining flange is configured to prevent the roller elements from being removed from the roller bearing through a first axial opening located between the inner bearing ring element and the outer bearing ring element on the first axial side. The roller bearing further includes a first sealing ring element disposed on the first axial side for sealing the first axial opening, wherein the first sealing ring element is rotatable relative to the inner bearing ring and seals against a sealing mating surface of the inner bearing ring. Furthermore, the retaining flange includes at least one caulking slot configured to allow the roller elements to be inserted between the inner bearing ring element and the outer bearing ring element via the at least one caulking slot during assembly of the roller bearing, with the sealing mating surface located axially outward of the at least one caulking slot. For clarity only, axially outside means that the sealing engagement surface is located axially outside the filling slot relative to the axial center of the bearing, ie the filling slot is axially between the axial center of the bearing and the sealing engagement surface.

[0008] By providing the above-described design, an improved self-aligning roller bearing having improved sealing performance can be provided. More specifically, by providing a sealing mating surface as described herein with respect to at least one filling slot, a seal is achieved throughout the entire circumference between the first sealing ring element and the inner bearing ring element. Thus, improved sealing performance can be provided for a roller bearing including at least one filling slot. Thus, the present invention provides high sealing performance, good operating performance (due to the retaining flange), and convenient assembly / disassembly of the bearing (due to the at least one filling slot). The improved sealing performance can prevent contaminants / debris from entering the bearing and can also prevent lubricant (such as grease or oil) from leaking from the bearing.

[0009] Optionally, the sealing mating surface may be located radially inward of the at least one filling slot. By positioning the sealing mating surface further radially inward of the filling slot, further ease of assembly and disassembly of the bearing can be achieved while maintaining improved sealing performance. "Radially inward" in this context means that the sealing mating surface is located at a radial distance from the center / rotational axis of the roller bearing that is less than the radial distance from the center / rotational axis of the roller bearing to the at least one filling slot.

[0010] In this document, the expressions "axial" and "radial" are used. Unless otherwise specified, the axial direction refers to the axial extension of the roller bearing parallel to the center / rotational axis of the roller bearing. The radial direction refers to the extension of the roller bearing perpendicular to the axial extension.

[0011] Optionally, the sealing mating surface can be tapered outwards, that is, the surface tapers outwards from the axial center of the roller bearing. This shape of the sealing mating surface can further promote (facilitate) sealing performance and it can further facilitate (facilitate) assembly / disassembly of the roller bearing.

[0012] Optionally, the roller bearing may further include a lubrication reservoir, which is configured as a cavity extending along the circumference of the inner bearing ring element and further defined by the axial clearance between the retaining flange and the first sealing ring element, and the radial clearance between the seal mating surface and the radially outermost position of the retaining flange. Thus, by designing the roller bearing so that the lubrication reservoir is also present within the defined space, improved lubrication can be provided to the bearing. This can also be advantageous in preventing contaminants / debris from entering the bearing, as the lubrication reservoir can act as an additional sealing barrier.

[0013] Optionally, the first sealing ring element may include a removable elastic sealing ring that seals against the sealing surface. Also optionally, the removable elastic sealing ring may be attachable to the first sealing ring element by a circumferential groove provided on the first sealing ring element. By providing the first sealing ring element with the above-mentioned optional advantageous configuration, manufacturing, assembly, etc. can be facilitated. Furthermore, the circumferential groove may be provided by at least a separate first disc ring element and a second disc ring element, and the separate first disc ring element and the second disc ring element can be connected by one or more fastening elements, and the one or more fastening elements are inserted into one or more corresponding holes extending through the first disc ring element and the second disc ring element, and the one or more fastening elements are configured so that they can only be released from the roller bearing in an axially outward direction. Thus, a more reliable design can be provided, which can reduce the risk of unnecessary bearing failures.

[0014] Optionally, the removable elastomeric sealing ring may include a circumferential sealing lip that seals against the seal-mating surface.

[0015] Alternatively, the first sealing ring element may be non-rotatably connected to the outer bearing ring element.

[0016] Alternatively, the roller elements may be solid roller elements. This is particularly advantageous for more demanding applications involving high loads. A solid roller element may be defined as a roller element that is not hollow and includes a core of material at the center of the roller element.

[0017] Alternatively, the roller bearing can also be configured such that at least one of the roller elements can be inserted between the bearing rings merely through the at least one filling slot in order to fully assemble the roller bearing.

[0018] Optionally, the roller bearing is a large roller bearing having an outer diameter of 1000 mm or more. Further optionally, the roller bearing is a large roller bearing having an outer diameter of 1100, 1200, 1300, or 1400 mm or more. It has been recognized that the present invention is advantageous for larger bearings because larger bearings can preferably be provided with a filling slot to facilitate assembly / disassembly operations.

[0019] Alternatively, the self-aligning roller bearing may be a spherical roller bearing. Still further optionally, the self-aligning roller bearing may be a double row bearing, such as a double row spherical roller bearing.

[0020] Optionally, the inner bearing ring element may further include a second retaining flange disposed on a second axial side (located on an axially opposite side of the first axial side of the self-aligning roller bearing). Further optionally, the second retaining flange may be configured to prevent the roller element from escaping from the roller bearing through a second axial opening between the inner bearing ring element and the outer bearing ring element located on the second axial side. Furthermore, the roller bearing may further include a second sealing ring element located on the second axial side for sealing the second axial opening, wherein the second sealing ring element is rotatable relative to the inner bearing ring and seals against a second sealing mating surface of the inner bearing ring. Furthermore, the second retaining flange may include at least one filling slot configured to allow the roller element to be inserted between the inner bearing ring element and the outer bearing ring element via the at least one filling slot during assembly of the roller bearing, with the second sealing mating surface being located axially outward of the at least one filling slot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Exemplary preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0022] Figure 1 An example of a prior art double row spherical roller bearing is shown;

[0023] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a self-aligning roller bearing according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3shows a perspective view of a portion of a self-aligning roller bearing according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a self-aligning roller bearing according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 A perspective view of a portion of a self-aligning roller bearing according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown, in which detail relating to the connection of a first sealing ring element to the bearing outer ring can be seen.

[0027] The accompanying drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention and are therefore not necessarily drawn to scale. It should be understood that the embodiments shown and described are exemplary and that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. It should also be noted that some details in the accompanying drawings may be exaggerated ( / enlarged) to better describe and illustrate the present invention. Throughout the following detailed description, unless otherwise expressly indicated, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] exist Figure 1 , a cross-section of a conventional double-row spherical roller bearing 100 is shown. The bearing comprises an inner ring 20; an outer ring 30 radially opposed to the inner ring 20; and a plurality of roller elements 40 interposed between the ring elements 20 and 30. The barrel-shaped roller elements 40 and the corresponding raceway surfaces of the bearing rings 20 and 30 are configured to allow relative misalignment of the bearing rings 20 and 30 relative to the rotational axis X of the bearing 100. As can be further seen, the inner ring 20 has a flange on the axial end side of the bearing 100, which prevents the rollers from falling out of the bearing 100. The bearing also includes a cage 60 for retaining the roller elements 40 and maintaining a certain distance from one another. Furthermore, the bearing 100 is equipped with guide rings 70 between the roller rows to guide the rollers 40.

[0029] exist Figure 2, a cross-section of a portion of a self-aligning roller bearing 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. The bearing 1 comprises an inner bearing ring element 2, an outer bearing ring element 3, and at least one row of roller elements 4 between the inner bearing ring element 2 and the outer bearing ring element 3. The inner bearing ring element 2 and the outer bearing ring element 3 are arranged to rotate relative to each other with respect to the rotation axis X of the roller bearing 1. The roller bearing 1 also has self-aligning capabilities, which means that the inner bearing ring element 2 and the outer bearing ring element 3 can be relatively misaligned with respect to the rotation axis X. The inner bearing ring element 2 comprises a retaining flange 21 provided on a first axial side of the roller bearing 1, wherein the retaining flange 21 is configured to prevent the roller elements 4 from escaping from the roller bearing 1 through a first axial opening Ax between the inner bearing ring element 2 and the outer bearing ring element 3 located on the first axial side. Furthermore, retaining flange 21 includes at least one filling slot 22 configured to allow a roller element to be inserted between inner bearing ring element 2 and outer bearing ring element 3 via the at least one filling slot 22 during assembly of roller bearing 1. Roller bearing 1 also includes a first sealing ring element 5 located on a first axial side for sealing a first axial opening Ax. First sealing ring element 5 is rotatable relative to inner bearing ring element 2 and seals against a sealing mating surface 23 of inner bearing ring element 2, which is located axially outward of the at least one filling slot 22. As can be seen in the figure, "axially outward" means that sealing mating surface 23 is closer to the outer circumference of bearing 1 than retaining flange 21 on the first axial side of bearing 1. In this embodiment, sealing mating surface 23 is also located radially inward of filling slot 22. Furthermore, in this embodiment, sealing mating surface 23 is tapered outwardly.

[0030] exist Figure 3 In the figure, it is shown that Figure 2 A perspective view of a roller bearing 1 is shown, except that the first sealing ring element 5 is not shown to better illustrate the construction of the inner ring element 2. The retaining flange 21, the filling slot 22, and the sealing mating surface 23 of the inner ring 2 can be more clearly seen. The filling slot 22 is configured as an axially extending recess in the retaining flange 21, with this recess having a sufficiently large radius to allow the roller element 4 to be inserted into the bearing 1 via the at least one filling slot 22. As can also be seen in this figure, the tapered sealing mating surface 23 is located axially outside and radially inside (or radially below) the filling slot 22. Furthermore, as an option, the sealing mating surface 23 is an integral part of the inner ring 2.

[0031] exist Figure 4 , a cross-section of a self-aligning roller bearing 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. As can be seen, this view focuses on the axial end of the inner ring 2 (where the retaining flange 21 and the sealing mating surface 23 are located). The sealing mating surface 23 is located axially outward and radially inward (or radially below) of the at least one filling slot 22 (not shown). A more detailed view of the first sealing ring element 5 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown here. The first sealing ring element 5 comprises a first disc-shaped ring element 51 and a removable elastic sealing ring 52, which seals against the sealing mating surface 23 via a sealing lip 521. The elastic sealing ring 52 and the sealing lip 521 are preferably made of an elastic rubber material. The disc-shaped ring element 51 can be made, for example, from sheet metal, a polymeric material, or a combination thereof. If the disc-shaped element is made from sheet metal, it can be produced using a laser cutting process. Furthermore, the disc-shaped element 51 can include a coating (e.g., for corrosion protection). The removable elastic sealing ring 52 is partially arranged in the circumferential groove 53 of the sealing ring element 5. In the present embodiment, the groove 53 is provided by three separate ring components, namely the disc-shaped ring element 51, the intermediate ring element 531 and the additional ( / attached) disc-shaped ring element 532. The elements 51, 531 and 532 are connected by a fastening element 54, which is inserted into a hole 55 extending through the three separate ring elements 51, 531 and 532. The fastening element 54 is configured as a bolt, wherein the bolt head of the bolt is located on the outside of the bearing 1. With this configuration, the bolt 54 can only be released axially outward from the bearing 1. If it can be released from Figure 4As can be seen further, roller bearing 1 includes a lubrication reservoir 7, which is configured as a cavity for storing lubricant (such as grease or oil). Reservoir 7 extends along the circumference of inner ring element 2 and is further defined by an axial gap x1 between retaining flange 21 and first sealing ring element 5, and a radial gap r1 between seal mating surface 23 and the outermost radial position of the retaining flange. By way of example only, axial gap x1 may be 5 to 100 mm, such as 5 to 90, 5 to 80, 5 to 70, 5 to 60, 5 to 50, 5 to 40, or 5 to 30 mm wide. Furthermore, by way of example only, radial gap r1 may be 5 to 100 mm, such as 5 to 90, 5 to 80, 5 to 70, 5 to 60, 5 to 50, 5 to 40, or 5 to 30 mm wide. It has been found that such a reservoir 7 can improve the lubrication of the bearing and can also serve as a further sealing barrier to prevent contaminants / debris from entering the interior of the bearing 1 (where the roller elements 4 are located). The cavity 7 does not need to be pre-filled with lubricant, but rather the cavity 7 can be filled with lubricant during the rotation of the bearing 1. Furthermore, the lubrication reservoir 7 can also be advantageous because it can lubricate the elastomeric sealing ring 52 during operation of the bearing 1, which in turn can increase the service life of the sealing ring 52.

[0032] exist Figure 5 , a perspective view of a self-aligning roller bearing 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. This figure illustrates an example of how a first sealing ring element 5 can be connected to the outer ring 3. The sealing ring 5 is connected to the outer ring 3 via screws (not shown), which are inserted into holes 56 provided in the outer ring 3. Furthermore, the sealing ring 5 is arranged in a groove 31 in the outer ring 3 so that the sealing ring does not extend beyond the axial ends of the outer ring 3, thereby providing a compact bearing design. This figure also shows that the bearing 1 includes a cage or retainer 6 for the roller elements 4.

[0033] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other embodiments and variations of the embodiments described in detail above are possible within the scope of the claims. For example, the configuration of only one axial side of a roller bearing has been described in detail herein. However, the second axial side of the bearing may also have a configuration similar or identical to the first axial side of the bearing according to any of the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A self-aligning roller bearing comprising: Inner bearing ring element, Outer bearing ring element, At least one row of roller elements is interposed between the inner bearing ring element and the outer bearing ring element, wherein The inner bearing ring element comprises a retaining flange arranged on a first axial side of the roller bearing, the retaining flange being configured to prevent the roller element from escaping from the roller bearing through a first axial opening between the inner bearing ring element and the outer bearing ring element on the first axial side, wherein the roller bearing further comprises, a first sealing ring element located on a first axial side for sealing the first axial opening, wherein the first sealing ring element is rotatable relative to the inner bearing ring and seals against a sealing mating surface of the inner bearing ring, The retaining flange is provided with at least one filling slot configured to allow the roller element to be inserted between the inner bearing ring element and the outer bearing ring element during assembly of the roller bearing, and The sealing mating surface is located axially outside the at least one filling slot, The sealing mating surface is located radially inward of the at least one priming slot.

2. The roller bearing according to claim 1, characterized in that The sealing mating surface tapers outwardly.

3. The roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein: Also included is a lubrication reservoir having a cavity extending in the circumference of the inner bearing ring element and further defined by an axial gap between the retaining flange and the first sealing ring element and a radial gap between a sealing mating surface and a radially outermost position of the retaining flange.

4. The roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein: The first sealing ring element includes a removable resilient sealing ring that seals against the sealing mating surface.

5. The roller bearing according to claim 4, characterized in that The removable elastic sealing ring can be attached to the first sealing ring element via a circumferential groove provided on the first sealing ring element.

6. The roller bearing according to claim 5, characterized in that The circumferential groove is provided by at least a separate first and second disc ring element, which are connectable by one or more fastening elements, which are inserted into one or more corresponding holes extending through the first and second disc ring elements, and the one or more fastening elements are configured so that they can only be released from the roller bearing in an axially outward direction.

7. The roller bearing according to claim 4, characterized in that The removable elastomeric sealing ring includes a circumferential sealing lip that seals against the sealing mating surface.

8. The roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein: The first sealing ring element is non-rotatably connected to the outer bearing ring element.

9. The roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein: The roller elements are solid roller elements.

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