Metallic cage

Abstract

To provide a metallic cage which can reduce the weight while securing sufficient rigidity, for enabling a reduction in the aggression which the cage gives to balls during high-speed rotation of a bearing.SOLUTION: A metallic cage 100 according to this invention is provided. The metallic cage 100 for holding balls of a bearing includes a pair of annular members 110a, 110b opposed to each other in the axial direction, and a fastening member 120 for fastening the pair of annular members 110a, 110b to each other, the annular members 110a, 110b each having a plurality of half pocket parts 112 for holding the balls, connection parts 114 for connecting the adjacent half pocket parts 112 to each other, and cutouts 116 formed in the outer periphery sides or the inner periphery sides of the half pocket parts 112.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a metallic cage that holds balls in a bearing. [Background technology]

[0002] In bearings (ball bearings) that have balls as rolling elements, a cage is used to hold the balls, and one such cage is a metal cage (also called a corrugated cage). For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a corrugated cage that includes "a pair of annular members that face each other in the axial direction, and a plurality of fastening members that connect the pair of annular members."

[0003] The wavy cage of Patent Document 1 is characterized in that "the annular member is made of a metal plate having connecting portions that axially mate with the mating annular member and half-pocket portions that bulge from the connecting portions, alternating in the circumferential direction, and each pair of half-pocket portions facing each other in the axial direction retains balls, the half-pocket portions have grooves that communicate from the inner circumference of the annular member through the axially outer surface to the outer circumference, and the grooves extend radially toward the outer circumference of the annular member in a direction inclined to one side in the circumferential direction." Patent Document 1 states that "in a wavy cage for ball bearings, it is possible to reduce stirring resistance and suppress abnormal heat generation while minimizing the effect on the cage strength." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-158109 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In recent years, bearings are required to be able to handle high speed rotation. For example, when the cage whirls due to the high speed rotation of the bearing, it hits the balls harder. This causes scratches on the balls, which leads to wear due to peeling (premature damage). One effective solution is to make the cage lighter, but simply making the annular member thinner does not ensure sufficient rigidity.

[0006] In view of these problems, the present invention aims to provide a metal retainer that can be made lightweight while ensuring sufficient rigidity, and that can reduce the aggressiveness that the retainer exerts on the balls when the bearing rotates at high speeds. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A representative configuration of the metal cage according to the present invention is a metal cage for holding balls of a bearing, comprising a pair of axially opposing circular members and a fastening member for fastening the pair of circular members, the circular members having a plurality of half pockets for holding balls, connecting portions for connecting adjacent half pockets, notches formed on the outer circumferential side or the inner circumferential side of the half pockets, The present invention is characterized by having the following features. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a metallic retainer that can be made lighter while ensuring sufficient rigidity, and that can reduce the aggressiveness that the retainer exerts on the balls when the bearing rotates at high speeds. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the metal cage according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating another example of a metal cage. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific values ​​shown in the embodiment are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are given the same reference numerals to avoid repeated explanations, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown or described.

[0011] Fig. 1 is an overall perspective view of a metal cage 100 according to this embodiment. The metal cage 100 shown in Fig. 1 is a so-called corrugated cage that holds balls (not shown) of a bearing. The metal cage 100 includes a pair of circular members 110a, 110b that face each other in the axial direction of the bearing, and a plurality of fastening members 120 (rivets) that fasten the pair of circular members 110a, 110b. The circular members 110a, 110b and the fastening members 120 are all metal parts.

[0012] The ring members 110a and 110b are corrugated ring-shaped members formed by pressing a steel plate. The ring members 110a and 110b have a plurality of half pockets 112, a plurality of connecting portions 114, and a plurality of notches 116. The ring members 110a and 110b may be machined (cut).

[0013] The half pocket portions 112 are semicircular portions that have a curvature that conforms to the outer peripheral surface of the ball and that hold the ball. The connecting portions 114 are flat portions that are disposed between the multiple half pocket portions 112 and connect adjacent half pocket portions 112 to each other. The circular ring members 110a, 110b are fastened to each other at the connecting portions 114 by the fastening members 120, so that the half pocket portions 112 of the circular ring members 110a, 110b face each other to form pockets that hold the balls.

[0014] As a feature of this embodiment, a notch 116 is formed on the outer periphery of the half pocket portion 112. In other words, the half pocket portion 112 has a concave shape that opens on the outer periphery, or the band width W2 of the notch 116 in the circumferential direction is narrower than the band width W1 at other positions. By providing the notch 116 in the half pocket portion 112 in this way, it is possible to reduce the weight of the half pocket portion 112 without reducing the overall thickness of the half pocket portion 112. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the impact with the balls caused by the cage whirling due to high-speed rotation of the bearing while ensuring sufficient rigidity.

[0015] Furthermore, the balls held in the pockets formed by the half-pocket portions 112 have their outer circumferential surfaces partially exposed at the cutouts 116, which allows lubricating oil to adhere to the balls. This allows an ample supply of lubricating oil between the balls and the metal cage 100, making it possible to prevent abnormal temperature rises due to depletion of the lubricating oil.

[0016] 1, the metal cage 100 has a configuration in which the notches 116 are formed in all the half pockets 112 of the annular members 110a and 110b, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the notches 116 may be formed at predetermined intervals (preferably equal intervals) such as every other or every third half pocket 112 in the plurality of half pockets 112.

[0017] Furthermore, the width W1 of the notch 116 and the length L of the notch 116 can be set appropriately as long as sufficient rigidity can be ensured at positions other than the notch 116. The larger the notch 116, the more lightweight the product can be, and the greater the effect of the present invention can be obtained.

[0018] Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating another example of a metal cage. In the metal cage 100a illustrated in Fig. 2, a notch 118 is formed on the inner circumferential side of the half pocket portion 112. In other words, the half pocket portion 112 has a concave shape that opens on the inner circumferential side, or the band width W2 of the notch 118 in the circumferential direction is narrower than the band width W1 at other positions. Even with a configuration in which the notch 118 is provided in the half pocket portion 112 in this way, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the metal cage 100 in Fig. 1.

[0019] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can think of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0020] The present invention can be used as a metallic cage for holding balls in a bearing. [Explanation of symbols]

[0021] 100...metallic retainer, 100a...metallic retainer, 110a...annular member, 110b...annular member, 112...half pocket portion, 114...connecting portion, 116...notch, 118...notch, 120...fastening member

Claims

[Claim 1] A metal cage that holds the balls of a bearing, A pair of annular members opposed to each other in an axial direction; a fastening member for fastening the pair of annular members; Equipped with The annular member is A plurality of half pockets for holding the balls; A connecting portion connecting adjacent half pocket portions to each other; A notch formed on an outer circumferential side or an inner circumferential side of the half pocket portion; A metallic cage comprising:

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