Rolling bearing

Abstract

To facilitate replacement of a seal member provided in a rolling bearing.SOLUTION: A rolling bearing 1 includes an outer ring 10, an inner ring 20, a plurality of tapered rollers 30 arranged between the outer ring 10 and the inner ring 20, and a seal member 50 arranged on one side in the axial direction of the plurality of tapered rollers 30. The seal member 50 includes a fixed portion 51 fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 20, a seal portion 53 in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring 10, and a connection portion 52 connecting the fixed portion 51 and the seal portion 53. The seal member 50 is formed of a core metal 50a and an elastic material 50b fixed thereto. In a fixing part 51 of the seal member 50, a part contacting with an outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 20 is wholly formed of an elastic material 50b. An outer peripheral surface of an inner ring 20 and a fixing part 51 of a seal member 50 are provided with engaging parts (a projecting part 56 and a recessed part 26c) engaged with each other in the circumferential direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rolling bearing. [Background technology]

[0002] Rolling bearings are sometimes provided with sealing members to prevent moisture and foreign matter from entering the bearing from the outside and to prevent lubricant from leaking from the inside of the bearing to the outside. For example, in the four-row tapered roller bearing shown in Patent Document 1 below, a notch is provided in the end face of the outer ring, and a sealing member is fixed to this notch with a bolt. Also, in the four-row tapered roller bearing shown in Patent Document 2 below, a sealing member is fitted and fixed to the inner circumferential surface of the outer ring. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Chinese Utility Model No. 218564205 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-17824 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] If the sealing member and outer ring are fixed with bolts as in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to form notches and bolt holes in the end face of the outer ring, which increases the number of steps, and tightening bolts are required, which increases the number of parts, resulting in higher costs.

[0005] On the other hand, if the sealing member is fitted and fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring, as in Patent Document 2, tightening bolts and bolt holes are not required, thereby reducing costs. However, the sealing member provided in a rolling bearing is often formed from a core bar with an elastic material (e.g., rubber) fixed to it, and the core bar is press-fitted into the outer ring. When the core bar is press-fitted into the outer ring in this way, specialized jigs and presses must be used when attaching or removing the sealing member from the outer ring, making replacement of the sealing member time-consuming and difficult to maintain.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a rolling bearing in which the seal member can be easily replaced. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides a rolling bearing comprising an outer ring, an inner ring, a plurality of rolling elements arranged between the outer ring and the inner ring, and a sealing member arranged on one axial side of the plurality of rolling elements, wherein the sealing member has a fixed portion fixed to one of the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring and the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring, a sealing portion in sliding contact with the other of the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring and the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring, and a connecting portion connecting the fixed portion and the sealing portion, the sealing member is formed of a core metal and an elastic material fixed thereto, the portion of the sealing member that comes into contact with one of the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring and the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring is entirely formed of the elastic material, and one of the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring and the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring and the fixed portion of the sealing member are provided with an engaging portion that engages with each other in the circumferential direction.

[0008] As described above, in the present invention, the portion of the fixing portion of the seal member that comes into contact with the inner ring or outer ring is entirely formed from an elastic material. In this case, elastic deformation of the elastic material makes it possible to attach and detach the seal member to and from the inner ring or outer ring more easily than when a core bar is press-fitted.

[0009] Furthermore, the rolling bearing is provided with an engaging portion that engages with one of the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring and the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring in the circumferential direction and with the fixed portion of the sealing member, thereby restricting relative rotation of the sealing member with respect to the inner ring or the outer ring.

[0010] When the connecting portion and seal portion of the seal member are connected via a bent portion, it is preferable to position the end of the core bar on the seal portion side closer to the fixed portion than the bent portion. This makes the seal portion of the seal member entirely made of an elastic material, thereby improving adhesion between the seal portion and the outer ring or inner ring.

[0011] When the connecting portion and fixed portion of the sealing member are connected via a bent portion, it is preferable to position the end of the core bar facing the fixed portion closer to the sealing portion than the bent portion. In this case, because the fixed portion of the sealing member is entirely made of an elastic material, elastic deformation of the fixed portion further facilitates attachment and detachment of the sealing member to and from the inner ring or outer ring.

[0012] The connection portion may be, for example, a disk portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction.

[0013] The present invention can be applied to, for example, a rolling bearing having multiple rows of rolling elements. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] As described above, according to the present invention, the attachment and detachment of the seal member to the inner ring or the outer ring is facilitated, which makes it easier to replace the seal member and improves maintainability. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a rolling bearing (four-row tapered roller bearing) according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the rolling bearing of FIG. 1 near a tapered roller row at one axial end. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part B in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a seal member of the rolling bearing of FIG. 2. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an inner ring of the rolling bearing of FIG. 2. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a rolling bearing according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a rolling bearing according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a rolling bearing according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of part C in FIG. 9. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a rolling bearing according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a rolling bearing according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a rolling bearing according to a reference example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] Figure 1 shows a four-row tapered roller bearing 1 as a rolling bearing according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This four-row tapered roller bearing 1 comprises an outer ring 10, an inner ring 20, four tapered roller rows 31 to 34 each consisting of a plurality of tapered rollers 30 arranged between them, and a cage 40 that holds the plurality of tapered rollers 30 that make up each of the tapered roller rows 31 to 34. The four-row tapered roller bearing 1 of this embodiment is used, for example, to support the rotation of rolling rolls in steelmaking equipment, with the outer ring 10 being the fixed side and the inner ring 20 being the rotating side. Alternatively, the outer ring 10 may be the rotating side and the inner ring 20 the fixed side, or both the outer ring 10 and the inner ring 20 may be rotated.

[0018] The outer ring 10 has a first outer ring member 11 provided at an end on one axial side (left side in FIG. 1), a second outer ring member 12 provided at an end on the other axial side (right side in FIG. 1), and a third outer ring member 13 provided axially between the first outer ring member 11 and the second outer ring member 12. A first raceway surface 14a is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the first outer ring member 11. A second raceway surface 14b and a third raceway surface 14c are provided on the inner circumferential surface of the third outer ring member 13. A fourth raceway surface 14d is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the second outer ring member 12. The raceway surfaces 14a to 14d are all conical. Annular spacers 15 are disposed between the first outer ring member 11 and the third outer ring member 13, and between the second outer ring member 12 and the third outer ring member 13, respectively.

[0019] The inner ring 20 has a first inner ring member 21 provided on one axial side (left side in FIG. 1) and a second inner ring member 22 provided on the other axial side (right side in FIG. 1). A first raceway surface 23a and a second raceway surface 23b are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the first inner ring member 21. A third raceway surface 23c and a fourth raceway surface 23d are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the second inner ring member 22. All of the raceway surfaces 23a to 23d are conical. A small flange portion 24 is provided on the small diameter side end of each of the raceway surfaces 23a to 23d, and a large flange portion 25 is provided on the large diameter side end of each of the raceway surfaces 23a to 23d. The inner ring members 21, 22 abut against each other in the axial direction.

[0020] The first tapered roller row 31 is formed by a plurality of tapered rollers 30 arranged between the first raceway surface 14a of the outer ring 10 and the first raceway surface 23a of the inner ring 20. The second tapered roller row 32 is formed by a plurality of tapered rollers 30 arranged between the second raceway surface 14b of the outer ring 10 and the second raceway surface 23b of the inner ring 20. The third tapered roller row 33 is formed by a plurality of tapered rollers 30 arranged between the third raceway surface 14c of the outer ring 10 and the third raceway surface 23c of the inner ring 20. The fourth tapered roller row 34 is formed by a plurality of tapered rollers 30 arranged between the fourth raceway surface 14d of the outer ring 10 and the fourth raceway surface 23d of the inner ring 20. The tapered rollers 30 of the first tapered roller row 31 and the third tapered roller row 33 are arranged so that their small diameter ends face one axial side (the left side in Figure 1), and the tapered rollers 30 of the second tapered roller row 32 and the fourth tapered roller row 34 are arranged so that their small diameter ends face the other axial side (the right side in Figure 1).

[0021] The above-described four-row tapered roller bearing 1 is provided with a seal member 50 and a seal member 60. The seal members 50 are provided at both axial ends of the space between the outer ring 10 and the inner ring 20. In this embodiment, the inner circumferential surface of the seal member 50 is fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the inner ring 20, and the outer diameter end of the seal member 50 is in sliding contact with the inner circumferential surface of the outer ring 10. The seal member 60 is provided in a position that covers the outer periphery of the abutting portion between the first inner ring member 21 and the second inner ring member 22.

[0022] The seal member 50 provided on one axial side (left side in FIG. 1) and its surrounding structure will be described in detail below. Note that the seal member 50 provided on the other axial side (right side in FIG. 1) and its surrounding structure are similar to the seal member 50 provided on one axial side and its surrounding structure, so description thereof will be omitted.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, an annular groove 27 is provided near one axial end of the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 20. In this embodiment, the first inner ring member 21 is provided with an extension portion 26 that extends axially outward (to the left in the figure) beyond the small flange portion 24, and an annular groove 27 that is continuous around the entire circumference is provided on the outer peripheral surface of this extension portion 26. As shown in FIG. 3, an inner wall 27a on the axially outer side of the annular groove 27 is a flat surface perpendicular to the axial direction. An inner wall 27b on the axially inner side of the annular groove 27 is a tapered surface whose diameter increases as it goes axially inward. A groove bottom surface 27c of the annular groove 27 is a cylindrical surface that is concentric with the inner ring 20.

[0024] The inner peripheral surface of the outer ring 10 is provided with a seal surface 16 against which the seal member 50 slides (see FIG. 2). In the illustrated example, a cylindrical surface is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the first outer ring member 11, axially outwardly of the first raceway surface 14a (on the left side in the drawing), and this cylindrical surface functions as the seal surface 16.

[0025] The seal member 50 has a fixed portion 51 fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 20, a seal lip 53 serving as a seal portion that slides against the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring 10, and a connecting portion that connects the fixed portion 51 and the seal lip 53. In the illustrated example, the connecting portion is composed of a disk portion 52 extending in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the inner ring 20. In the illustrated example, the fixed portion 51 is cylindrical, and the fixed portion 51 and the disk portion 52 are connected via a bent portion 55. The seal lip 53 is generally conical, extending from the outer diameter end of the disk portion 52 in a direction inclined axially inward toward the outer diameter side, and the disk portion 52 and the seal lip 53 are connected via a bent portion 59 (see FIG. 2). In this embodiment, an annular elastic member 57 that presses the seal lip 53 against the outer diameter side is disposed on the inner periphery of the seal lip 53 (see FIGS. 2 and 4). As the elastic member 57, for example, a garter spring is used.

[0026] A protrusion 54 that protrudes inward is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the fixing portion 51 of the seal member 50 (see FIG. 3). The protrusion 54 is provided continuously around the entire circumference of the inner circumferential surface of the seal member 50. Alternatively, the protrusion 54 may be provided at multiple locations spaced apart in the circumferential direction. A side surface 54a on the axially outer side of the protrusion 54 (left side in the figure) is a flat surface perpendicular to the axial direction, and a side surface 54b on the axially inner side of the protrusion 54 (right side in the figure) is a tapered surface whose diameter increases as it goes inward in the axial direction.

[0027] The protrusion 54 of the seal member 50 is fitted into the annular groove 27 of the inner ring 20. Axial outward movement of the seal member 50 relative to the inner ring 20 is restricted by axial engagement between an axially outer side surface 54a of the protrusion 54 of the seal member 50 and an axially outer inner wall 27a of the annular groove 27 of the inner ring 20. In the illustrated example, a cylindrical surface 51a provided adjacent to the axially outer side of the protrusion 54 on the inner peripheral surface of the fixing part 51 of the seal member 50 is in close contact with a cylindrical surface 26a provided adjacent to the axially outer side of the annular groove 27 on the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 20.

[0028] The sealing member 50 has a core 50a and an elastic member 50b fixed to the core 50a (see FIG. 2). The core 50a is made of metal (e.g., steel). The elastic member 50b is made of rubber. In the illustrated example, the core 50a is made of a disk-shaped metal plate embedded in the disk portion 52.

[0029] The entire portion of the fixed portion 51 that comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 20 is formed from the elastic material 50b. In the illustrated example, the inner diameter end of the core metal 50a is disposed on the outer diameter side of the inner diameter end of the disc portion 52, i.e., on the outer diameter side of the bent portion 55 that connects the disc portion 52 and the fixed portion 41. In this case, the fixed portion 51 and the bent portion 55 are formed only from the elastic material 50b. The core metal 50a and the inner ring 20 are not in direct contact, and the inner peripheral surface of the seal member 50, specifically the cylindrical surface 51a and the protrusions 54 of the seal member 50, are formed only from the elastic material 50b.

[0030] The outer diameter end of the core metal 50a is disposed radially inward relative to the outer diameter end of the disk portion 52, i.e., radially inward relative to a bent portion 59 connecting the disk portion 52 and the seal lip 53, and the seal lip 53 is formed only from the elastic material 50b. The seal member 50 is formed, for example, by injection molding the elastic material 50b using the core metal 50a as an insert part. In the illustrated example, the entire surface of the core metal 50a is covered with the elastic material 50b.

[0031] Here, a method of attaching the seal member 50 to the inner ring 20 will be described. First, the seal member 50 is fitted onto the outer peripheral surface of the extension portion 26 from the axially outer side of the inner ring 20 (see the arrow in FIG. 2). At this time, the protrusions 54 of the seal member 50 are guided by the tapered surfaces 26b (see FIG. 3) provided near the axially outer end of the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 20, causing the seal member 50 to elastically deform and expand the diameter of the inner peripheral surface. In this embodiment, the inner peripheral surface of the seal member 50 is formed only from the elastic material 50b. Therefore, by elastically deforming the elastic material 50b, the inner diameter of the seal member 50, particularly the inner diameter of the protrusions 54, can be made larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical surface 51a on the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 20. In this embodiment, the entire fixing portion 51 of the seal member 50 is formed only from an elastic material. Therefore, the elastic deformation of the fixing portion 51 easily expands the inner diameter of the protrusions 54. Furthermore, since the bent portion 55 of the seal member 50 is also formed only from the elastic material 50b, the inner diameter of the protruding portion 54 is more likely to expand when the bent portion 55 is bent elastically.

[0032] Thereafter, when seal member 50 is pushed further axially inward, and protrusion 54 of seal member 50 passes over cylindrical surface 26a of inner ring 20 and reaches annular groove 27, the inner diameter of protrusion 54 is reduced by the elastic restoring force of seal member 50. As a result, protrusion 54 of seal member 50 fits into annular groove 27 of inner ring 20, and the elastic force of elastic material 50b presses the inner diameter end of protrusion 54 against groove bottom surface 27c of annular groove 27. Because the inner circumferential surface of seal member 50 in the above-mentioned four-row tapered roller bearing 1 is designed to easily expand its diameter elastically as described above, an operator can easily attach seal member 50 to inner ring 20 by simply pushing seal member 50 axially inward by hand, without using any jigs or presses.

[0033] On the other hand, when removing the seal member 50 from the inner ring 20, for example, after removing the outer ring 10, a ring-shaped jig is inserted into the gap between the seal member 50 and the cage 40, and the seal member 50 is pulled axially outward relative to the inner ring 20. At this time, because the inner circumferential surface of the seal member 50 is prone to elastically expand in diameter as described above, the force required to pull the seal member 50 is smaller than when the seal member 50 is press-fit into the inner ring 20, for example, and the seal member 50 can be removed by hand by an operator.

[0034] It is preferable to apply a lubricant such as grease to the inner circumferential surface of seal member 50, the outer circumferential surface of inner ring 20, or both, before attaching seal member 50 to inner ring 20. This reduces frictional resistance between these surfaces, further facilitating the attachment and detachment of seal member 50 to inner ring 20.

[0035] The outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 20 and the inner peripheral surface of the seal member 50 are provided with engaging portions that engage with each other in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 3, 5, and 6, a recess 26c that functions as an engaging portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the extending portion 26 of the first inner ring member 21, and a protrusion 56 that functions as an engaging portion is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the fixing portion 51 of the seal member 50. By fitting the protrusion 56 of the seal member 50 into the recess 26c of the inner ring 20 and engaging them with each other in the circumferential direction, it is possible to restrict relative rotation of the seal member 50 with respect to the inner ring 20. The number of engaging portions (recess 26c and protrusion 56) is not limited, and they may be provided at one location in the circumferential direction or at multiple locations spaced apart in the circumferential direction.

[0036] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below, but redundant description of points similar to those of the above-described embodiment will be omitted.

[0037] In a second embodiment shown in FIG. 7 , an annular elastic member 58 is provided on the outer periphery of the fixed portion 51 of the seal member 50, pressing the fixed portion 51 against the inner diameter side. A garter spring, for example, is used as the elastic member 58. In this embodiment, the entire inner circumferential surface of the fixed portion 51 of the seal member 50 is fitted into the annular groove 27 of the inner ring 20. The elastic force of the elastic member 58 presses the fixed portion 51 against the groove bottom surface of the annular groove 27. The outer diameter side elastic member 57 is pre-attached to the seal member 50 before it is attached to the inner ring 20. Meanwhile, the inner diameter side elastic member 58 is attached to the outer periphery of the fixed portion 51 of the seal member 50 after the seal member 50 is attached to the inner ring 20. Engagement portions that engage with each other in the circumferential direction are provided on the outer circumferential surface of the inner ring 20 and the inner circumferential surface of the seal member 50. For example, although not shown in the figures, as the engaging portion, a convex portion may be provided at one or more circumferential positions of the annular groove 27 of the inner ring 20, and a concave portion that fits into the convex portion of the annular groove 27 may be provided on the inner surface of the fixing portion 51 of the sealing member 50.

[0038] In a third embodiment shown in FIG. 8 , the inner peripheral surface of a seal member 50 is fitted into a cylindrical surface 29 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the extension portion 26 of the inner ring 20. The inner peripheral surface of the seal member 50 is formed solely from an elastic material 50b, and the elastic force of the elastic material 50b presses the inner peripheral surface of the seal member 50 against the cylindrical surface 29 of the inner ring 20. An annular retaining ring groove 26d is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 20, and a retaining ring 70 fitted in this retaining ring groove 26d restricts axial outward movement of the seal member 50 relative to the inner ring 20. Engagement portions that circumferentially engage with each other are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring 20 and the inner peripheral surface of the seal member 50. For example, although not shown, the engagement portions may be formed by providing protrusions at one or more circumferential locations on the cylindrical surface 29 of the inner ring 20, and by providing recesses on the inner peripheral surface of the fixing portion 51 of the seal member 50 that mate with the protrusions on the cylindrical surface 29.

[0039] In the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 9 , the fixing portion 51 of the seal member 50 has a cross-sectional shape with multiple bent portions 51 a. Specifically, as shown enlarged in FIG. 11 , the fixing portion 51 has an S-shaped cross-section with two bent portions 51 a disposed within the annular groove 27. The cross-section of the annular groove 27 of the inner ring 20 is generally rectangular, and in the illustrated example, it has a trapezoidal shape that widens slightly toward the inner diameter side. The entire portion of the seal member 50 that is inserted into the annular groove 27 of the inner ring 20 is formed of an elastic material 50 b, and in the illustrated example, the entire fixing portion 51 is formed of the elastic material 50 b. The multiple bent portions 51 a provided on the fixing portion 51 elastically deform and are pressed against inner walls on both axial sides of the annular groove 27 of the inner ring 20, thereby fixing the seal member 50 to the inner ring 20. In this way, a labyrinth seal is formed by pressing the multiple bent portions 51a of the fixing portion 51 against the inner walls on both axial sides of the annular groove 27, thereby improving the sealing performance at the fixing portion between the seal member 50 and the inner ring 20. Engagement portions that engage with each other in the circumferential direction are provided on the outer circumferential surface of the inner ring 20 and the inner circumferential surface of the seal member 50. For example, although not shown, the engagement portions may be formed by providing protrusions at one or more circumferential locations on the annular groove 27 of the inner ring 20, and by providing recesses on the inner circumferential surface (inner diameter side end) of the fixing portion 51 of the seal member 50 that fit with the protrusions of the annular groove 27.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the inner diameter end of the sealing member 50 is fixed to the inner ring 20 and the outer diameter end of the sealing member 50 is in sliding contact with the outer ring 10, but the opposite may also be true, where the outer diameter end of the sealing member 50 is fixed to the outer ring 10 and the inner diameter end of the sealing member 50 is in sliding contact with the inner ring 20.

[0041] For example, the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 11 illustrates a case in which the structure of the fixed portion between the seal member 50 and the inner ring 20 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is applied to the fixed portion between the seal member 50 and the outer ring 10. Specifically, an annular groove 17 is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the outer ring 10, and a seal surface 28 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the inner ring 20. A protrusion 54 protruding outward from the fixed portion 51 of the seal member 50 fits into the annular groove 17 of the outer ring 10, thereby fixing the seal member 50 to the outer ring 10. The cross-sectional shapes of the annular groove 17 and the protrusion 54 are similar to the annular groove 27 and the protrusion 54 of the inner ring 20 shown in FIG. 3. Note that in the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, the core 50a of the seal member 50 has an L-shaped cross section and is embedded in the disc portion 52 and the fixed portion 51. Even in this case, the portion of the seal member 50 that comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring 10, specifically, the protrusion 54 and the cylindrical surface adjacent to the axially outer side thereof, are formed solely from the elastic material 50b. The core metal 50a having an L-shaped cross section as described above may also be applied to the seal member 50 fixed to the inner ring 20 (see, for example, FIG. 2).

[0042] In this case, engaging portions that engage with each other in the circumferential direction are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the inner ring 10 and the outer peripheral surface of the seal member 50. For example, although not shown, a recess that functions as an engaging portion is formed at one or more circumferential locations on the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring 10, and a protrusion that functions as an engaging portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the fixing portion 51 of the seal member 50. By fitting the protrusion of the seal member 50 into the recess of the outer ring 10 and engaging them with each other in the circumferential direction, relative rotation of the seal member 50 with respect to the outer ring 10 can be restricted.

[0043] The sixth embodiment shown in FIG. 12 illustrates a case in which the fixed portion between the seal member 50 and the inner ring 20 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 is applied to the fixed portion between the seal member 50 and the outer ring 10. Specifically, an annular groove 17 is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the outer ring 10, and a seal surface is provided on the inner ring 20. The seal member 50 is provided at its outer diameter end with a fixed portion 51 bent into an S-shaped cross section, and this fixed portion 51 is fitted into the annular groove 17 to be fixed. In the illustrated example, the first inner ring member 21 has a cylindrical first seal surface 28a provided on the axially outer side of the small collar portion 24, and a second seal surface 28b provided on the axially outer side surface of the small collar portion 24. The inner diameter end of the seal member 50 is provided with a first seal lip 53a in sliding contact with the first seal surface 28a of the inner ring 20, and a second seal lip 53b in sliding contact with the second seal surface 28b of the inner ring 20. Engagement portions that engage with each other in the circumferential direction are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring 10 and the outer peripheral surface of the seal member 50. For example, although not shown, the engagement portions may be formed by providing protrusions at one or more circumferential locations on the annular groove 17 of the outer ring 10, and by providing recesses on the outer peripheral surface (outer diameter end) of the fixing portion 51 of the seal member 50 that mate with the protrusions of the annular groove 17.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the present invention has been described as being applied to a four-row tapered roller bearing, but the present invention may also be applied to tapered roller bearings having a different number of tapered roller rows than that described above, for example, single-row tapered roller bearings or double-row tapered roller bearings.

[0045] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the seal member 50 is attached to the small diameter end of the space between the outer ring 10 and the inner ring 20, but if the large diameter end of this space faces the outside, the seal member 50 may also be attached to the large diameter end.

[0046] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to tapered roller bearings, but can also be applied to other rolling bearings such as cylindrical roller bearings and ball bearings.

[0047] 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a rolling bearing (tapered roller bearing) according to a reference example. This rolling bearing is similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 in that the engaging portions (recesses 26c and protrusions 56) on the outer peripheral surface of inner ring 20 and the inner peripheral surface of seal member 50 are omitted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1. Four-row tapered roller bearing (rolling bearing) 10 outer ring 11~14 Outer ring member 14a~14d Raceway surface 16 Sealing surface 20 Inner Circle 21, 22 Inner ring member 23a~23d Raceway surface 24 Small tsuba 25 Otsubabe 26 Extension 27 Annular groove 30 Tapered roller (rolling element) 31~34 Roller rows 40 Retainer 50 sealing material 50a core metal 50b Elastic material 51 Fixed part 52 Disc part (connection part) 53 Seal lip (seal part) 54 Protrusion 55, 59 Bend

Claims

1. A rolling bearing comprising an outer ring, an inner ring, a plurality of rolling elements disposed between the outer ring and the inner ring, and a seal member disposed on one axial side of the plurality of rolling elements, the seal member has a fixed portion fixed to one of the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring and the inner circumferential surface of the outer ring, a seal portion in sliding contact with the other of the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring and the inner circumferential surface of the outer ring, and a connecting portion connecting the fixed portion and the seal portion, The sealing member is formed of a core metal and an elastic material fixed to the core metal, a portion of the fixing portion of the sealing member that comes into contact with one of the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring and the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring is entirely formed from the elastic material, a rolling bearing, wherein one of the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring and the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring and the fixed portion of the seal member are provided with an engaging portion that engages with each other in the circumferential direction.

2. the connecting portion and the sealing portion are connected via a bent portion, 2. The rolling bearing according to claim 1, wherein an end of the core metal on the side of the seal portion is disposed closer to the fixed portion than the bent portion.

3. the connecting portion and the fixing portion are connected via a bending portion, 2. The rolling bearing according to claim 1, wherein an end of the core metal on the side of the fixed portion is disposed closer to the seal portion than the bent portion.

4. 2. The rolling bearing according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is a disk portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction.

5. 5. The rolling bearing according to claim 1, wherein the rolling elements are arranged in a plurality of rows.

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