Sealed ball bearings

Abstract

To provide a ball bearing with a seal capable of easily setting a small axial width of the bearing.SOLUTION: A seal member 6 has a seal-side slide surface 23 axially opposed to a resin retainer 5. The resin retainer 5 has a retainer-side slide surface 24 axially opposed to the seal-side slide surface 23. A plurality of fine projections 25 kept in slide-contact with the retainer-side slide surface 24 and flat surfaces 26 connecting the fine projections 25 are alternately formed on the seal-side slide surface 23 in a circumferential direction. Each fine projection 25 is formed so that a cross-sectional shape along the circumferential direction has a circular-arc shape having a radius of 1 mm-30 mm. A height H from the flat surface 26 of each fine projection 25 is set within a range of 0.01 mm-0.50 mm. A circumferential width A of each fine projection 25 is set within a range of 0.3-4.0 mm. A circumferential width B of each flat surface 26 is set within a range of 0.3-4.0 mm.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sealed ball bearing in which a seal member is provided between an inner ring and an outer ring. [Background technology]

[0002] Sealed ball bearings are often used as bearings that support rotating shafts in automobiles, industrial machinery, etc. These sealed ball bearings generally have an inner ring, an outer ring that is coaxially disposed radially outward of the inner ring, multiple balls disposed in the annular space between the inner and outer rings, a cage that holds the multiple balls, and an annular seal member disposed at the axial end opening of the annular space between the inner and outer rings (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-95451 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, it is difficult to reduce the axial width of the above-mentioned sealed ball bearings. Specifically, the cage that holds the balls rotates at the ball's orbital speed (a speed intermediate between the rotational speeds of the inner and outer rings), while the seal rotates integrally with the inner or outer ring. This creates a difference in rotational speed between the cage and the seal. Therefore, when the cage comes into sliding contact with the seal, the sliding resistance between the cage and the seal results in excessive torque loss and abnormal heat generation. Therefore, to prevent the cage from sliding against the seal, sealed ball bearings must ensure an axial gap between the cage and the seal. This makes it difficult to reduce the axial width of sealed ball bearings.

[0005] The problem to be solved by this invention is to provide a sealed ball bearing in which the axial width of the bearing can be easily set small. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following configuration for a sealed ball bearing. With inner circle, an outer ring provided coaxially on the radially outer side of the inner ring; a plurality of balls installed in an annular space formed between the inner ring and the outer ring; a cage that holds the plurality of balls; an annular seal member provided at one axial end opening of the annular space, the seal member has a seal-side sliding surface that faces the cage in the axial direction, the cage has a cage-side sliding surface that faces the seal-side sliding surface in the axial direction, a plurality of minute protrusions that come into sliding contact with the other sliding surface and flat surfaces that connect the minute protrusions adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction are alternately formed on one of the seal-side sliding surface and the retainer-side sliding surface, Each of the minute protrusions is formed so that its cross-sectional shape along the circumferential direction is an arc shape having a radius of 1 mm to 30 mm, or a trapezoid shape having a hypotenuse that forms an angle of 45 degrees or less with respect to the circumferential direction, The height of each of the minute protrusions from the flat surface is set in the range of 0.01 mm to 0.50 mm, The circumferential width of each of the small protrusions is set in the range of 0.3 to 4.0 mm, A sealed ball bearing, wherein the circumferential width of each of the flat surfaces is set in the range of 0.3 to 4.0 mm.

[0007] In this way, on one of the sliding surfaces of the seal side sliding surface and the retainer side sliding surface, a plurality of minute protrusions that come into sliding contact with the other sliding surface and flat surfaces that connect adjacent minute protrusions in the circumferential direction are formed alternately in the circumferential direction, and each minute protrusion is formed so that its cross-sectional shape along the circumferential direction is either an arc shape with a radius of 1 mm to 30 mm, or a trapezoid shape with a hypotenuse that forms an angle of 45 degrees or less with the circumferential direction.As a result, when the bearing rotates, an oil film is formed between the minute protrusion and the other sliding surface due to the wedge film effect, and this oil film creates a fluid lubrication state between the seal side sliding surface and the retainer side sliding surface, making it possible to keep the contact resistance between the retainer and the seal member extremely low. Furthermore, the height of each minute protrusion from the flat surface is set in the range of 0.01 mm to 0.50 mm, the circumferential width of each minute protrusion is set in the range of 0.3 to 4.0 mm, and the circumferential width of each flat surface is set in the range of 0.3 to 4.0 mm, so that a stable fluid lubrication state can be achieved between the seal-side sliding surface and the cage-side sliding surface not only when the bearing rotates at high speeds but also when the bearing rotates at relatively low speeds.In this way, this sealed ball bearing can keep the sliding resistance between the cage and the seal member extremely small, so there is no need to ensure an axial gap between the cage and the seal member, and it is easy to set the axial width of the bearing small.

[0008] The sealing member has a vulcanized rubber material, The seal-side sliding surface is provided on a surface of the rubber material, It is preferable to adopt a configuration in which the small protrusions and the flat surface are formed on the seal-side sliding surface.

[0009] In this way, the minute protrusions and the flat surface can be formed by vulcanization molding of the rubber material, and therefore the minute protrusions and the flat surface can be formed at low processing costs.

[0010] The sealing member is molded from resin or mild steel, It is preferable to adopt a configuration in which the small protrusions and the flat surface are formed on the seal-side sliding surface.

[0011] In this way, the minute protrusions and the flat surface can be formed by injection molding of resin or press molding of mild steel, so that the minute protrusions and the flat surface can be formed at low processing costs.

[0012] The sealing member may be formed of a solid lubricant containing a lubricant and a resin as main components.

[0013] the cage has a cage annular portion extending in the circumferential direction through a region sandwiched in the axial direction between a ball passage region and the seal member, and cantilever-shaped cage claw portions extending in the axial direction from the cage annular portion between the balls adjacent in the circumferential direction, A configuration may be employed in which the cage-side sliding surface is provided on a surface of the cage annular portion that faces the seal member in the axial direction.

[0014] This configuration prevents the cantilever-shaped cage claws from tilting radially outward due to centrifugal force during bearing rotation. Specifically, when a cage (a so-called crown cage) having a cage annular portion and cantilever-shaped cage claws extending axially from the cage annular portion is used, the centrifugal force acting on the cantilever-shaped cage claws during bearing rotation causes torsional deformation of the cage annular portion. This torsional deformation may cause the cage claws to tilt radially outward, potentially resulting in unstable contact between the cage claws and the balls. To address this problem, the above-described configuration, in which a cage-side sliding surface is provided on the cage annular portion axially facing the seal member, supports the cage annular portion with the seal member through sliding contact between the small protrusions and the other sliding surface. This prevents torsional deformation of the cage annular portion due to centrifugal force acting on the cage claws during bearing rotation, thereby preventing the cage claws from tilting radially outward.

[0015] The cage may be made of resin or mild steel. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] In the sealed ball bearing of this invention, one of the sliding surfaces, either the seal side sliding surface or the retainer side sliding surface, has a plurality of minute protrusions that slide against the other sliding surface and flat surfaces that connect adjacent minute protrusions in the circumferential direction, which are formed alternately in the circumferential direction, and each minute protrusion is formed so that its cross-sectional shape along the circumferential direction is either an arc shape with a radius of 1 mm to 30 mm, or a trapezoid shape with a hypotenuse that forms an angle of 45 degrees or less with the circumferential direction.As a result, when the bearing rotates, an oil film is formed between the minute protrusion and the other sliding surface due to the wedge film effect, and this oil film creates a fluid lubrication state between the seal side sliding surface and the retainer side sliding surface, making it possible to keep the contact resistance between the retainer and the seal member extremely low. Furthermore, the height of each minute protrusion from the flat surface is set in the range of 0.01 mm to 0.50 mm, the circumferential width of each minute protrusion is set in the range of 0.3 to 4.0 mm, and the circumferential width of each flat surface is set in the range of 0.3 to 4.0 mm, so that a stable fluid lubrication state can be achieved between the seal-side sliding surface and the cage-side sliding surface not only when the bearing rotates at high speeds but also when the bearing rotates at relatively low speeds.In this way, this sealed ball bearing can keep the sliding resistance between the cage and the seal member extremely small, so there is no need to ensure an axial gap between the cage and the seal member, and it is easy to set the axial width of the bearing small. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a sealed ball bearing according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] An enlarged cross-sectional view of the sealed ball bearing in Figure 1 near the seal member [Figure 3] Cross-sectional view along line III-III in Figure 1 [Figure 4] Cross-sectional view along line IV-IV in Figure 1 [Figure 5] Cross-sectional view along line VV in Figure 2 [Figure 6] A view of the seal member shown in Figure 2 from the axial inside. [Figure 7] Cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in Figure 6 [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the minute protrusions shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the seal lip of the seal member of FIG. 1. [Figure 10] Cross-sectional view taken along line XX in Figure 9 [Figure 11] FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a sealed ball bearing according to a second embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 12] Cross-sectional view along line XII-XII in Figure 11 [Figure 13] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the cage shown in FIG. 11 as seen from the axial outside. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Fig. 1 shows a sealed ball bearing according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This sealed ball bearing comprises an inner ring 1, an outer ring 2 disposed coaxially and radially outward of the inner ring 1, a plurality of balls 4 spaced circumferentially within an annular space 3 formed between the inner ring 1 and the outer ring 2, a resin cage 5 (hereinafter simply referred to as "cage 5") that maintains the circumferential spacing of the plurality of balls 4, an annular seal member 6 that closes one of the axial end openings of the annular space 3 (the right end opening in the figure), and an annular seal member 7 that closes the other end opening (the left end opening in the figure). A lubricant such as grease (not shown) is sealed in the annular space 3.

[0019] The outer periphery of the inner ring 1 is formed with an inner ring raceway groove 8 with which the balls 4 roll, a pair of inner ring groove shoulders 9 located axially outward of the inner ring raceway groove 8, and a pair of sliding recesses 10 located axially outward of the inner ring groove shoulders 9. The inner ring raceway groove 8 is an arcuate groove with a concave arc cross section that conforms to the surface of the balls 4, and is formed extending circumferentially through the axial center of the outer periphery of the inner ring 1. The pair of inner ring groove shoulders 9 are bank-shaped portions extending circumferentially on both sides of the inner ring raceway groove 8 in the axial direction. The sliding recesses 10 are recesses that extend circumferentially and are formed adjacent to the axial outside of the inner ring groove shoulders 9. Seal members 6, 7 are in sliding contact with the inner surfaces of the pair of sliding recesses 10.

[0020] The inner circumference of the outer ring 2 is formed with an outer ring raceway groove 11 with which the balls 4 roll, a pair of outer ring groove shoulders 12 located axially outward of the outer ring raceway groove 11, and a pair of seal fixing grooves 13 located axially outward of the outer ring groove shoulders 12. The outer ring raceway groove 11 is an arcuate groove with a concave arc-shaped cross section that conforms to the surface of the balls 4, and is formed extending circumferentially through the axial center of the inner circumference of the outer ring 2. The pair of outer ring groove shoulders 12 are bank-shaped portions extending circumferentially on both sides of the outer ring raceway groove 11 in the axial direction. The seal fixing groove 13 is a groove extending circumferentially formed adjacent to the axial outside of the outer ring groove shoulders 12. Seal members 6, 7 are fitted into and fixed in the pair of seal fixing grooves 13, respectively.

[0021] Balls 4 are radially sandwiched between outer ring raceway groove 11 and inner ring raceway groove 8. This sealed ball bearing is a deep groove ball bearing. That is, the axial width of outer ring raceway groove 11 is greater than half the diameter of balls 4, and the axial width of inner ring raceway groove 8 is also greater than half the diameter of balls 4.

[0022] 2, the sealing member 6 is an annular member made up of an annular core 14 and a rubber material 15 (such as nitrile rubber or acrylic rubber) fixed to the core 14. The rubber material 15 is fixed to the core 14 by vulcanization insert molding. That is, the rubber material 15 is vulcanized while the core 14 is placed in a mold for vulcanization molding the rubber material 15, so that the rubber material 15 is adhered and fixed to the surface of the core 14.

[0023] The seal member 6 has a fitting portion 16 that fits into the seal fixing groove 13, an annular plate portion 17 that extends radially inward from the fitting portion 16, and a seal lip 18 that comes into sliding contact with the inner surface of the sliding recess 10. The fitting portion 16 is provided at the outer diameter side end of the seal member 6. The seal lip 18 is provided at the inner diameter side end of the seal member 6. The surface of the inner surface of the sliding recess 10 that the seal lip 18 comes into sliding contact with is a cylindrical surface that has a constant outer diameter along the axial direction.

[0024] The cage 5 has a cage annular portion 20 that extends circumferentially through the area axially sandwiched between the ball 4 passage area and the seal member 6, and cage claw portions 21 that extend axially from the cage annular portion 20 between circumferentially adjacent balls 4. The cage annular portion 20 and the cage claw portions 21 are formed seamlessly as a single piece from a resin composition. The resin composition that forms the cage annular portion 20 and the cage claw portions 21 can be made of resin material only, but here a resin material with fiber reinforcement added is used.

[0025] Polyamide (PA) or super engineering plastics can be used as the base resin material for the resin composition. Examples of polyamides that can be used include polyamide 46 (PA46), polyamide 66 (PA66), and polynonamethylene terephthalamide (PA9T). Examples of super engineering plastics that can be used include polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS). Examples of fiber reinforcements that can be added to the resin material include glass fiber, carbon fiber, and aramid fiber.

[0026] The cage claw portion 21 is formed in a cantilever shape with one axial end being a fixed end fixed to the cage annular portion 20 and the other axial end being a free end. The axial length of the cage claw portion 21 is set to be greater than the radius of the balls 4. The cage claw portion 21 has a tapered shape in which the radial thickness gradually decreases from the side closer to the cage annular portion 20 (the root side) to the side farther away (the tip side).

[0027] 3, the cage claw portions 21 have circumferentially opposing surfaces 22 that circumferentially face the balls 4. The portions of the circumferentially opposing surface 22 that receive the balls 4 are flat so that the circumferentially opposing surface 22 does not interfere with the balls 4 when the cage claw portions 21 move radially outward due to centrifugal force. In the figure, the circumferentially opposing surface 22 is a plane that extends such that the circumferential width of the cage claw portions 21 gradually decreases from the radially outer side toward the radially inner side when viewed in the axial direction (for example, a plane that extends so that the center of the cage annular portion 20 is located on an extension of the circumferentially opposing surface 22).

[0028] As shown in Figure 4, the portion of the circumferential opposing surface 22 that receives the ball 4 in the circumferential direction has a straight shape that extends straight in the axial direction without any circumferential inclination when viewed radially, so that no axial component force is generated when receiving the ball 4.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 2 , the seal member 6 has a seal-side sliding surface 23 that faces the cage 5 in the axial direction. The seal-side sliding surface 23 is an annular surface formed over the entire circumference on the axially inner side of the annular plate portion 17 of the seal member 6. The seal-side sliding surface 23 is formed on the surface of the rubber material 15, not on the surface of the core metal 14. The cage 5 also has a cage-side sliding surface 24 that faces the seal-side sliding surface 23 in the axial direction. The cage-side sliding surface 24 is an annular surface formed over the entire circumference on the axially outer side of the cage annular portion 20.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 5, on the seal-side sliding surface 23, a plurality of small protrusions 25 that come into sliding contact with the cage-side sliding surface 24 via an oil film and flat surfaces 26 that connect adjacent small protrusions 25 in the circumferential direction are alternately formed. The small protrusions 25 are arranged at equal pitches around the entire circumference. The small protrusions 25 are formed to protrude in the axial direction from the flat surfaces 26 and all have the same shape. Each small protrusion 25 is formed so that its cross-sectional shape along the circumferential direction is a convex arc shape with a radius of 1 mm to 30 mm (preferably 20 mm to 30 mm). On the other hand, the cage-side sliding surface 24 is an annular flat surface perpendicular to the axial direction.

[0031] 6, the circumferential width A of the minute protrusions 25 is set in the range of 0.3 to 4.0 mm (preferably 1.4 to 3.7 mm), and the circumferential width B of the flat surface 26 is set in the range of 0.3 to 4.0 mm (preferably 1.4 to 3.7 mm).

[0032] As shown in Figure 7, the height H of the minute protrusions 25 from the flat surface 26 is set in the range of 0.01 mm to 0.50 mm (preferably 0.01 to 0.20 mm, and more preferably 0.01 to 0.10 mm). In the figure, the height H of the minute protrusions 25 from the flat surface 26 is exaggerated to make the presence of the minute protrusions 25 easier to see. If the height H of the minute protrusions 25 from the flat surface 26 is set to 0.20 mm or less, there is no need to axially shift the position of the seal fixing groove 13 on the inner circumference of the outer ring 2, making parts management easier than when manufacturing a sealed ball bearing configured without providing minute protrusions 25 on the seal member 6.

[0033] 2, the small protrusions 25 are arranged at a position overlapping the pitch circle of the balls 4 (an imaginary circle connecting the centers of multiple balls 4) or radially outward from that position. Here, "arranging the small protrusions 25 at a position overlapping the pitch circle of the balls 4" means that the imaginary cylindrical surface passing through the pitch circle of the balls 4 passes through the position of the small protrusions 25, and "arranging the small protrusions 25 radially outward from the pitch circle of the balls 4" means that the entire small protrusions 25 are located radially outward from the imaginary cylindrical surface passing through the pitch circle of the balls 4. In the figure, the small protrusions 25 are arranged radially outward from the pitch circle of the balls 4.

[0034] 9 and 10, a plurality of protrusions 27 that come into sliding contact with the sliding recessed portion 10 on the outer periphery of the inner ring 1 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction on the inner diameter side end of the seal lip 18. The protrusions 27 are formed so as to extend in a direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction. As shown in FIG. 10, each protrusion 27 has a convex arc-shaped cross section.

[0035] As shown in Figure 5, the above-mentioned sealed ball bearing has a plurality of minute protrusions 25 that slide against the retainer side sliding surface 24 and flat surfaces 26 that connect adjacent minute protrusions 25 in the circumferential direction, which are formed alternately on the seal side sliding surface 23. Each minute protrusion 25 is formed so that its cross-sectional shape along the circumferential direction is an arc with a radius of 1 mm to 30 mm (preferably 20 mm to 30 mm). As a result, when the bearing rotates, an oil film is formed between the minute protrusions 25 and the retainer side sliding surface 24 due to the wedge film effect. This oil film creates a fluid lubrication state between the seal side sliding surface 23 and the retainer side sliding surface 24, making it possible to keep the contact resistance between the retainer 5 and the seal member 6 extremely low.

[0036] Here, the lubrication state between sliding surfaces is classified into boundary lubrication state and fluid lubrication state. In boundary lubrication state, the lubricating oil adsorbed on each sliding surface is in a state of several molecular layers (10 -5 ~10 -6 On the other hand, in the fluid lubrication state, the wedge film effect creates an oil film (for example, 10 mm) between the sliding surfaces. -3 ~10 -1 This refers to a state in which a wedge film effect (approximately mm) is formed between the sliding surfaces, and the oil film prevents direct contact between the sliding surfaces (only indirect contact occurs via the oil film). When the wedge film effect occurs and a fluid lubrication state is achieved, sliding resistance becomes almost zero.

[0037] Furthermore, in this sealed ball bearing, the height H (see Figure 7) of each minute protrusion 25 from the flat surface 26 is set to a range of 0.01 mm to 0.50 mm (preferably 0.01 to 0.20 mm, and more preferably 0.01 to 0.10 mm), the circumferential width A (see Figure 6) of each minute protrusion 25 is set to a range of 0.3 to 4.0 mm (preferably 1.4 to 3.7 mm), and the circumferential width B (see Figure 6) of each flat surface 26 is set to a range of 0.3 to 4.0 mm (preferably 1.4 to 3.7 mm).Therefore, a fluid lubrication state can be stably maintained between the seal side sliding surface 23 and the retainer side sliding surface 24 not only when the bearing rotates at high speeds but also when the bearing rotates at relatively low speeds. In this way, this sealed ball bearing can keep the sliding resistance between the retainer 5 and the seal member 6 extremely low, so there is no need to ensure an axial gap between the retainer 5 and the seal member 6, and it is easy to set the axial width of the bearing small.

[0038] Furthermore, this sealed ball bearing can prevent cantilever-shaped retainer claws 21 from tilting radially outward due to centrifugal force during bearing rotation. That is, when a resin retainer 5 (a so-called crown-type retainer) having a retainer annular portion 20 and cantilever-shaped retainer claws 21 extending axially from the retainer annular portion 20 is used as shown in Fig. 1, torsional deformation occurs in the retainer annular portion 20 due to centrifugal force acting on the cantilever-shaped retainer claws 21 during bearing rotation, and this torsional deformation may cause the retainer claws 21 to tilt radially outward, which could destabilize the contact between the retainer claws 21 and the balls 4. In contrast, in the sealed ball bearing of this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, the retainer annular portion 20 is supported by the seal member 6 due to the sliding contact between the small protrusions 25 and the retainer side sliding surface 24, so that torsional deformation of the retainer annular portion 20 due to the centrifugal force received by the retainer claw portions 21 when the bearing rotates can be suppressed, and the retainer claw portions 21 can be suppressed from tilting radially outward.

[0039] Furthermore, in this sealed ball bearing, the minute protrusions 25 and flat surface 26 can be formed by vulcanization molding of the rubber material 15, so that the minute protrusions 25 and flat surface 26 can be formed at low processing costs.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the minute protrusions 25 have been described as having an arc-shaped cross section along the circumferential direction as shown in Fig. 7, but it is also possible to use minute protrusions 25 having an isosceles trapezoidal cross section along the circumferential direction with a pair of symmetrical oblique sides 28 that form an angle θ of 45 degrees or less with the circumferential direction as shown in Fig. 8. Even in this case, the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0041] 11 to 13 show a sealed ball bearing according to the second embodiment. In the first embodiment, small protrusions 25 are provided on the seal-side sliding surface 23 of the seal-side sliding surface 23 and the cage-side sliding surface 24, whereas in the second embodiment, the only difference is that small protrusions 25 are provided on the cage-side sliding surface 24, and the rest of the configuration is the same. Therefore, parts corresponding to those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0042] 12, on the cage-side sliding surface 24, a plurality of minute protrusions 25 that come into sliding contact with the seal-side sliding surface 23 via an oil film and flat surfaces 26 that connect adjacent minute protrusions 25 in the circumferential direction are alternately formed. On the other hand, the seal-side sliding surface 23 is an annular flat surface that is perpendicular to the axial direction.

[0043] This sealed ball bearing has the same functions and effects as the first embodiment.

[0044] In the above embodiments, the sealing member 6 has been described as being made of a metal core 14 and a rubber material 15, but the sealing member 6 may be made of resin. In this case, the minute protrusions 25 and the flat surface 26 can be formed by resin injection molding, so that the minute protrusions 25 and the flat surface 26 can be formed at low processing costs. Alternatively, the sealing member 6 may be made of mild steel (a mild steel shield). In this case, the minute protrusions 25 and the flat surface 26 can be formed by mild steel press molding, so that the minute protrusions 25 and the flat surface 26 can be formed at low processing costs.

[0045] Furthermore, the sealing member 6 may be formed from a solid lubricant containing a lubricant (thermal setting grease or the like) and a resin (polyethylene or the like) as main components.

[0046] In the above embodiment, a resin cage formed only from a resin composition has been described as an example of the cage 5, but it is also possible to use a resin cage in which a metal ring-shaped core is insert-molded into the cage annular portion 20 when the cage annular portion 20 and the cage claw portions 21 are molded from a resin composition. It is also possible to use a mild steel cage in which the cage annular portion 20 and the cage claw portions 21 are integrally formed from mild steel.

[0047] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1. Inner circle 2 outer ring 3 Annular Space 4 balls 5 Resin cage 6 Sealing material 15 Rubber material 20 Retainer ring 21 Cage claw part 23 Seal side sliding surface 24 Cage side sliding surface 25 Microprotrusions 26 Flat surface 28 Hypotenuse A Circumferential width of the micro-projection B Circumferential width of flat surface H: Height of the micro-projection from the flat surface θ angle of the hypotenuse

Claims

1. Inner circle (1) and an outer ring (2) provided coaxially on the radially outer side of the inner ring (1); a plurality of balls (4) installed in an annular space (3) formed between the inner ring (1) and the outer ring (2); a cage (5) for holding the plurality of balls (4); and an annular seal member (6) provided at one axial end opening of the annular space (3). The seal member (6) has a seal-side sliding surface (23) that faces the cage (5) in the axial direction, The cage (5) has a cage-side sliding surface (24) that faces the seal-side sliding surface (23) in the axial direction, a plurality of minute protrusions (25) that come into sliding contact with the other sliding surface and flat surfaces (26) that connect the minute protrusions (25) adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction are alternately formed on one of the seal-side sliding surface (23) and the retainer-side sliding surface (24), Each of the minute protrusions (25) is formed so that the cross-sectional shape along the circumferential direction exhibits an arc shape having a radius of 20 mm to 30 mm, The height (H) of each of the minute protrusions (25) from the flat surface (26) is set in the range of 0.01 mm to 0.20 mm; The circumferential width (A) of each of the small protrusions (25) is set in the range of 1.4 to 4.0 mm, A sealed ball bearing characterized in that the circumferential width (B) of each of the flat surfaces (26) is set in the range of 0.3 to 4.0 mm.

2. The sealing member (6) has a vulcanized rubber material (15), The seal-side sliding surface (23) is provided on the surface of the rubber material (15), The small protrusions (25) and the flat surface (26) are formed on the seal-side sliding surface (23).

2. The sealed ball bearing according to claim 1.

3. The sealing member (6) is molded from resin or mild steel, The small protrusions (25) and the flat surface (26) are formed on the seal-side sliding surface (23).

2. The sealed ball bearing according to claim 1.

4. The sealing member (6) is formed of a solid lubricant containing a lubricant and a resin as main components.

2. The sealed ball bearing according to claim 1.

5. The cage (5) has a cage annular portion (20) extending in the circumferential direction in a region sandwiched in the axial direction between a passage region of the balls (4) and the seal member (6), and cantilever-shaped cage claw portions (21) extending in the axial direction from the cage annular portion (20) between the balls (4) adjacent in the circumferential direction, The cage-side sliding surface (24) is provided on the surface of the cage annular portion (20) facing the seal member (6) in the axial direction.

5. The sealed ball bearing according to claim 1.

6. 6. A sealed ball bearing according to claim 1, wherein the cage (5) is a resin cage or a mild steel cage.

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