Cage assembly, plain thrust bearing, radial bearing and conical surface radial

Abstract

The present invention discloses a cage assembly, a plain thrust bearing, a radial bearing, and a tapered radial thrust bearing to solve the problem that it is difficult for conventional bearings to simultaneously satisfy high load-bearing capacity, low mass, low friction resistance, and high allowable rotation speed. The cage assembly of the present invention includes a plurality of sets of rolling elements and a cage, each set has a plurality of rolling elements, each of the rolling elements is a biwa cylindrical roller, the plurality of rolling elements are stacked to form a set, end faces of any two adjacent rolling elements are in close contact with each other, the cage is provided with a plurality of sets of pockets, each set has a plurality of pockets, any one set of pockets is distributed along the circumferential direction of the cage, each pocket is provided with a set of the rolling elements, and the plurality of sets of rolling elements can roll in the cage along the circumferential direction of the cage. When the multiple stacked rolling elements of the present invention contact the raceway, multiple contact points are distributed on the raceway, which enhances the load-bearing capacity of the bearing and has the advantages of low friction resistance, and can be applied even in the case of high rotation speeds.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] <Reference to Related Applications> This application is This is a national phase application of International Patent No. PCT / CN2022 / 112809 (filing date: August 16, 2022), Chinese application 202210215807.1 filed with the State Intellectual Property Administration of the People's Republic of China (CNIPA) issue This application benefits from the priority of the basic application (filed on March 7, 2022). This application incorporates the entire contents of the basic application by reference thereto.

[0002] The present invention relates to the technical field of bearings, and more particularly to cage assemblies, plain thrust bearings, radial bearings and conical surface radial thrust bearings. [Background technology]

[0003] Rolling bearings are widely used in various machines. While there are many types of rolling bearings, few thrust bearings offer compact dimensions, uniform stress distribution, resistance to unbalanced loads, high allowable rotational speeds, and low frictional resistance. First, let's take thrust bearings as an example. Ball thrust bearings with raceways have large axial dimensions and limited load-bearing capacity. Cylindrical roller thrust bearings are not purely rolling, and they generate large friction and heat, making them unsuitable for high-speed applications. Plain needle roller bearings have large frictional resistance, tend to misalign, and have very low allowable rotational speeds, making them unsuitable for many applications. Plain densely packed ball thrust bearings have very low friction and can be used for high-speed applications, but their load-bearing capacity per unit area is relatively low. This is mainly due to the large relative curvature between the balls and the planar raceway, which means that the contact area between the balls and the raceway is a small proportion of the space occupied by the balls themselves. Therefore, it is difficult to simultaneously satisfy the requirements of high load-bearing capacity, low mass, low friction resistance, and high allowable rotational speed using some conventional bearing structures. This situation also exists in radial bearings and radial thrust bearings. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In view of this, the present invention discloses a cage assembly, a plain thrust bearing, a radial bearing and a conical surface radial thrust bearing to solve the requirements that conventional bearings have difficulty in simultaneously satisfying: high load-bearing capacity, low mass, low friction resistance and high allowable rotational speed.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The first aspect of the present invention includes: an annular cage; a plurality of sets of rolling elements; The annular cage is provided with a plurality of sets of pockets distributed along a circumferential direction thereof, and the circumferential distribution loci of the plurality of sets of pockets are at different radial positions of the annular cage; Each set of rolling elements includes a plurality of stacked rolling elements, each of the rolling elements being a biwa cylindrical roller; There has been disclosed a cage assembly in which a set of the rolling elements is provided in each of the pockets, and a plurality of sets of the rolling elements are capable of rolling in the cage along the circumferential direction of the cage.

[0007] Furthermore, the ratio of the thickness of each of the rolling elements to the maximum diameter of the rolling elements may be 1 / 3 or less.

[0008] Furthermore, the thickness of each of the rolling elements may be equal to or greater than 1 / 8 of the maximum diameter of the rolling element.

[0009] Furthermore, the generatrix curvature radius of the rolling elements may be 10 times or less the maximum radius of the rollers.

[0010] Furthermore, the number of rolling elements in the same set may be more than 1 and not more than 10.

[0011] Furthermore, the pocket may be rectangular in shape.

[0012] Furthermore, the length of one side of the pocket along the axial direction of the rolling elements may be W1, the length of the other side of the pocket may be W2, the maximum diameter of the rolling elements may be Dmax, the stack height of a set of the rolling elements in the pocket without gaps may be H, and the fit gap between the rolling elements and the pocket may be ζ, where W1=H+n×ζ, W2=Dmax+ζ, 0.005 mm≦ζ≦0.015 mm, and n represents the number of rolling elements contained in the pocket. In other words, an appropriate oil film thickness is maintained between each rolling element.

[0013] Furthermore, the cage may be a metal cage or a polymer cage, and the tensile strength of the polymer cage or the tensile strength of the metal cage may be 840 MPa or more. Furthermore, the cage may be a fiber reinforced composite cage.

[0014] Furthermore, the cage may be formed by winding fibers made of a fiber-reinforced composite material, and the fibers may be distributed crosswise along the circumferential direction of the cage.

[0015] In a second aspect of the present invention, a planar thrust bearing including the cage assembly according to the first aspect is disclosed.

[0016] Furthermore, the planar thrust bearing may further include a first support member and a second support member, the retainer being annular, the first support member being provided on one axial side of the retainer, the first support member having a first planar raceway that circles around the retainer in a circumferential direction, the plurality of sets of rolling elements being in close contact with the first planar raceway, a second support member being provided on the other axial side of the retainer, the second support member having a second planar raceway that circles around the retainer in a circumferential direction, the plurality of sets of rolling elements being in close contact with the second planar raceway, and the plurality of sets of rolling elements being capable of rolling on the first planar raceway and the second planar raceway along the circumferential direction of the retainer.

[0017] Furthermore, on a plane perpendicular to the axis of the retainer, the center points of each set of pockets may be arranged along the circumferential direction of the retainer according to an elliptical locus, the center of the ellipse in which each set of pockets is located may be concentric with the retainer, and the major axes of the ellipses in which any two sets of pockets are located may be collinear.

[0018] In a third aspect of the present invention, a radial bearing including the cage assembly according to the first aspect is disclosed.

[0019] Furthermore, the radial bearing may further include an inner ring and an outer ring, the retainer is cylindrical, the inner ring has a first cylindrical surface raceway that goes around the circumferential direction of the retainer, the outer ring is circumferentially mounted on the inner ring and the retainer is mounted within an annular space formed by the two rings, the outer ring has a second cylindrical surface raceway that goes around the circumferential direction of the retainer, and multiple sets of rolling elements are in close contact with the first cylindrical surface raceway and the second cylindrical surface raceway, and the multiple sets of rolling elements may roll on the first cylindrical surface raceway and the second cylindrical surface raceway along the circumferential direction of the retainer.

[0020] Additionally, the center points of each set of pockets may be arranged according to a sinusoidal locus around the circumference of the cage.

[0021] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, a tapered surface radial thrust bearing including the cage assembly according to the first aspect is disclosed.

[0022] Furthermore, the tapered surface radial thrust bearing may further include a first support member and a second support member, the first support member being provided facing the outer conical surface of the cage, the first support member having a first conical surface raceway that circles around the cage in a circumferential direction, the plurality of sets of rolling elements being in close contact with the first conical surface raceway, the first conical surface raceway being provided facing the outer conical surface of the cage, the second support member having a second conical surface raceway that circles around the cage in a circumferential direction, the second conical surface raceway being provided facing the inner conical surface of the cage, the plurality of sets of rolling elements being in close contact with the second conical surface raceway, and the plurality of sets of rolling elements being able to roll on the first conical surface raceway and the second conical surface raceway along the circumferential direction of the cage. [Effects of the Invention]

[0023] According to the present invention, a plurality of stacked rolling elements are provided in each pocket, each of which is a cylindrical roller. When the rolling elements contact the raceway, a large number of contact points are distributed on the raceway. This allows a relatively thin raceway to be used, and the shaft or part of the workpiece can be directly surface-hardened, with the surface of the shaft or workpiece becoming the raceway. This means that the entire bearing can be designed to be compact and lightweight, and at the same time, it is possible to fill the large gap between dense ball bearings, which have high efficiency, high allowable rotational speed and relatively low load-bearing capacity, needle roller bearings, which have low allowable rotational speed, a relatively small volume, a relatively light weight and a relatively high load-bearing capacity, and short cylindrical roller bearings, which are relatively thick but have a relatively high load-bearing capacity. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The drawings described below are merely some embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can derive other drawings from these drawings without any creative effort. [Figure 1]1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first type of structure in which rolling elements are provided in pockets of a cage in a roller bearing according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating an example of the cage in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a rolling element in Example 1-3 of the roller bearing of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating a rolling element in Example 1-3 of a roller bearing according to the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which one set of rolling elements is stacked in Example 1-3 of the roller bearing of the present invention. [Figure 6] 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second type of structure in which rolling elements are provided in pockets of a cage in a roller bearing according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating an example of the cage in FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first type of structure in which rolling elements are provided in pockets of a cage in a roller bearing according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second type of structure in which rolling elements are provided in pockets of a cage in a roller bearing according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first type of structure in which rolling elements are provided in pockets of a cage in a roller bearing according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second type of structure in which rolling elements are provided in pockets of a cage in a roller bearing according to a third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] In order to clarify the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be described below clearly and completely with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is clear that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and are not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without any creative work are included in the scope of the claims of the present invention.

[0026] The terms used in the examples of the present invention are intended only to describe specific examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Unless otherwise clearly indicated by the context, the singular forms "a," "the," and "the" used in the examples and claims of the present invention are intended to include the plural form, and "plurality" usually includes at least two, but may also include at least one.

[0027] It should be understood that the term "and / or" used herein merely describes the relationship between related objects and indicates that three types of relationships can exist; for example, A and / or B can indicate three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Furthermore, in this specification, the symbol " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after it are in an "or" relationship.

[0028] Additionally, the term "comprises" or any other variation thereof should be interpreted as meaning that the non-exclusive inclusion of "comprises" is intended to mean that a product or system containing a set of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed or inherent in such product or system. An element qualified by the phrase "comprises ..." does not, unless further limited, exclude the presence of other identical elements in a product or system containing said element.

[0029] To explain the technical solution of the present invention in more detail, the following specific examples are provided in conjunction with FIGS.

[0030] Example 1 1 to 7, this embodiment provides a retainer 1 assembly including a retainer 1 and a plurality of sets of rolling elements 2, each set having a plurality of rolling elements 2, each of which is a biwa cylindrical roller, the plurality of rolling elements 2 being stacked to form a set, the end faces of any two adjacent rolling elements 2 being closely attached, the retainer 1 being provided with a plurality of sets of pockets 11, each set having a plurality of pockets 11, any one set of pockets 11 being distributed along the circumferential direction of the retainer 1, each of the pockets 11 being provided with a set of rolling elements 2, and the plurality of sets of rolling elements 2 being able to roll on the retainer 1 along the circumferential direction of the retainer 1.

[0031] The biwa cylindrical roller in this embodiment is a roller whose outer periphery is formed as a convex arc of revolution surface or a convex spheroid of revolution surface, and both ends of the roller are flat.

[0032] The ratio of the major and minor axes of the contact area ellipse of a Biwa cylindrical roller (for a circular arc surface, the ratio of the major axis to the minor axis is 1) must not be too large, otherwise its action will be similar to that of a short cylindrical roller, and particularly for thrust bearings and radial thrust bearings with large cone angles, it may increase the sliding speed at both ends inside and outside the contact ellipse, and increase the frictional resistance of the bearing. The thickness of the biwa cylindrical roller must not be too small; under maximum load, its thickness must be at least 1.2 times the diameter of the contact circle or the length of the major axis of the contact ellipse. Furthermore, taking into consideration the stability of the pressure bar, elastic instability must not occur. Furthermore, to prevent the rolling elements 2 from getting stuck in the pockets 11 due to the bending of adjacent biwa cylindrical rollers in different directions under the action of Murphy's Law, the bending deformation under pressure must be strictly limited to be less than 1 / 3 of the average clearance of the rolling elements 2 (where d is the gap between the roller and the roller and between the roller and the side wall of the pocket 11, and the amount of bending deformation is less than 1 / 3 of d). Furthermore, the biwa cylindrical rollers tend to self-rotate due to the influence of frictional forces during the rotation of the bearing, but this self-rotation moment is balanced depending on the restraining force exerted on the biwa cylindrical rollers by the side walls of the pockets 11. Furthermore, the directions of the self-rotation moments of the biwa cylindrical rollers stacked in the pockets 11 are consistent and interact with each other, so the number of biwa cylindrical rollers in one pocket 11 must be limited; otherwise, it may increase the frictional resistance of the bearing and accelerate the wear of the window side walls of the cage 1. Therefore, the number of stacked rolling elements 2 in each window is preferably limited to eight or less, with a maximum of ten or less, and therefore the number of rolling elements 2 in the same set is more than one and not more than ten.

[0033] A single pocket 11 contains multiple rolling elements 2, each of which is a cylindrical roller. When the rolling elements 2 contact the raceway, the area of ​​each contact point increases, increasing the number of contact points per unit area. When balls are used as the rolling elements 2, the diameter of each contact point is typically only about 5.5% of the diameter of a steel ball due to the limitations of the allowable contact stress of the bearing material. In other words, when balls are used as the rolling elements 2, 90% of the area of ​​the pocket 11 occupied by them is wasted.

[0034] The efficiency, allowable rotational speed and volume of roller bearings are close to those of dense ball bearings, and their load-bearing capacity is close to that of short cylindrical roller bearings or tapered roller bearings, making them suitable for high-speed, heavy-load applications and able to partially replace hydrostatic and hydrostatic bearings, the manufacturing, installation, adjustment and maintenance costs of the former being much lower than those of the latter. This bearing structure has made it easier to design and manufacture bearings since there were several standardized cylindrical rollers, allowing powerful machinery manufacturers to develop and manufacture non-standard bearings themselves, greatly improving the flexibility of product design and shortening production cycles.

[0035] Based on the above improvements, in order to increase the number of contact points on the track of the rolling element 2 within the pocket 11, the ratio of the thickness s to the maximum diameter Dmax of each rolling element 2 may be 1 / 3 or less.

[0036] Based on the above improvements, the generatrix radius of curvature of the rolling elements 2 may be 10 times or less the radius of the rollers in order to limit the frictional resistance of the bearing.

[0037] Based on the above improvements, the shape of the pocket 11 is rectangular, and on one side of the retainer 1, a straight line from the center of the diagonal of the pocket 11 to the rotation center of the retainer 1 may be parallel to one set of two parallel sides of the pocket 11 and perpendicular to another set of two parallel sides.

[0038] Based on the above improvements, the length of one side of the pocket 11 along the axial direction of the rolling elements 2 may be W1, the length of the other side of the pocket 11 may be W2, the maximum diameter of the rolling elements 2 may be Dmax, the stack height of one set of rolling elements 2 in the pocket 11 without gaps may be H, and the fitting gap between the rolling elements 2 and the pocket 11 may be ζ, where W1 = H + n × ζ, W2 = Dmax + ζ, 0.005 mm ≦ ζ ≦ 0.015 mm, and n represents the number of rolling elements in the set. That is, an appropriate oil film thickness is maintained between each of the rolling elements, ensuring that the rolling elements 2 can rotate flexibly within the pocket 11. For plain thrust bearings and tapered radial thrust bearings, the pure rolling speeds of each roller in the same pocket are different, and this oil film gap ensures that significant sliding friction and jamming problems do not occur.

[0039] Based on the above improvements, the cage 1 may be a metal cage 1 or a polymer cage 1, and the tensile strength of the polymer cage 1 or the metal cage 1 may be 840 MPa or more. When weight is not a requirement, the cage 1 can be made of a wear-resistant metal material, such as bronze or brass, which has good processability, reasonable cost, and low initial investment for single-item small-lot production. When the bearing itself not only rotates but also performs complex spatial motion, such as a plain thrust bearing in a nutating reducer, a light-weight material, such as a fiber-wound composite material, can be used. The cage 1 is formed by wrapping fibers made of a fiber-reinforced composite material, with the fibers distributed crosswise along the circumferential direction of the cage 1. This high tensile strength improves the life of the cage 1. Specifically, a cage 1 made of a single-component high-strength polymer material with a tensile strength of 840 MPa or more may be used.

[0040] The cage 1 is formed by winding fibers made of a fiber-reinforced composite material, and the fibers may be distributed crosswise along the circumferential direction of the cage 1. This increases the tensile strength of the entire cage 1 and increases the service life of the cage 1.

[0041] Example 2 1 to 5, this embodiment provides a plane thrust bearing including the cage 1 assembly of embodiment 1. Specifically, the plane thrust bearing further includes a first support member and a second support member, the cage 1 is annular, the first support member is provided on one axial side of the cage 1, the first support member has a first planar raceway that runs around the cage 1 in the circumferential direction, and the plurality of sets of rolling elements 2 are in close contact with the first planar raceway, the second support member is provided on the other axial side of the cage 1, the second support member has a second planar raceway that runs around the cage 1 in the circumferential direction, the plurality of sets of rolling elements 2 are in close contact with the second planar raceway, and the plurality of sets of rolling elements 2 are capable of rolling on the first and second planar raceways along the circumferential direction of the cage 1.

[0042] In this embodiment, the cage 1, the first support member, and the second support member may be in the shape of an annular plate, but are not limited to this and may be configured in other shapes according to specific needs. The first support member and the second support member may be installed on both axial sides of the cage 1, and the plurality of sets of rolling elements 2 may protrude from the plane on which both sides of the cage 1 are located and be in close contact with the first and second planar raceways. In particular, the axis of the cage 1 in this embodiment refers to the rotation center line of the cage 1.

[0043] Based on the above improvements, the center points of each set of pockets 11 may be arranged along the circumferential direction of the cage 1 along an elliptical locus on a plane perpendicular to the axis of the cage 1, the center of the ellipse on which each set of pockets 11 is located may be concentric with the cage 1, and the major axes of the ellipses on which any two sets of pockets 11 are located may be collinear. When the rolling elements 2 roll on the raceway, fatigue pitting corrosion is reduced, and the service life of the bearing can be extended. In this embodiment, the number of pockets 11 in the same set may be an even number, further reducing fatigue pitting corrosion.

[0044] 1 and 2, preferably, when multiple sets of blades 11 are aligned along the radial direction of the cage 1 (linearly arranged), the rigidity of the cage 1 is increased, and the ratio of the distances from the center to the major axis of the ellipse of the two pockets 11 closest to the major axis of the ellipse in each set is the same, the ratio P = L1:L2, and P may be 1:3 or 3:1. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, when any two adjacent pockets 11 are arranged crosswise, the rigidity of the cage 1 is reduced compared to a linear arrangement, and multiple sets of pockets 11 are A1, A2 ... An from outside to inside, and the ratio of the distances from the center to the major axis of the ellipse of the two pockets 11 closest to the major axis of the ellipse in an odd-numbered set of pockets 11 is P, and P = L1:L2. The ratio of the distances from the center to the major axis of the ellipse of the two pockets 11 closest to the major axis of the ellipse in an even-numbered set of pockets 11 is 1 / P, where P may be 1:3 or 3:1. This is applicable when the elastic deformation of the raceway is small and the wall thickness of the raceway is relatively thin, and the specific arrangement method to be adopted may be determined depending on the usage situation. The above is the most preferred embodiment of this embodiment, but it is not limited to this, and specific may be appropriately set depending on the actual usage demand.

[0045] Example 3 8 and 9, this embodiment provides a radial bearing including the cage 1 assembly of embodiment 1. Specifically, the radial bearing further includes an inner ring and an outer ring, the cage 1 is cylindrical, the inner ring has a first cylindrical surface raceway that goes around the cage 1 in the circumferential direction, the outer ring is circumferentially disposed around the inner ring and the cage 1 is disposed within an annular space formed by the two rings, the outer ring has a second cylindrical surface raceway that goes around the cage 1 in the circumferential direction, and multiple sets of rolling elements 2 are in close contact with the first cylindrical surface raceway and the second cylindrical surface raceway, and the multiple sets of rolling elements 2 may be able to roll on the first cylindrical surface raceway and the second cylindrical surface raceway along the circumferential direction of the cage 1.

[0046] Furthermore, the center points of the pockets 11 in each set are arranged according to a sinusoidal locus along the circumferential direction of the cage 1, thereby reducing raceway wear and pitting corrosion. Also, the center points of the pockets 11 in the same set may be located on two complete sinusoidal curves around one circumference of the cage 1. For nutating bearings, the number of pockets 11 in the same set is even, and the centers of the pockets 11 are distributed along the circumferential direction of the cage 1 and located on the sinusoidal curves.

[0047] The sine curve in this embodiment is a virtual curve that goes around the retainer 1 and is assumed to explain the arrangement of the pockets 11, and each set of pockets 11 is assigned one virtual sine curve.

[0048] 8, when multiple sets of pockets 11 are aligned (linearly aligned) along the axial direction of the cage 1, the ratio of the distances from the center point to the peak of the sine curve of the two pockets 11 in the same set that are closest to the peak of the sine curve is the same, which may be 1:3 or 3:1. The material of the cage 1 along the meridian and latitude directions is continuous, which improves rigidity, but the bearing force on the raceway is also distributed along the meridian direction, which has the disadvantage of increasing deformation if the raceway is thin. Referring to FIG. 9 , when any two adjacent pairs of pockets 11 are arranged crosswise along the axial direction of the cage 1, the multiple pairs of pockets 11 are arranged in the order of B1, B2, ... Bn from one end of the cage 1 to the other end in the axial direction. Here, the ratio of the distances from the center point to the peaks of the sine curves of the two pockets 11 closest to the peaks of the sine curves among the odd-numbered pairs of pockets 11 is K, and the ratio of the distances from the center point to the peaks of the sine curves of the two pockets 11 closest to the peaks of the sine curves among the even-numbered pairs of pockets 11 is 1 / K. K may be 1:3 or 3:1. Compared to a linear arrangement, the meandering distribution of the cage 1 along the meridian direction reduces the rigidity of the cage 1. However, this arrangement is applicable when the pockets 11 are distributed in a diamond pattern on the raceway plane, the elastic deformation of the raceway is small, and the raceway wall thickness is relatively thin. The above is the most preferred embodiment of this example, but it is not limited thereto. Specifically, the ratio may be appropriately set according to actual usage needs.

[0049] Example 4 10 and 11, this embodiment provides a tapered surface radial thrust bearing including the cage 1 assembly of the first embodiment. Specifically, the tapered surface radial thrust bearing may further include a first support member and a second support member, the first support member being arranged facing the outer conical surface of the retainer 1, the first support member having a first conical surface raceway that circles around the retainer 1 in the circumferential direction, the plurality of sets of rolling elements 2 being closely fitted to the first conical surface raceway, the first conical surface raceway being arranged facing the outer conical surface of the retainer 1, the second support member having a second conical surface raceway that circles around the retainer 1 in the circumferential direction, the second conical surface raceway being arranged facing the inner conical surface of the retainer 1, the plurality of sets of rolling elements 2 being closely fitted to the second conical surface raceway, and the plurality of sets of rolling elements 2 being capable of rolling on the first conical surface raceway and the second conical surface raceway along the circumferential direction of the retainer 1.

[0050] In this embodiment, the first support member, the second support member, and the cage 1 may be conical toroidal.

[0051] Based on the above improvements, the center points of the pockets 11 of each set are arranged along the circumferential direction of the cage 1 and located on a sinusoidal curve, thereby reducing raceway wear and pitting corrosion. The center points of the 11 may also be located on two complete sinusoidal curves in one circumference of the cage 1. For nutating bearings, the number of pockets 11 of the same set is even, and the centers of the pockets 11 are distributed along the circumferential direction of the cage 1 and located on a sinusoidal curve.

[0052] The sine curve in this embodiment is a virtual curve that goes around the retainer 1 and is assumed to explain the arrangement of the pockets 11, and each set of pockets 11 is assigned one virtual sine curve.

[0053] 10, when multiple sets of pockets 11 are aligned (linearly aligned) along the axial direction of the cage 1, the ratio of the distances from the center point to the peak of the sine curve of the two pockets 11 in the same set that are closest to the peak of the sine curve is the same, which may be 1:3 or 3:1. The material of the cage 1 along the meridian and latitude directions is continuous, which improves rigidity, but the bearing force on the raceway is also distributed along the meridian direction, which has the disadvantage of increasing deformation if the raceway is thin. Referring to FIG. 11 , when any two adjacent pairs of pockets 11 are arranged crosswise along the axial direction of the cage 1, the multiple pairs of pockets 11 are arranged in the order C1, C2, ... Cn from one end of the cage 1 to the other end in the axial direction. Here, the ratio of the distances from the center point to the peak of the sine curve of the two pockets 11 closest to the peak of the sine curve in the odd-numbered pair of pockets 11 is M, and the ratio of the distances from the center point to the peak of the sine curve of the two pockets 11 closest to the peak of the sine curve in the even-numbered pair of pockets 11 is 1 / M, where M may be 1:3 or 3:1. Compared to a linear arrangement, the meandering distribution along the meridian direction of the cage 1 reduces the rigidity of the cage 1. However, this arrangement is applicable when the pockets 11 are distributed in a diamond shape on the raceway plane, the elastic deformation of the raceway is small, and the raceway wall thickness is relatively thin. The above is the most preferred embodiment of this example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Specifically, the arrangement may be appropriately set according to actual usage needs.

[0054] While illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure have been specifically shown and described, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the precise construction, installation, or implementation methods shown and described herein, but rather, the present disclosure is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1 retainer, 11 pockets 42 rolling elements

Claims

1. an annular cage; a plurality of sets of rolling elements; the annular cage is provided with one set of pockets or multiple sets of pockets, each set of pockets including multiple pockets distributed along the circumferential direction of the annular cage, the circumferential distribution locus of each set of pockets is a locus along which center points of the multiple pockets in each set are arranged along the circumferential direction of the annular cage, when the cage assembly is used for a plain thrust bearing, the circumferential distribution locus of each set of pockets is an ellipse, and when multiple sets of pockets are provided on the annular cage, the circumferential distribution locus of the multiple sets of pockets is at different radial positions on the annular cage; or when the cage assembly is used for a radial bearing or a conical surface radial thrust bearing, the circumferential distribution locus of each set of pockets is a sine curve, and when multiple sets of pockets are provided on the annular cage, the circumferential distribution locus of the multiple sets of pockets is at different positions on the generatrix of the annular cage; each set of rolling elements includes a plurality of stacked rolling elements, each of the rolling elements being a biwa cylindrical roller, the ratio of the thickness of each of the rolling elements to the maximum diameter of the rolling element being 1 / 3 or less, and the generatrix radius of curvature of each of the rolling elements being 10 times or less the maximum radius of the roller, A set of the rolling elements is provided in each pocket, and the plurality of sets of the rolling elements are capable of rolling in the annular cage along the circumferential direction of the annular cage. A cage assembly comprising:

2. The thickness of each of the rolling elements is equal to or greater than 1 / 8 of the maximum diameter of the rolling element.

2. The cage assembly of claim 1.

3. The number of the rolling elements stacked in the same pocket is more than 1 and is not more than 10.

2. The cage assembly of claim 1.

4. The pocket is rectangular in shape.

2. The cage assembly of claim 1.

5. The length of one side of the pocket along the axial direction of the rolling elements is W1, the length of the other side of the pocket is W2, the maximum diameter of the rolling elements is Dmax, the stack height of one set of the rolling elements in the pocket without gaps is H, and the fit gap between the rolling elements and the pocket is ζ, where W1 = H + n × ζ, W2 = Dmax + ζ, 0.005 mm ≦ ζ ≦ 0.015 mm, and n represents the number of rolling elements contained in the pocket.

5. The cage assembly of claim 4.

6. A cage assembly comprising a first support member, a second support member, and the cage assembly of any one of claims 1 to 5, the annular cage has an annular plate shape, the first support member is provided on one axial side of the annular cage, the first support member has a first planar raceway that goes around the annular cage in a circumferential direction, the plurality of sets of rolling elements are in close contact with the first planar raceway; the second support member is provided on the other axial side of the annular cage, the second support member has a second planar raceway that goes around the annular cage in a circumferential direction, the plurality of sets of rolling elements are in close contact with the second planar raceway; the plurality of sets of rolling elements are capable of rolling on the first planar raceway and the second planar raceway along the circumferential direction of the annular cage, The annular cage is provided on a plane perpendicular to the axis of the annular cage, with the center of an ellipse on which each set of pockets is located concentrically with the cage, and the major axes of the ellipses on which any two sets of pockets are located are collinear. A plane thrust bearing characterized by:

7. A cage assembly comprising the cage assembly of any one of claims 1 to 5, The radial bearing further includes an inner ring and an outer ring, the annular cage is cylindrical, the inner ring has a first cylindrical surface raceway that goes around the annular cage in a circumferential direction, The outer ring is circumferentially disposed around the inner ring, and the annular cage is disposed within an annular space formed by the outer ring and the inner ring, the outer ring has a second cylindrical surface raceway that goes around the annular cage in the circumferential direction, the plurality of sets of rolling elements are in close contact with the first cylindrical surface raceway and the second cylindrical surface raceway; the plurality of sets of rolling elements are capable of rolling on the first cylindrical surface raceway and the second cylindrical surface raceway along the circumferential direction of the annular cage; A radial bearing characterized by:

8. The retainer assembly of claim 1, The tapered surface radial thrust bearing further includes a first support member and a second support member, the annular cage is tapered annular, and the first support member is provided toward an outer conical surface of the annular cage; the first support member has a first conical raceway that goes around the annular cage in a circumferential direction, the plurality of sets of rolling elements are brought into close contact with the first conical raceway; the first conical raceway is provided toward an outer conical surface of the annular cage, the second support member has a second conical raceway that goes around the annular cage in the circumferential direction, the second conical raceway is provided toward the inner conical surface of the annular cage, the plurality of sets of rolling elements are brought into close contact with the second conical raceway; the plurality of sets of rolling elements are capable of rolling on the first conical raceway and the second conical raceway along the circumferential direction of the annular cage; A tapered surface radial thrust bearing characterized by:

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