Rolling bearing sealing, rolling bearing including the bearing sealing

Abstract

An annular rolling bearing sealing element comprising an inner lip segment, an outer lip segment, and a connecting segment. The sealing element further comprises an inner core portion comprising a base segment having a plate shape extending parallel to a radial direction of the bearing sealing and having a uniform thickness in an axial direction of the bearing sealing, a bent segment and a second bent segment, wherein a portion of the outer lip segment adjoining the connecting segment has a difference in thickness from the connecting segment in the axial direction on a side of the connecting segment close to the bent segment. The difference in thickness is in a range of w + 0.05 mm to 1.5 * w + 0.2 mm, wherein w is a thickness of the base segment in the axial direction. The present disclosure also proposes a rolling bearing comprising the sealing element described above, the thickness of the base segment in the axial direction being between 0.3 and 0.35 times the width of the sealing groove of the bearing.

Description

ROLLING BEARING SEALING, ROLLING BEARING INCLUDING THE BEARING SEALINGTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of bearings, in particular to a bearing cap and a bearing having the bearing cap.BACKGROUND

[0002] Bearings have been widely used in more and more fields and the market is also increasingly demanding for bearings. For example, more and more bearings are required to be provided with bearing caps to avoid intrusion of external contaminants and leakage of lubricant. The metal bearing cap is mounted between the bearing inner race and the bearing outer race of the bearing by press-fitting, which easily causes deformation of the bearing outer race. In particular, for a thin-section ball bearing, since the bearing outer race is thin, the bearing outer race is prone to bulging deformation after the bearing cap having a high rigidity is mounted, affecting the use of the bearing, and thus is suitable for a bearing cap other than all-metal, such as an RZ bearing cap.

[0003] However, because of the thin cross-section and very little internal axial space for the thin-section ball bearing, conventional RZ bearing caps have large lip height and wide inner lips that may interfere with the cage after assembled to the bearing outer race.

[0004] Therefore, it is desirable to provide a novel bearing with stable sealing properties and reduced the risk of interference.SUMMARY

[0005] The object of the present disclosure is to address at least the drawbacks present in the prior art, proposing a bearing cap comprising an inner lip segment located radially inner side the bearing cap; an outer lip segment located radially outer side the bearing cap; a connecting segment having a plate-like structure, connecting the outer lip segment and the inner lip segment and being parallel to a radial direction of the bearing cap.

[0006] The bearing cap further comprises an inner core portion comprising: a base segment having a plate-like structure and being parallel to the radial direction of the bearing cap; a bent segment located radially outward of the base segment and extending from the base segment at an angle to the base segment. The base segment is located at and constitutes part of the connecting segment, the bent segment is located at and constitutes part of the outer lip segment. The modulus of elasticity of the material of the remaining section of the bearing cap other than the inner core portion is smaller than the modulus of elasticity of the material of the inner core portion.

[0007] The part of the outer lip segment adjoining the connecting segment has a thickness difference from the connecting segment in a axial direction on a side of the connecting segment close to the bent segment, the thickness difference being in the range of w + 0.05 mm to 1.5 * w + 0.2 mm, wherein w is the thickness of the base segment in the axial direction of the bearing cap.

[0008] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a thickness of the base segment in the axial direction is in the range of 0.2 mm to 1.5 mm.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the inner core portion further comprises a second bent segment non-parallel to the axial direction, the second bent segment being located radially outward of the bent segment and extending from the bent segment in a direction away from the base segment; In some embodiments, the second bent segment is substantially parallel to the radial direction.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a length of the second bent segment is greater than or equal to 0.2 mm.

[0011] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the bent segment is substantially parallel to the axial direction.

[0012] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a maximum thickness of the inner lip segment in the axial direction of the bearing cap is between 0.8 mm- 1.8 mm.

[0013] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a length of the inner core portion in the radial direction is between 0.5 and 0.9 times a length of the bearing cap (1) in the radial direction..

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a length of the inner core portion in the radial direction is between 0.5 and 0.9 times a length of the bearing cap in the radial direction.

[0015] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, an axial minimum distance of the bent segment to a plane of a first end face of the outer lip segment is greater than 0.05 mm and an axial minimum distance of the bent segment to a plane of a second end face of the outer lip segment is greater than 0.05 mm, the first end face and the second end face of the outer lip segment defining a maximum width of the outer lip segment in the axial direction.

[0016] The present disclosure also proposes a bearing comprising a bearing body and at least one bearing cap according to the present disclosure, wherein the bearing cap fits with the bearing body such that a bearing cavity is formed between the bearing cap and the bearing body, the bearing body comprising a bearing inner race and a bearing outer race located radially outside the bearing inner race.

[0017] The bearing outer race comprises: a blocking portion located at an end face of the bearing outer race and extending towards a radially inward direction; a sealing groove adjoining the blocking portion, located radially inside the blocking portion and opening in a radially inward direction, and a stopper adjoining the sealing groove, located on a side of the sealing groove opposite the blocking portion, the stopper having a minimum diameter smaller than a minimum diameter of the blocking portion.

[0018] The bearing cap is assembled with the bearing body with the inner lip segment fitting with the bearing inner race of the bearing body, the outer lip segment of the bearing cap being deformed to be received within a sealing groove of the bearing outer race.

[0019] The thickness of the base segment in the axial direction is between 0.3 and 0.35 times the width of the sealing groove.

[0020] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a maximum outer diameter of the inner core portion is larger than a minimum inner diameter of the stopper.

[0021] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the maximum outer diameter of the inner core portion is between 0.7 mm and 1.5 mm smaller than the minimum inner diameter of the blocking portion.

[0022] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the maximum thickness of the outer lip segment in the axial direction is between 0.05 mm and 0.25 mm smaller than an axial depth of the sealing groove.

[0023] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the outer lip segment comprises a curved free end having a maximum thickness in the axial direction comprised between n-0. 05 mm and n+0. 2 mm, where n is the width of the sealing groove.

[0024] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the inner lip segment of the bearing cap is a clearance fit with the bearing inner race.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional schematic view of a structure of a bearing cap according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a bearing cap labeled with an marker number according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the fitting relationship of the bearing cap of Figure 1 and the bearing body with the outer lip segment of the bearing cap received in the sealing groove and showing interference between the outer lip segment and the sealing groove; FIG. 4 shows a partial enlarged view of a sealing groove of the bearing body in Figure 3; FIG. 5 illustrates a partial enlarged view of a sealing groove according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to make the objectives, solutions and advantages of the technical solutions of the present disclosure more clear, a clear and complete description will be made hereinafter of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the specific embodiments of the present disclosure. Terms used herein have their ordinary meaning in the art unless otherwise specified. Like numbers refer to like parts in the drawings.

[0027] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be noted that, unless expressly specified and limited otherwise, the terms "mounted", "connected", "connected", and "connected" are to be understood broadly, e.g., fixedly connected, removably connected, or integrally connected; Mechanical or electrical connections; The connection may be direct or indirect through an intermediate medium, and may be internal to the two elements. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood in specific cases to those of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, "inner diameter" and "outer diameter" are to be understood in this technical field as well as in the present disclosure as the inner circle diameter and the outer circle diameter of a component. Further, in the present disclosure, substantially parallel refers to relative angles within 180 ° ± 10 °, and substantially perpendicular refers to relative angles within 90 ° ± 5 °. In the present disclosure, FIGS. 1-5 show cross-sectional schematic views that do not directly show the annular shape or three-dimensional structure of the bearing or bearing cap, but it is conceivable that one side portion in a cross-section of the corresponding bearing taken on a plane passes through the center axis of the bearing may be as shown in the corresponding schematic views 1-5.

[0028] For ease of description, in this disclosure, since the bearing body and the bearing cap are both annular components, "radial" or "radial direction" is designated as the direction in which the radius of the annular bearing body and bearing cap lies, with radially inward designated as pointing toward the center of the ring as opposed to the direction indicated by arrow R in FIG. 3, and radially outward designated as facing away from the center of the ring as indicated by arrow R in FIG. 3. Further, "axial direction" or "axially" refers to the direction in which the axis of rotation of the bearing body lies, which is perpendicular to the radially outward direction R, axially outward referring to the direction from the inside of the bearing towards the outside of the bearing, and axially inward referring to the direction from the outside of the bearing towards the inside of the bearing. And it is conceivable that since both the bearing cap 1 and the bearing body 2 are substantially bodies of revolution, at any point in the bearing cap 1 and the bearing body 2, a circle passing through the point can be taken on the bearing cap 1 and the bearing body 2 with a plane perpendicular to the axis of revolution, the larger the diameter of the circle passing through the point, i.e. the larger the distance of the pointfrom the axis of revolution, the farther out the point in the radially outward direction, i.e. the farther away in the direction indicated by the arrow R in Fig. 3 (the farther to the right in Fig. 3).

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a partial cross-sectional schematic view of the structure of a bearing cap according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 3 shows a partial cross- sectional view of the bearing cap of FIG. 1 fitted with the bearing body, wherein the outer lip segment 12 of the bearing cap 1 is received in the sealing groove 212, and the interference between the outer lip segment 12 and the sealing groove 212 is shown in order to facilitate understanding of the deformation of the outer lip segment 12 caused by the press fit between the two. The basic structure and assembly of the bearing cap 1 and the bearing body 2 will be understood in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and 3. As shown in FIG. 1, a bearing cap 1 according to the present disclosure may include an outer lip segment 12, a connecting segment 13, and an inner lip segment 14, the three segments being divided by two dashed lines in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the bearing body comprises an bearing outer race 21 which is press fit with the outer lip segment 12, a bearing inner race 22 which is clearance fit with the inner lip segment 14 to form an imperfectly sealed bearing cavity 212. The clearance between the bearing inner race 22 and the inner lip segment 11 is sufficiently narrow so that the relative movement of the bearing inner race 22 and the inner lip segment 14 is not disturbed by the frictional forces therebetween, while disturbing the interior of the bearing cavity by external contaminants or other factors is largely prevented. The bearing according to the present disclosure has one bearing cap 1 on at least one side of the bearing, preferably on both sides of the bearing. Within the bearing cavity 212 are the rolling bodies 25 and the rolling body cage 26 to fulfill the basic turning function of the bearing.

[0030] According to the bearing of the present disclosure, the bearing outer race 21 further comprises blocking portions 211 which may be provided at both outer end faces axially outer side of the bearing outer race 21, which may abut with at least portion of the outer lip segment 12 when the outer lip segments 12 are received in the sealing grooves 212, limiting the bearing cap 1 to prevent the bearing cap 1 from generating relative movement away from the rolling bodies 25, thereby reducing the possibility of accidental detachment of the bearing cap 1.

[0031] In addition, the bearing outer race 21 may further comprise a sealing groove 212, which is a groove having an opening orientation opposite to the radially outward direction R, may be located adjacent to the blocking portion 211 axially inside the blocking portion 211. the sealing groove 212 is used to accommodate a portion of the outer lip segment 12 of the bearing cap 1, i.e., when actually fitted, the interference portion shown in FIG. 3 will be deformed to be accommodated in the sealing groove 212, greatly increasing the sealability of the bearing cap by the press fit between the sealing groove 212 and the outer lip segment 12.

[0032] On the axially inner side of the sealing groove 212, i.e. on the side of the sealing groove 212 opposite to the blocking portion, there is provided a stopper 213 having a minimum diameter smaller than the minimum diameter of the blocking portion 211. The stopper 213 may abut at least part of the bearing cap 1, limiting the bearing cap 1 to prevent relative movement of the bearing cap 1 towards the rolling bodies 25, reducing the possibility of interference of the bearing cap 1 with the rolling bodies 25 and the rolling body cage 26 within the bearing cavity 23.

[0033] According to the technical solution of the present disclosure, the structure is improved on the basis of the conventional RZ bearing cap, greatly reducing the risk of interference of the bearing cap with the rolling bodies 25 as well as the rolling body cage 26 within the bearing cavity 23.

[0034] The bearing according to the present disclosure, as shown in Fig. 1, comprises an outer lip segment 12, a connecting segment 13 and an inner lip segment 14, which are illustrated in Fig. 1 divided by two dashed lines. The outer lip segment 12 is a radially outer segment of the bearing cap 1, the inner lip segment 14 is a radially inner segment of the bearing cap 1, and the connecting segment is located between and connects the outer lip segment 12 and the inner lip segment 14. At least parts of the outer lip segment 12, the connecting segment 13 and the inner lip segment 14 are made of an elastomeric material, for example of a rubber material. In particular, the radially outermost part of the outer lip segment 12, i.e. the part which fits with the bearing outer race 21, and the inner lip segment 12, i.e. the part which fits with the bearing inner race 22 are made of an elastomeric material, in order to reduce the possibility of the bearing body 2 beingseverely deformed when the bearing cap 1 is fitted with the bearing body 2 due to excessive fitting pressure therebetween, thereby affecting use.

[0035] Whereas being made entirely of an elastomeric material would not guarantee the strength of the bearing cap, the bearing cap 1 further comprises an inner core portion 11, which may comprise a base segment 111 and a bent segment 112, as shown in connection with Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, wherein the inner core portion 1 may be an integrally formed rigid component, e.g. stamped from a plate material, such as a metal plate, to enhance the strength of the bearing cap 1. The modulus of elasticity of the material from which the inner core portion 11 is made may be much greater than the modulus of elasticity of the elastomeric material from which the rest of the bearing cap 1 is made.

[0036] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. In some embodiments, the length s7 of the inner core portion 11 in the radial direction may be greater than or equal to half the length slO of the bearing cap in the radial direction such that at least half the length of the bearing cap 1 is strengthened. Furthermore, the length of the inner core portion 11 in the bearing cap 1 cannot be too long to affect the fit between the bearing cap 1 and the bearing body 2, so the length s7 of the inner core portion 11 in the radial direction may be less than or equal to 0.9 times the length slO of the bearing cap in the radial direction.

[0037] The base segment 111 may have a plate shape extending parallel to the radial direction and having a uniform thickness in the axial direction, the base segment 111 occupying most of the length in the radial direction of the inner core portion to enhance the strength of the bearing cap 1. The bent segment 112 extends from a radially outer end of the base segment 111 and is at an angle, in some embodiments substantially perpendicular, in some embodiments 90 °, to the base segment 111 to further enhance the strength of the bearing cap 1. The maximum width of the inner core portion 11 in the axial direction, i.e. the maximum width s8 of the bent segment 112 in the axial direction, may be between 2 times and 2.5 times the thickness s4 in the axial direction.

[0038] Further, according to the bearing cap according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the inner core portion 11 can also be provided with a second bent segment 113 which may be located radially outward of the bent segment 112 and extend from the bent segment 112 non-parallel to the axial direction and away from the base segment 111. In some embodiments, the bent segment 112 is generally parallel to theradial direction. In some embodiments, the length s5 of the second bent segment may be greater than 0.2 mm. Therefore the inner core portion 11 has a "z"-shaped cross-section. The strength of the "z"-shaped structure is much greater than the "L"-shaped structure consisting of only the base segment 111 and the bent segment 112.

[0039] The inner core portion 11 is at least partially surrounded by the part of the bearing cap 1 made of elastomer. In particular, the base segment 111 may be located within and constitute part of the connecting segment 13, e.g. the length of the base segment 111 in the radial direction may be smaller than the length of the connecting segment 13 in the radial direction such that the free end of the base segment 111 is also located within the connecting segment 13. The bent segment 112 and the second bent segment 113 are located within and constitute part of the outer lip segment 12. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the surface of the bent segment 112 near the base segment 111 may be aligned with the surface of the outer lip segment 12 near the connecting end 13, i.e., the surface of the bent segment 112 near the base segment 111 may not be wrapped with elastomeric material. The surface of the base segment 111 near the bent segment 112 may be aligned with the axially inner surface of the connecting segment 13, i.e. the surface of the base segment 111 near the bent segment 112 may not be wrapped with elastomeric material.

[0040] As can be seen in connection with Figs. 1-3, the portion of the outer lip segment 12 adjoining the connecting segment 13 (i.e. the portion of the outer lip segment 12 abutting the stopper 213, as shown in Fig. 3) has a thickness difference si from the connecting segment 13 in the axial direction on the side of the connecting segment 13 close to the bent segment 112, said thickness difference (si) being in the range of w + 0.05 mm to 1.5 * w + 0.2 mm, wherein w is the thickness s4 of the base segment in the axial direction. The inner core portion 11 may be a component of uniform thickness, for example a portion stamped from a constant thickness plate material, such as a metal plate, so the thickness s4 of the base segment 111 in the axial direction, i.e. the plate thickness, may range from 0.2 mm to 1.5 mm. According to the bearing cap of some embodiments of the present disclosure, the thickness s4 of the base segment 111 in the axial direction is designed to be small, so that the difference in thickness si can be increased. Therefore, the surfaces of the connecting segment 12 and the axially inner side of the inner lip segment 14 can be further away from the rolling bodies 25 when the bearing cap 1 isassembled to the bearing body 2, thereby increasing the volume of the bearing cavity, reducing the risk of interference.

[0041] The particular choice of s4 is in relation to the bearing body 2 to which the bearing cap 1 is to be fitted, in particular in relation to the width a of the sealing groove 212, which is shown in Figures 4 and 5. The thickness s4 of the base segment 111 in the axial direction may be between 0.3 and 0.35 times the width a of the sealing groove 212. This design allows to increase the volume of the bearing cavity, reducing the risk of interference, and at the same time to guarantee the strength of the bearing cap 1.

[0042] Fig. 4 shows an enlarged view of a part of the bearing body in Fig. 3, wherein the width a of the sealing groove 212 is defined as a chord length of the circular arc section segment of the sealing groove between the blocking portion 211 and the stopper 213. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the width a is shown as the minimum value of the distance between the intersection of a straight line (dashed line shown in FIG. 4) in the axial direction at the minimum diameter of the blocking portion and the stopper 213 211 and the intersection of this straight line and the blocking portion 211, which is well known to those skilled in the art. As shown in FIG. 5, in some embodiments, the corner portion 214 at the abutment of the stop 211 and the sealing groove 212 have a rounded or chamfered configuration to reduce the likelihood that the raised corner portion 214 will damage the bearing cap 1 during assembly or otherwise adversely affect the bearing cap 1 during use. Those skilled in the art will also understand that the rounding or chamfering should not affect the definition of the width a of the sealing groove 212, which may still refer to the chord length of a circular arc sectional segment of the sealing groove between the blocking portion 211 before chamfered or rounded and the stopper 213. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the width a is shown as the minimum of the distance between the intersection of a straight line (dashed line shown in FIG. 5) in the axial direction at the minimum diameter of the blocking portion 211 and the stopper 213 and the intersection of this straight line and the corresponding complete circular section of the sealing groove 212 (i.e. the corresponding circular section before rounded, the missing portion being shown in dashed line in FIG. 5).

[0043] Please refer to FIGS. 1-5. In order to ensure that the distance between the axially outer face of the bearing cap 1 after installation and the bearing end face 24 is within adesired range, the maximum thickness s6 of the outer lip segment 12 in the axial direction is between 0.05 mm and 0.25 mm smaller than the axial depth c of the sealing groove 212 (as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, i.e. the maximum distance between the sealing groove 212 and the bearing end face 24).

[0044] According to some embodiments of the bearing cap of the present disclosure, the position of the inner core portion 11 in the axial direction relative to the bearing cap 1 is defined as follows: an axial minimum distance sl3 (as shown in FIG. 2) of the bent segment 112 to a plane in which the first end face of the outer lip segment 12 lies and an axial minimum distance sl4 (as shown in FIG. 2) of the bent segment 112 to a plane in which the second end face of the outer lip segment 12 lies are both greater than 0.05 mm. The first end face and the second end face of the outer lip segment 12 define a maximum width s6 of the outer lip segment 12 in the axial direction. The design causes that the portion of the outer lip segment 12 abutting against the stopper 213 is an elastomeric material having a thickness of at least 0.05 mm, reducing the likelihood of excessive deformation of the bearing outer race 21 after assembly. And the design further ensures that the distance between the axially outer face of the connecting segment 13 and the bearing end face 24 is within a desired range. The elastomeric material having a thickness of more than 0.05 mm on the axially outer face acts as a buffer to reduce impact or interference of the external environment to the bearing cap 1 which may cause local deformation of the bearing cap.

[0045] In order to guarantee the fitting strength between the bearing cap 1 and the sealing groove 212, the outer lip segment 12 may further include a bent free end 121 that is bent and forms a recess. That recess provides a deformation space for the deformation of the outer lip segment 12 when assembled, as shown in FIG. 1. The maximum thickness s9 of this free end 121 in the axial direction (as shown in FIG. 2) is between the width a of the sealing groove 212 -0.05 mm and the width a of the sealing groove 212 + 0.2 mm. In some embodiments, the maximum thickness s9 of the free end 121 in the axial direction is greater than the width a of the sealing groove 212 by 0.1 mm. This design provides an interference portion of the outer lip segment 12 and the sealing groove 212 (as shown in FIG. 3) at the time of assembly, which is deformed toward the recess formed with the free end 121 as described above to ensure the fitting strength.

[0046] When the bearing cap 1 is fitted with the bearing body 2, the outer lip segment 12 abuts against the stopper 213. In order to reduce the possibility of excessive axial deformation of the bearing cap 1 upon abutment, the maximum outer diameter si 1 of the inner core portion 11 may be larger than the minimum inner diameter d of the stopper 213, as shown in Fig. 3. Furthermore, the maximum outer diameter si 1 of the inner core portion 11 may be smaller than the minimum inner diameter b of the blocking portion 211, such as between 0.7 mm and 1.5 mm smaller, ensuring that the bearing cap 1 can fit into the opening defined by the blocking portion 211 and abut against the stopper 213.

[0047] The bearing cap according to some embodiments of the present disclosure further improves on the inner lip segment 14, whose maximum thickness s3 in the axial direction can be set to between 0.8 mm and 1.8 mm. Thus, the thickness s3 of the inner lip segment 14 is reduced, which is beneficial to further reducing the risk of interference with the rolling bodies 25 and the rolling body cage 26 inside the bearing cavity 23.

[0048] In some embodiments, the surface of the inner lip segment 13 that fits with the bearing inner race 22 (i.e., the radially innermost surface) may be provided with a groove 141 that may have a "v"-shaped cross-section, the maximum width sl2 of the groove 141 may be provided between 0.4 mm-1.0 mm, the groove edge width s2 of the groove 141 (i.e., the minimum distance of the groove 141 from the axially outer surface of the bearing cap 1 as shown in FIG. 2) being between 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm smaller than the maximum thickness s3 of the inner lip segment 14 in the axial direction. The design of the groove reduces the effect of non-uniform stress distortion during manufacturing due to the greater thickness of the inner lip segment 13.

[0049] It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-described embodiments (and / or aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from its scope. The functions or performances of the various elements or modules described herein are for illustration only and are in no way limiting, but are merely exemplary embodiments. Many other embodiments and modifications within the spirit and scope of the claims will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of the disclosure should, therefore, be determined withreference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

[0050] In the appended claims, the terms "including" and "in which" are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms "comprising" and "wherein." Moreover, in the following claims, the terms "first," "second," and "third," etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects.REFERENCE NUMERALS1 bearing cap, 11 inner core portion, 111 base segment, 112 bent segment, 113 second bent segment, 12 outer lip segment, 121 free end, 13 connecting segment, 14 outer lip segment, 141 groove,2 bearing body, 21 bearing outer ring, 211 blocking portion, 212 sealing groove, 213 stopper, 214 corner portion, 22 bearing inner race, 23 bearing cavity, 24 bearing end surface, 25 rolling body, 25 rolling body cageR radially outward direction si difference in thickness of the outer lip segment and the connecting segment, s2 groove edge width, s3 maximum width of the inner lip segment in the axial direction, s4 thickness of the base segment in the axial direction, s5 length of the second bent segment, s6 maximum thickness of the outer lip segment in the axial direction, s7 length of the inner core portion in the radial direction, s8 length of the bent segment in the axial direction, s9 maximum thickness of the free end in the axial direction, slO length of the bearing cap in the radial direction, si 1 maximum outer diameter of the inner core portion, sl2 width of the groove, si 3 axial minimum distance of the bent segment to the plane in which the first end face of the outer lip segment lies,sl4 axial minimum distance of the bent segment to a plane in which the second end face of the outer lip segment lies, a width of the sealing groove b minimum inner diameter of the blocking portion c axial depth of sealing groove d minimum inner diameter of the stopper

Claims

CLAIMS1. A bearing cap (1) comprising an inner lip segment (14) located radially inner side the bearing cap (1), an outer lip segment (12) located radially outer side the bearing cap (1), a connecting segment (13) having a plate-like structure, connecting the outer lip segment (12) with the inner lip segment (14) and being parallel to a radial direction of the bearing cap (1), the bearing cap (1) further comprising an inner core portion (11) comprising: a base segment (111) having a plate-like structure and being parallel to the radial direction of the bearing cap (1), a bent segment (112) located radially outward of the base segment (111) and extending from the base segment (111) at an angle to the base segment (111); wherein the base segment (111) is located at and constitutes part of the connecting segment (13) and the bent segment (112) is located at and constitutes part of the outer lip segment (12), wherein the modulus of elasticity of the material of the remaining sections of the bearing cap (1) other than the inner core portion (11) is smaller than the modulus of elasticity of the material of the inner core portion (11), wherein the part of the outer lip segment (12) adjoining the connecting segment (13) has a thickness difference (si) from the connecting segment (13) in a axial direction on a side of the connecting segment (13) close to the bent segment (112), the thickness difference (si) being in the range of w + 0.05 mm to 1.5 * w + 0.2 mm, wherein w is the thickness (s4) of the base segment (111) in the axial direction of the bearing cap (1).

2. The bearing cap (1) according to claim 1, wherein a thickness (s4) of the base segment (111) in the axial direction is in the range of 0.2 mm to 1.5 mm.

3. The bearing cap (1) according to claim 1, wherein the inner core portion (11) further comprises a second bent segment (113) not parallel to the axial direction, the second bent segment (113) being located radially outward of the bentsegment (112) and extending from the bent segment (112) in a direction away from the base segment (111).

4. The bearing cap (1) according to claim 3, wherein a length (s5) of the second bent segment (113) is greater than or equal to 0.2 mm.

5. The bearing cap (1) according to claim 3, wherein the bent segment (112) is substantially parallel to the axial direction.

6. The bearing cap (1) according to claim 1, wherein a maximum thickness (s3) of the inner lip segment (14) in the axial direction of the bearing cap (1) is between 0.8 mm- 1.8 mm.

7. The bearing of claim 6, wherein the inner lip segment (14) is provided on the radially inner side thereof with a groove having a maximum width (sl2) of between 0.4 mm and 1.0 mm.

8. The bearing cap (1) according to claim 1, wherein a length (s7) of the inner core portion (11) in the radial direction is between 0.5 and 0.9 times a length (slO) of the bearing cap (1) in the radial direction.

9. The bearing cap (1) according to claim 8, wherein an axial minimum distance (sl3) of the bent segment (112) to a plane in which a first end face of the outer lip segment (12) lies is greater than 0.05 mm and an axial minimum distance (sl4) of the bent segment (112) to a plane in which a second end face of the outer lip segment (12) lies is greater than 0.05 mm, the first end face and the second end face of the outer lip segment (12) defining a maximum width (s6) of the outer lip segment (12) in the axial direction.

10. A bearing comprising a bearing body (2) and at least one bearing cap (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, whereinthe bearing cap (1) fits with the bearing body (2) such that a bearing cavity (23) is formed between the bearing cap (1) and the bearing body (2), the bearing body (2) comprising a bearing inner race (22) and a bearing outer race (21) located radially outside the bearing inner race (22), the bearing outer race (21) comprising: a blocking portion (211) located at an end surface of the bearing outer race (21) and extending toward a radially inward direction, a sealing groove (212) adjoining the blocking portion (211), located radially inside the blocking portion (211) and opening in a radially inward direction, and a stopper (213) adjoining the sealing groove (212) on an opposite side of the sealing groove (212) to the blocking portion (211), a minimum diameter of the stopper (213) being smaller than a minimum diameter of the blocking portion (211), wherein the bearing cap (1) is assembled with the bearing body (2) with the inner lip segment (14) fitting with the bearing inner race (22) of the bearing body (2), the outer lip segment (12) of the bearing cap (1) being deformed to be received within a sealing groove (212) of the bearing outer race (21), wherein a thickness (s4) of the base segment (111) in the axial direction is between 0.3 and 0.35 times a width (a) of the sealing groove (212).

11. The bearing of claim 10, wherein the maximum outer diameter (si 1) of the inner core portion (11) is larger than the minimum inner diameter (d) of the stopper (213).

12. The bearing of claim 11, wherein the maximum outer diameter (si 1) of the inner core portion (11) is between 0.7 mm and 1.5 mm smaller than the minimum inner diameter (b) of the blocking portion (211).

13. The bearing of claim 10, wherein the maximum thickness (s6) of the outer lip segment (12) in the axial direction is between 0.05 mm and 0.25 mm smaller than a axial depth (c) of the sealing groove (212).

14. The bearing of claim 10, whereinthe outer lip segment (12) comprises a curved free end (121) having a maximum thickness (s9) in the axial direction comprised between n-0.05 mm and n + 0.2 mm, wherein n is the width (a) of the sealing groove (212).

15. The bearing of claim 10, wherein the inner lip segment (14) of the bearing cap (1) is a clearance fit with the bearing inner race (22).

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