Bearing seal

Abstract

[Problem] The purpose of the present invention is to suppress any increase in rotation torque of a roller bearing, to suppress any increase in manufacturing cost, and to stabilize contact for energization, in a bearing seal that prevents electrolytic corrosion of a roller bearing. [Solution] A seal ring 2 of a bearing seal 1 has an elastic body 4 made of a rubber material, a conductive fiber 5 is integrated with a surface layer part on one surface side of the elastic body 4, and a conductive texture part A is formed in which a part of the conductive fiber 5 is exposed. An outer-diameter-side conductive texture part A1, which is an outer-diameter-side portion of the conductive texture part A positioned at an outer peripheral part 8 of the elastic body 4, and an inner-diameter-side conductive texture part A2, which is an inner-diameter-side portion of the conductive texture part A positioned at an inner peripheral part 9 of the elastic body 4, are circumferentially discontinuous types I that are discontinuous in the circumferential direction C. The outer-diameter-side conductive texture part A1 comes into contact with the outer race of the roller bearing, and the inner-diameter-side conductive texture part A2 comes into contact with the inner race of the roller bearing.

Description

bearing seal

[0001] The present invention relates to a bearing seal that prevents electrolytic corrosion of a rolling bearing.

[0002] For example, current may leak into the rotating shaft in motors and reduction gear units of electric vehicles, as well as inverter-driven motors other than those for electric vehicles. In such cases, the lubricating oil film in the rolling bearing supporting the rotating shaft may be broken, causing current to flow between the outer and inner rings, resulting in arc damage to the rolling surfaces of the rolling elements.

[0003] As a bearing seal for preventing electrolytic corrosion in such rolling bearings, there is one that is provided with a sheet-like electrically conductive material for providing electrical conductivity between the outer ring and the inner ring (for example, electrically conductive material 3 which is a plate or foil material in Figure 2 of Patent Document 1, and (first) sheet 43 made of a nonwoven fabric or woven fabric made of conductive fibers in Figures 2-3 of Patent Documents 2-3).

[0004] The electrically conductive material 3 in Patent Document 1 is coated on or bonded to the surface of the elastic body B (lines 11-12 in the upper right column of page 2 of Patent Document 1). The sliding member 15 including the sheet 43 in Patent Documents 2 and 3 is manufactured by compression molding in which a core material 41, a sheet 43, and unvulcanized rubber G are accommodated in a molding die and pressurized and heated (for example, paragraphs

[0044] -

[0047] and FIG. 4 of Patent Document 2), and the rubber G becomes the elastic material 42 (for example, FIGS. 1-3 of Patent Document 2).

[0005] The sheet 43, which is made of a nonwoven or woven fabric made of conductive fibers, is not only present on the surface of the elastic material 42 but also penetrates into the interior of the elastic material 42 (FIG. 2-3). The elastic material 42 is made of conductive rubber (see, for example, paragraphs

[0031] and

[0043] of Patent Document 2).

[0006] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-106125 International Publication No. 2023 / 233649 International Publication No. 2023 / 233652

[0007] The sheet-like electrically conductive material in Patent Documents 1 to 3 is annular, and its inner diameter side portion is continuous in the circumferential direction. The elastic body is attached to the sheet-like electrically conductive material (e.g., Figure 2 of Patent Document 1, and Figure 3 of Patent Documents 2 to 3). Therefore, the entire circumference of the inner diameter side portion of the sheet-like electrically conductive material (e.g., sliding portion 46 in Figure 3 of Patent Document 2), which has a reinforcing effect on the elastic body, comes into contact with the inner ring of the rolling bearing. This increases the clamping force on the inner ring, thereby increasing the rotational torque of the rolling bearing.

[0008] The sheet 43, which is the sheet-like electrically conductive material in Patent Documents 2 and 3, is made of a nonwoven fabric or a woven fabric made of conductive fibers as described above. When the sliding member 15 including the sheet 43 is manufactured by the compression molding, the unvulcanized rubber material G is filled into the cavities 52a, 52b of the lower mold 52 through the voids in the sheet 43 made of the nonwoven fabric or the like (for example, paragraph

[0046] of Patent Document 2 and Figure 4 of Patent Document 2).

[0009] Because the unvulcanized rubber material G must be able to pass through the gaps in the nonwoven fabric sheet 43, the density of the nonwoven fabric cannot be high, and so the density of the nonwoven fabric that can be used is limited. This means that contact between the sheet 43 and the outer ring 11 and between the sheet 43 and the inner ring 12 is unstable. Furthermore, it is difficult to control the thickness of the nonwoven fabric, and there is a risk that the nonwoven fabric will be cut when the unvulcanized rubber material G is passed through. If the nonwoven fabric is cut, it will be embedded inside the elastic material 42, making it impossible to confirm whether the nonwoven fabric has been cut. Therefore, it is necessary to check the electrical conductivity of all bearing seals.

[0010] The fixed portion 45 on the outer diameter side of the sheet 43, which is the sheet-like electrically conductive material in Patent Documents 2-3, has a fourth portion 45b that is curved from the radial direction toward the axial direction, which is a direction parallel to the central axis of rotation of the rolling bearing, and the tip of the fourth portion 45b contacts the outer ring 11 of the rolling bearing 10 (for example, paragraph

[0034] and Figure 2 of Patent Document 2).

[0011] Most of the fixing portion 45 is covered by the elastic material 42 (see, for example, paragraph

[0040] and Figure 2 of Patent Document 2). To mold the curved fourth portion 45b of the sheet 43 embedded inside the elastic material 42 into a desired shape requires controlling the flow of the pre-vulcanized rubber in the molding die and adjusting the strength of the nonwoven fabric, etc. Furthermore, it is difficult to conform the nonwoven fabric, etc. to the molding die due to the circumferential stretch that occurs when the nonwoven fabric, etc. is deformed. This increases the difficulty of molding and increases manufacturing costs.

[0012] Since sheet 43 is made of a nonwoven or woven fabric made of conductive fibers (for example, paragraph

[0032] of Patent Document 2), when sheet 43 is molded in the molding die so that fourth portion 45b on the outer diameter side is curved, contraction occurs in the inner diameter direction around curved fourth portion 45b and expansion occurs in the outer diameter direction around curved fourth portion 45b, resulting in an uneven density of the conductive fibers. As a result, contact for electrical conduction between the tip of fourth portion 45b and outer ring 11 of rolling bearing 10 is unstable.

[0013] The present invention aims to provide a bearing seal that prevents electrolytic corrosion of a rolling bearing by suppressing an increase in the rotational torque of the rolling bearing, suppressing an increase in manufacturing costs, and stabilizing contact for electrical conduction.

[0014] A bearing seal according to a first aspect of the present invention is a bearing seal including an annular seal ring for use in a rolling bearing including an outer ring, an inner ring, and rolling elements. The seal ring has an elastic body made of a rubber material. A surface layer on one surface of the elastic body is formed with conductive fibers integrated therein, with a conductive texture portion formed in which some of the conductive fibers are exposed from the surface. The outer diameter side conductive texture portion, which is the outer diameter side portion of the conductive texture portion located on the outer circumference of the elastic body, and the inner diameter side conductive texture portion, which is the inner diameter side portion of the conductive texture portion located on the inner circumference of the elastic body, are either circumferentially discontinuous, or circumferentially separated, with radial cuts made at predetermined circumferential intervals. The outer diameter side conductive texture portion contacts the outer ring, and the inner diameter side conductive texture portion contacts the inner ring.

[0015] A bearing seal according to a second aspect of the present invention is a bearing seal including an annular seal ring for use in a rolling bearing including an outer ring, an inner ring, and rolling elements. The seal ring includes a core having an engagement portion that engages with the outer ring, and an elastic body made of a rubber material bonded to the core. A surface layer on one surface of the elastic body is formed with conductive fibers integrated therein, with a conductive texture portion formed in which some of the conductive fibers are exposed from the surface. The inner diameter side conductive texture portion, which is the inner diameter side portion of the conductive texture portion located on the inner peripheral portion of the elastic body, is a circumferentially discontinuous type that is discontinuous in the circumferential direction, or a circumferentially separated type that has radial notches at predetermined circumferential intervals. The outer diameter side conductive texture portion, which is the outer diameter side portion of the conductive texture portion located on the outer peripheral portion of the elastic body, contacts the core, and the inner diameter side conductive texture portion contacts the inner ring.

[0016] In the bearing seal according to the first or second aspect, the conductive texture portion that has a reinforcing effect on the elastic body is the circumferentially discontinuous or circumferentially separated inner diameter conductive texture portion that contacts the inner ring of the rolling bearing, thereby suppressing the reinforcing effect of the inner diameter conductive texture portion on the elastic body and reducing the tightening force applied to the inner ring with which the inner diameter conductive texture portion contacts, thereby preventing an increase in the rotational torque of the rolling bearing.

[0017] In the bearing seal according to the first or second aspect, the conductive texture portion comprises conductive fibers integrated into a surface layer on one surface of an elastic body made of a rubber material, with portions of the conductive fibers exposed from the surface. Therefore, when molding, for example, by direct pressure molding, there is no need for the pre-vulcanized rubber to pass through a predetermined-shaped sheet of conductive fibers in the form of a cloth or nonwoven fabric, so there is no limit to the density of the conductive fibers that can be used, and the density can be increased. This stabilizes contact between the conductive texture portion and the outer ring and the inner ring, or between the conductive texture portion and the core and the inner ring. Furthermore, the conductive fibers are not cut by the pre-vulcanized rubber.

[0018] In the bearing seal according to the first aspect, the conductive texture portion that has a reinforcing effect on the elastic body is the outer diameter side conductive texture portion that contacts the outer ring of the rolling bearing, and is the circumferentially discontinuous type or the circumferentially separated type. Also, the conductive texture portion has conductive fibers integrated into a surface layer on one surface of the elastic body, with some of the conductive fibers exposed from the surface.

[0019] As a result, even if the outer diameter side conductive texture portion is curved in the axial direction, it is not necessary to control the flow of pre-vulcanized rubber within the molding die or adjust the strength of the predetermined shaped sheet of conductive fibers that will become the outer diameter side conductive texture portion, and the sheet can be easily fitted to the molding die. Therefore, molding difficulty is not increased, and manufacturing costs are not increased. Furthermore, since shrinkage in the inner diameter direction and expansion in the outer diameter direction of the outer diameter side conductive texture portion are suppressed when the outer diameter side conductive texture portion is molded to be curved within the molding die, non-uniform conductive fiber density is maintained, resulting in stable electrical contact with the outer ring.

[0020] In the bearing seal according to the second aspect, the outer diameter side conductive texture portion contacts the core bar, and the engagement portion of the core bar contacts the outer ring of the rolling bearing, thereby stabilizing electrical contact between the conductive texture portion and the core bar, and between the core bar and the outer ring.

[0021] As described above, the bearing seal according to the present invention is a bearing seal that prevents electrolytic corrosion of a rolling bearing, and can suppress increases in the rotational torque of the rolling bearing and increases in manufacturing costs, while also stabilizing contact for electrical conduction.

[0022] 1 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of a main portion of a rolling bearing equipped with a bearing seal according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a perspective view showing the inner side in the width direction of a bearing seal according to an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an example of a conductive texture portion formed by integrating cloth-like conductive fibers into the surface layer portion of an elastic body; 3 is a partially sectional perspective view showing an enlarged main portion of the bearing seal of FIG. 2; 4 is a schematic view showing an enlarged cross-section of a conductive texture portion formed by integrating cloth-like conductive fibers into the surface layer portion of an elastic body; 5 is an enlarged view of a main portion of one of the bearing seals in the rolling bearing of FIG. 1 (the area surrounded by a dot-and-dash line in FIG. 1), illustrating a cross-section where the outer diameter-side conductive texture portion is in contact with the outer ring and the inner diameter-side conductive texture portion is in contact with the inner ring; 6 is an enlarged view of a main portion of one of the bearing seals in the rolling bearing of FIG. 1, illustrating a cross-section where the outer peripheral portion of the elastic body is in contact with the outer ring and the inner peripheral portion of the elastic body is in contact with the inner ring; 7 is the same partially sectional perspective view as FIG. 3, illustrating an example of a conductive texture portion formed by integrating nonwoven cloth-like conductive fibers into the surface layer portion of an elastic body. Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the inner side in the width direction of a bearing seal of a first modified example; Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the inner side in the width direction of a bearing seal of a second modified example; Fig. 12 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of a main part around a bearing seal of a third modified example; Fig. 13 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of a main part around a bearing seal of a fourth modified example.

[0023] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0024] In this specification, the direction parallel to the direction of the central axis of rotation of the rolling bearing is called the "width direction" (see, for example, arrow B in FIG. 1), and the direction perpendicular to the direction of the central axis of rotation is called the "radial direction" (see, for example, arrow R in FIG. 1). The "circumferential direction" (see, for example, arrow C in FIG. 2) is defined relative to the direction of the central axis of rotation.

[0025] In this specification, the width direction approaching the widthwise center of the rolling bearing (for example, symbol BC in Figure 1) is referred to as the "widthwise inward" (for example, see arrow BI in Figure 1), the width direction moving away from the widthwise center is referred to as the "widthwise outward" (for example, see arrow BO in Figure 1), the radial direction approaching the rotational center axis is referred to as the "radial direction inward" (for example, see arrow RI in Figure 1), and the radial direction moving away from the rotational center axis is referred to as the "radial direction outward" (for example, see arrow RO in Figure 1).

[0026] 1 includes an outer ring 11, an inner ring 12, rolling elements 13, a cage 14, and a bearing seal 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The rolling elements 13 roll between the raceway surfaces of the outer ring 11 and the inner ring 12. The cage 14 guides the rolling elements 13 at a predetermined interval and holds them rotatably. The outer periphery F of the bearing seal 1 engages with an engagement groove 11A in the outer ring 11, thereby attaching the bearing seal 1 to the outer ring 11.

[0027] 1-3 includes an annular seal ring 2. The seal ring 2 has an annular core 3 and an annular elastic body 4 made of a rubber material. The rubber material may be nitrile rubber (NBR), hydrogenated nitrile rubber (HNBR), acrylic rubber (ACM), silicone rubber (VQM), fluororubber (FKM), ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM), or the like. The core 3 is used to improve the strength of the bearing seal 1, so depending on the strength required for the bearing seal 1, the core 3 may be omitted.

[0028] [Conductive Texture Portion] A conductive texture portion A integrated with conductive fibers 5 is present in a predetermined range of the surface layer portion on one side (inner side BI) in the thickness direction (width direction B) of the elastic body 4. The conductive fibers 5 are carbon fibers or chemical fibers coated with a metal such as copper, nickel, or silver.

[0029] The conductive texture portion A shown in Fig. 2-3 is formed by integrating cloth-like conductive fibers into the surface layer portion of the elastic body 4. That is, as shown in the schematic diagram of Fig. 4, the conductive fibers 5 integrated into the surface layer portion D on one surface 4A side of the elastic body 4 are cloth-like and consist of a portion 6 protruding from the surface 4A of the elastic body 4 and a portion 7 embedded inside the elastic body 4. Therefore, the portion 6, which is a part of the conductive fibers 5, is exposed from the surface 4A of the elastic body 4.

[0030] This structure in which the conductive fibers 5 are integrated with the surface layer D of the elastic body 4 greatly reduces the risk of the conductive fibers 5 peeling off from the elastic body 4. Furthermore, the conductive fibers 5 exposed from the surface 4A of the elastic body (the portions 6 in FIG. 4 ) are in sliding contact with the inner ring 12, reducing electrical resistance and stabilizing contact for electrical conduction because the portions 6 of the conductive fibers 5 cut through the oil film, preventing the formation of an oil film as occurs on the sliding surfaces of a conductive elastomer and the inner ring 12 in the presence of a lubricant.

[0031] 2-3 is composed of an intermediate conductive texture portion A0, an outer diameter side conductive texture portion A1, and an inner diameter side conductive texture portion A2. The intermediate conductive texture portion A0 is the intermediate portion of the conductive texture portion A in the radial direction R, and is annular and located midway in the radial direction R of the elastic body 4.

[0032] The outer diameter side conductive texture portion A1 is an outer diameter side portion of the conductive texture portion A located on the outer periphery 8 of the elastic body 4, and is not continuous in the circumferential direction C, but is a circumferentially interrupted type I that is circumferentially spaced apart so as to be discontinuous in the circumferential direction C. The inner diameter side conductive texture portion A2 is an inner diameter side portion of the conductive texture portion A located on the inner periphery 9 of the elastic body 4, and is not continuous in the circumferential direction C, but is a circumferentially interrupted type I that is circumferentially spaced apart so as to be discontinuous in the circumferential direction C.

[0033] As a result, the outer diameter side conductive texture portion A1 contacts the outer ring 11 as shown in Fig. 5A, and the outer peripheral portion 8 of the elastic body 4 also contacts the outer ring 11 as shown in Fig. 5B. Furthermore, the inner diameter side conductive texture portion A2 contacts the outer peripheral surface 12A of the inner ring 12 as shown in Fig. 5A, and the inner peripheral portion 9 of the elastic body 4 also contacts the outer peripheral surface 12A of the inner ring 12 as shown in Fig. 5B. Therefore, the outer ring 11 and inner ring 12 are electrically connected by the conductive texture portion A.

[0034] The conductive fibers 5 integrated into the surface layer D on one surface 4A side of the elastic body 4 in the conductive texture portion A are not limited to a cloth-like shape as shown in Figure 2-4, but may also be a non-woven fabric-like shape as shown in Figure 6, and the conductive texture portion A may have a planar structure.

[0035] The bearing seal 1 having such a conductive texture portion A can be easily manufactured by, for example, direct pressure molding as follows.

[0036] That is, first, a circular core metal 3 is set on the lower mold of the molding die, then a circular pre-vulcanized rubber that will become the elastic body 4 is set on top of that, and then a predetermined shaped sheet of conductive fiber 5 in the form of a cloth or nonwoven fabric is set on top of that. Next, the upper mold of the molding die is closed and heated, and the pre-vulcanized rubber is vulcanized while being molded under pressure. This causes the rubber to flow into the gaps between the conductive fibers 5 and mold the product. After the rubber has been vulcanized, the molded product is removed from the molding die to obtain a bearing seal 1 having the conductive texture portion A shown in Figures 2-3 or 6.

[0037] 7 shows an example in which the outer diameter side conductive texture portion A1 and the inner diameter side conductive texture portion A2 are not circumferentially discontinuous type I. That is, in the bearing seal 1 shown in FIG. 7, the outer diameter side conductive texture portion A1 and the inner diameter side conductive texture portion A2 are circumferentially separated type S in which cuts E in the radial direction R are made at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction C.

[0038] The bearing seal 1 shown in Figure 7 can be easily manufactured by the direct pressure molding method. That is, in the direct pressure molding method, a circular sheet body of a predetermined shape made of conductive fiber 5 in the form of a cloth or nonwoven fabric with incisions E in the radial direction R at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction C is prepared.

[0039] 8 shows an example in which the intermediate conductive texture portion A0 is of the circumferentially interrupted type I, which is spaced apart in the circumferential direction C so as to be discontinuous in the circumferential direction C. In other words, the outer diameter side conductive texture portion A1, the intermediate conductive texture portion A0, and the inner diameter side conductive texture portion A2 are all of the circumferentially interrupted type I.

[0040] When manufacturing the bearing seal 1 by the direct pressure molding, taking into consideration the positioning of the sheet body relative to the lower mold, it is preferable to make the intermediate conductive texture portion A0 an integral circular ring as shown in Figure 2, rather than making it circumferentially discontinuous I as shown in Figure 8.

[0041] The third modified example shown in Figure 9 shows an example in which the inner diameter side conductive texture portion A2 contacts the radial surface 12B of the inner ring 12, rather than the outer peripheral surface 12A of the inner ring 12 as shown in Figure 5A.

[0042] 10 shows an example in which the outer diameter side conductive texture portion A1 contacts the core 3 rather than the outer ring 11 as shown in FIG. 5A. The engaging portion 3A of the core 3 engages with the engaging groove 11A of the outer ring 11. Therefore, the core 3 and the conductive texture portion A provide electrical continuity between the outer ring 11 and the inner ring 12.

[0043] In an embodiment of the present invention, for example, as shown in Fig. 5A , the outer ring 11 and the inner ring 12 are electrically connected by the conductive texture portion A. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 10 , the outer ring 11 and the inner ring 12 are electrically connected by the core bar 3 and the conductive texture portion A. Therefore, in a more preferred embodiment, the rubber material forming the elastic body 4 is a rubber material that does not have electrical conductivity.

[0044] However, depending on the required specifications of the rolling bearing, conductive rubber may be used as the rubber material forming the elastic body 4. For example, if the required specifications require a large interference and there is concern that the inner diameter side conductive texture portion A2 that slides against the inner ring 12 will wear out in the future, it may be possible to use conductive rubber for the elastic body 4. In that case, after the inner diameter side conductive texture portion A2 wears out, the elastic body 4, which is made of conductive rubber, will come into contact with the inner ring 12. However, since the inner diameter side conductive texture portion A2 is located in close proximity to the elastic body 4 that contacts the inner ring 12, the distance over which electricity flows through the conductive rubber (the distance it wears) is short, and the effects of the present invention can be achieved.

[0045] [Effects] According to the bearing seal 1 of the embodiment of the present invention described above, in the conductive texture portion A that has a reinforcing effect on the elastomer 4, the inner diameter side conductive texture portion A2 that contacts the inner ring 12 of the rolling bearing 10 is of the circumferentially discontinuous type I or the circumferentially separated type S. Therefore, the reinforcing effect of the inner diameter side conductive texture portion A2 on the elastomer 4 is suppressed and the tightening force applied to the inner ring 12 with which the inner diameter side conductive texture portion A2 contacts can be reduced, so that the rotational torque of the rolling bearing 10 does not increase.

[0046] In the bearing seal 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the conductive texture portion A comprises conductive fibers 5 integrated into a surface layer D on one surface 4A of an elastic body 4 made of a rubber material, with portions 6 of the conductive fibers 5 exposed from the surface 4A. Therefore, when molding, for example, by direct pressure molding, there is no need for the pre-vulcanized rubber to pass through a predetermined-shaped sheet of conductive fibers 5 in the form of a cloth or nonwoven fabric. This means that there is no limit to the density of the conductive fibers 5 that can be used, and the density can be increased. This stabilizes contact between the conductive texture portion A and the outer ring 11 and inner ring 12, or between the conductive texture portion A and the core 3 and inner ring 12. Furthermore, the conductive fibers 5 are not cut by the pre-vulcanized rubber.

[0047] In the bearing seal 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which the outer diameter side conductive texture portion A1 contacts the outer ring 11 of the rolling bearing 10, the outer diameter side conductive texture portion A1 that contacts the outer ring 11 in the conductive texture portion A that has a reinforcing effect on the elastic body 4 is of the circumferentially discontinuous type I or the circumferentially separated type S. In the conductive texture portion A, conductive fibers 5 are integrated into a surface layer D on one surface 4A of the elastic body 4, with some of the conductive fibers 5 exposed from the surface 4A.

[0048] Therefore, even if the outer diameter side conductive texture portion A1 is curved in the width direction B, there is no need to control the flow of pre-vulcanized rubber in the molding die or adjust the strength of the predetermined shaped sheet of conductive fibers 5 that will become the outer diameter side conductive texture portion A1, and the sheet can be easily fitted to the molding die. Therefore, the molding difficulty is not increased, and manufacturing costs are not increased. Furthermore, when the outer diameter side conductive texture portion A1 is molded to be curved in the molding die, shrinkage in the inner diameter direction and expansion in the outer diameter direction of the outer diameter side conductive texture portion A1 are suppressed, so the density of the conductive fibers 5 is consistent, and electrical contact with the outer ring 11 is stable.

[0049] In the bearing seal 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which the core 3 contacts the outer ring 11 of the rolling bearing 10, the outer diameter side conductive texture portion A1 contacts the core 3, and the engagement portion 3A of the core 3 contacts the outer ring 11. Therefore, contact for electrical conduction between the conductive texture portion A and the core 3, and contact for electrical conduction between the core 3 and the outer ring 11, is stable.

[0050] The above description of the embodiments is given by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0051] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bearing seal 2 Seal ring 3 Core metal 3A Engagement portion 4 Elastic body 4A Surface 5 Conductive fiber 6 Portion protruding from the surface of the elastic body 7 Portion embedded inside the elastic body 8 Outer peripheral portion of the elastic body 9 Inner peripheral portion of the elastic body 10 Rolling bearing 11 Outer ring 11A Engagement groove 12 Inner ring 12A Outer peripheral surface 12B Radial surface 13 Rolling element 14 Cage A Conductive texture portion A0 Intermediate conductive texture portion A1 Outer diameter side conductive texture portion A2 Inner diameter side conductive texture portion B Width direction BC Width direction center BI Width direction inner BO Width direction outer C Circumferential direction D Surface layer portion E Cut F Outer peripheral portion I Circumferentially interrupted type R Radial direction RI Radial direction inner RO Radial direction outer S Circumferential separation type

Claims

1. A bearing seal including an annular seal ring for use in a rolling bearing including an outer ring, an inner ring, and rolling elements, wherein the seal ring has an elastomer made of a rubber material, and a conductive texture portion is formed on a surface layer on one surface of the elastomer with conductive fibers integrated therein and with some of the conductive fibers exposed from the surface, and an outer diameter side conductive texture portion which is the outer diameter side portion of the conductive texture portion located on the outer circumference of the elastomer, and an inner diameter side conductive texture portion which is the inner diameter side portion of the conductive texture portion located on the inner circumference of the elastomer, are either circumferentially discontinuous or circumferentially separated with radial notches made at predetermined circumferential intervals, and the outer diameter side conductive texture portion contacts the outer ring, and the inner diameter side conductive texture portion contacts the inner ring.

2. A bearing seal including an annular seal ring used in a rolling bearing including an outer ring, an inner ring, and rolling elements, wherein the seal ring has a core metal having an engaging portion that engages with the outer ring, and an elastomer made of a rubber material joined to the core metal, wherein a conductive texture portion is formed on a surface layer portion on one surface of the elastomer with conductive fibers integrated therein and where some of the conductive fibers are exposed from the surface, and the inner diameter side conductive texture portion, which is the inner diameter side portion of the conductive texture portion located on the inner circumference of the elastomer, is a circumferentially discontinuous type that is discontinuous in the circumferential direction, or a circumferentially separated type that has radial notches made at predetermined circumferential intervals, and wherein the outer diameter side conductive texture portion, which is the outer diameter side portion of the conductive texture portion located on the outer circumference of the elastomer, contacts the core metal, and the inner diameter side conductive texture portion contacts the inner ring.

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