Sliding bearing

Abstract

The present invention provides a sliding bearing capable of supporting a larger load, and a bearing structure using the same.　In the present invention, a pair of annular convex parts (42a)-(42c) constituting a load transmission part for transmitting a load applied to an upper case (2) to a lower case (3) are formed on (an upper surface 40) and a lower surface (41) of a center plate (4). Furthermore, of the pair of annular convex parts (42a)-(42c), the innermost pair of annular convex parts (43a) on the center plate (4), which form the inner edge of the load transmission part, are formed so as to be positioned on the same circumference as, or on a circumference further outward than, the inner edge end (380) of a bearing seat (38) of the bearing support member (8) provided on the lower surface (37) of a flange part (32) of the lower case (3).

Description

Plain bearings

[0001] The present invention relates to a sliding bearing, and more particularly to a sliding bearing that supports a load applied to a shaft member such as a vehicle suspension.

[0002] Conventionally, in vehicles such as automobiles, bearings are arranged between the vehicle body and the suspension to support the load applied to the suspension while allowing the suspension to rotate smoothly. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a sliding bearing for a suspension. This sliding bearing includes an upper case (upper case) attached to the upper mount side, a lower case (lower case) attached to the upper spring seat side and rotatably combined with the upper case, and an annular center plate (annular piece) and an annular sliding seat arranged in an annular space formed by combining the upper case and the lower case. Here, the center plate has annular grooves (closed recesses) on its upper and lower surfaces, surrounded by inner and outer annular protrusions, respectively, and these annular grooves are filled with a lubricant such as grease to lubricate the upper and lower surfaces of the center plate.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-176728

[0004] In the sliding bearing described in Patent Document 1, a load applied to the upper case is transmitted to the lower case via the sliding seat and center plate, and then from the lower case to the spring side of the suspension. The paths passing through the pair of inner annular protrusions and the pair of outer annular protrusions of the center plate respectively constitute the load transmission part, and the path passing through the pair of inner annular protrusions forms the inner edge of the load transmission part. Furthermore, in this type of sliding bearing, a circular seat is generally formed on the underside of the lower case, which comes into contact with a cylindrical bearing mounting member on which the sliding bearing is mounted. Due to the space available for arranging the sliding bearing, the inner edge of this seat is located radially outward of the inner edge of the load transmission part. As a result, the sliding bearing described in Patent Document 1 suffers from the following problems.

[0005] Specifically, in the sliding bearing described in Patent Document 1, if a seat for a bearing mounting member is provided on the underside of the lower case, when a load is applied to the inner edge of the load transfer portion, the inner edge of the contact surface between the seat and the bearing mounting member acts as a fulcrum, generating a moment load in the lower case. The inner edge of the contact surface between the center plate and the lower case (the contact surface between the outer annular protrusion and the lower case), located radially outward from this fulcrum, acts as a rotation stopper, restricting rotation of the lower case. This generates bending stress in the lower case. This bending stress increases in proportion to the load applied to the sliding bearing.

[0006] Electric vehicles have become increasingly popular in recent years. Electric vehicles are equipped with large-capacity batteries, which makes them significantly heavier than conventional vehicles powered by internal combustion engines. For this reason, it is preferable that the sliding bearings used in electric vehicles be able to support heavier loads than conventional bearings.

[0007] The present invention has been made in light of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a sliding bearing and a bearing structure using the same that are capable of supporting a heavier load than conventional bearings.

[0008] To solve the above problems, the sliding bearing of the present invention has an devised center plate shape so that the inner edge of the load transfer path is located on the same circle as or more outer than the inner edge of the seat of the bearing mounting member. Specifically, the center plate is provided with a load transfer section that transfers the load applied to the upper case to the lower case, and the inner edge of this load transfer section is formed on the surface of the lower case that faces the cylindrical bearing mounting member and is located on the same circle as or more outer than the inner edge of the annular seat that comes into contact with the bearing mounting member.

[0009] For example, a sliding bearing according to the present invention comprises an upper case, a lower case that is combined with the upper case, and an annular center plate that is arranged between the upper case and the lower case and that enables relative rotation between the upper case and the lower case, wherein the center plate has a load transfer section that transfers a load applied to the upper case to the lower case, and the lower case has an annular seat that is formed on the surface opposing a cylindrical bearing mounting member and comes into contact with the bearing mounting member, and the inner edge of the load transfer section of the center plate is located on the same circle as the inner edge of the seat or further outwardly thereof.

[0010] A bearing structure of the present invention comprises the above-described sliding bearing, and a cylindrical bearing mounting member on which the sliding bearing is mounted.

[0011] In the present invention, the inner edge of the load transfer portion of the center plate is located on the same circle as the inner edge of the striker or further outward than the inner edge of the striker. Therefore, even if a load is applied to the inner edge of the load transfer portion, a moment load with the inner edge of the contact surface between the striker and the bearing mounting member as a fulcrum is not generated in the lower case. This suppresses bending stress in the lower case. Therefore, the present invention can support a heavier load than conventional structures.

[0012] Figures 1(A), 1(B), and 1(C) are plan, bottom, and front views of a sliding bearing 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 1(D) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of the sliding bearing 1 shown in Figure 1(A). Figure 2 is an enlarged view of section B of the sliding bearing 1 shown in Figure 1(D). Figures 3(A), 3(B), and 3(C) are plan, bottom, and front views of the upper case 2, and Figure 3(D) is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of the upper case 2 shown in Figure 3(A). Figures 4(A), 4(B), and 4(C) are plan, bottom, and front views of the lower case 3, and Figure 4(D) is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D of the lower case 3 shown in Figure 4(A). Fig. 5(A) is a plan view of the center plate 4, Fig. 5(B) is an E-E cross-sectional view of the center plate 4 shown in Fig. 5(A), and Fig. 5(C) is an enlarged view of portion F of the center plate 4 shown in Fig. 5(B). Fig. 6(A) is a plan view of the sliding sheet 5, and Fig. 6(B) is a G-G cross-sectional view of the sliding sheet 5 shown in Fig. 6(A). Figs. 7(A) and 7(B) are plan and bottom views of the dust seal 6, Fig. 7(C) is an H-H cross-sectional view of the dust seal 6 shown in Fig. 7(A), and Fig. 7(D) is an enlarged view of portion I of the dust seal 6 shown in Fig. 7(C). Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating the state of a bearing structure having a cylindrical bearing mounting member 8 and a sliding bearing 1 mounted on the bearing mounting member 8 when a load from a vehicle body or the like is applied to the sliding bearing 1. Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating the state of a bearing structure having a cylindrical bearing mounting member 8 and a conventional sliding bearing 9 mounted on the bearing mounting member 8 when a load from a vehicle body or the like is applied to the sliding bearing 9. This is a diagram illustrating a modified example of a sliding bearing 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and corresponds to Figure 2.

[0013] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

[0014] Figures 1(A), 1(B), and 1(C) are a plan view, a bottom view, and a front view of a sliding bearing 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 1(D) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of the sliding bearing 1 shown in Figure 1(A). Furthermore, Figure 2 is an enlarged view of part B of the sliding bearing 1 shown in Figure 1(D).

[0015] The sliding bearing 1 according to the present embodiment is provided with an accommodation hole 10 for accommodating a shock absorber (not shown) of a vehicle suspension (for example, an air suspension), and supports the load of the vehicle body applied to the suspension while allowing the shock absorber accommodated in this accommodation hole 10 to rotate.

[0016] As shown in the figure, the sliding bearing 1 comprises an upper case 2, a lower case 3 that is rotatably combined with the upper case 2 and forms an annular space 7 between it and the upper case 2, an annular centre plate 4 and an annular sliding sheet 5 that are arranged in this annular space 7, a dust seal 6 that prevents dust from entering this annular space 7, and a lubricant such as lubricating grease that is held in the centre plate 4 (not shown).

[0017] The upper case 2 is formed from a thermoplastic plastic with excellent sliding properties, such as POM (polyacetal) resin, which is impregnated with lubricating oil as necessary, and is attached to an upper mount (not shown), which is the mechanism for attaching the suspension to the vehicle body, with the suspension shock absorber inserted.

[0018] 3(A), 3(B) and 3(C) are a plan view, a bottom view and a front view of the upper case 2, and FIG. 3(D) is a cross-sectional view of the upper case 2 taken along line CC shown in FIG. 3(A).

[0019] As shown in the figure, the upper case 2 comprises an annular upper case main body 21 equipped with an insertion hole 20 for inserting a shock absorber, a mounting surface 23 formed on an upper surface 22 of the upper case main body 21 for mounting the sliding bearing 1 to the upper mount, and an annular recess 25 formed on a lower surface 24 of the upper case main body 21 that forms an annular space 7 by being rotatably combined with the lower case 3.

[0020] A load transfer surface 27 that constitutes the upper surface of the annular space 7 is formed on the bottom surface 26 of the annular recess 25. The load transfer surface 27 transfers the load of the vehicle body applied to the suspension to the sliding sheet 5 and the center plate 4.

[0021] The lower case 3 is molded from a thermoplastic resin with excellent sliding properties, such as POM (polyacetal) resin, and is placed on a cylindrical bearing mounting member 8 (see FIG. 8(A)) attached to the upper end of the spring part of the suspension (for example, an air bag in the case of an air suspension, not shown) with the shock absorber of the suspension inserted.

[0022] 4(A), 4(B) and 4(C) are a plan view, a bottom view and a front view of the lower case 3, and FIG. 4(D) is a cross-sectional view of the lower case 3 taken along line DD in FIG. 4(A).

[0023] As shown in the figure, the lower case 3 comprises a cylindrical lower case main body 31 having an insertion hole 30 for inserting a shock absorber, a flange portion 32 formed on the upper end portion 35 side of the lower case main body 31 and extending radially outward from the outer peripheral surface 36 of the lower case main body 31, an annular recess 34 formed on the upper surface 33 of the flange portion 32 and received in the annular recess 25 formed on the lower surface 24 of the upper case main body 21 of the upper case 2 to form an annular space 7 when the lower case 3 is rotatably combined with the upper case 2, and an annular receiving seat 38 formed on the lower surface 37 of the flange portion 32 and coming into contact with the bearing mounting member 8.

[0024] The center plate 4 is made of a thermoplastic resin with excellent sliding properties, such as PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) resin. The center plate 4 is rotatably disposed in an annular recess 34 formed in the upper surface 33 of the flange portion 32 of the lower case 3.

[0025] Figure 5(A) is a plan view of the center plate 4, Figure 5(B) is a cross-sectional view of the center plate 4 shown in Figure 5(A) taken along line E-E, and Figure 5(C) is an enlarged view of part F of the center plate 4 shown in Figure 5(B).

[0026] As shown in the figure, the center plate 4 is an annular body having triple annular protrusions 42a to 42c and annular grooves 43a, 43b formed by radially adjacent annular protrusions 42a to 42c on each of an upper surface 40 and a lower surface 41. The center plate 4 also has an annular thin-walled portion 47 at an inner edge 46.

[0027] The pair of annular protrusions 42a, the pair of annular protrusions 42b, and the pair of annular protrusions 42c formed on the upper surface 40 and the lower surface 41 of the center plate 4 are each formed on the same circle and constitute a load transfer path that transfers the vehicle body load applied to the upper case 2 to the lower case 3. Here, the pair of annular protrusions 43a formed on the innermost peripheral side are formed so as to be located on the same circle as or further outward than the inner edge 380 of the catch 38 formed on the lower surface 37 of the flange 32 of the lower case 3 when the center plate 4 is placed in the annular recess 34 formed on the upper surface 33 of the flange 32 of the lower case 3 (see FIG. 2 ).

[0028] A pair of annular grooves 43 a and a pair of annular grooves 43 b formed on the upper surface 40 and the lower surface 41 of the center plate 4 are filled with a lubricant such as grease, respectively, thereby lubricating the upper surface 40 and the lower surface 41 of the center plate 4.

[0029] The thin-walled portion 47 formed on the inner edge portion 46 of the center plate 4 restrains radial wobble of the center plate 4 when the center plate 4 is placed in the annular recess 34 formed on the upper surface 33 of the flange portion 32 of the lower case 3.

[0030] Here, when the thickness of the thin-walled portion 47 is T1, the thickness of the center plate 4 (the thickness of the pair of annular protrusions 42a to 42c) is T2, and the radial width of the thin-walled portion 47 is H, T1 / T2≦0.5×(H+0.8) －０．１ This can reduce the risk of compressive shear cracking of the center plate 4 (particularly the annular protrusion 42a).

[0031] The sliding sheet 5 is made of a thermoplastic resin with excellent sliding properties, such as PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) resin, and may be supplemented with a lubricant such as lubricating oil, silicone, or graphite, and / or a reinforcing material such as aramid fiber, glass fiber, or carbon fiber, as needed. The sliding sheet 5 is disposed in the annular space 7 between the load transfer surface 27 of the upper case 2 and the center plate 4, enabling smooth rotation between the upper case 2 and the center plate 4.

[0032] 6A is a plan view of the sliding sheet 5, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the sliding sheet 5 taken along the line GG shown in FIG. 6A.

[0033] As shown in the figure, the sliding sheet 5 is an annular body with a flat cross section, and has a contact surface 50 that comes into contact with the load transfer surface 27 formed on the bottom surface 26 of the annular recess 25 of the upper case 2, and a sliding surface 51 located on the opposite side of the contact surface 50 and that comes into sliding contact with the annular protrusions 42a to 42c formed on the upper surface 40 of the center plate 4.

[0034] The dust seal 6 is formed of an elastic material such as polyurethane (PU) resin, and is attached to a flange portion 32 of the lower case body 31 of the lower case 3 to seal the gap between the upper case 2 and the lower case 3 that connects to the annular space 7.

[0035] 7(A) and 7(B) are a plan view and a bottom view of the dust seal 6, FIG. 7(C) is a cross-sectional view taken along line H-H of the dust seal 6 shown in FIG. 7(A), and FIG. 7(D) is an enlarged view of part I of the dust seal 6 shown in FIG. 7(C).

[0036] As shown in the figure, the dust seal 6 has a cylindrical dust seal body 60 that is attached to the flange portion 32 of the lower case body 31 of the lower case 3, and an annular lip portion 62 that extends radially outward from the outer peripheral surface 61 of the dust seal body 60. When the dust seal body 60 is attached to the flange portion 32 of the lower case body 31 of the lower case 3, the lip portion 62 abuts against the outer peripheral inner wall 28 of the annular recess 25 of the upper case 2. This closes the gap between the upper case 2 and the lower case 3 that connects to the annular space 7, preventing dust from entering this annular space 7 (see FIG. 2 ).

[0037] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating the state when a load from a vehicle body or the like is applied to plain bearing 1 in a bearing structure having a cylindrical bearing mounting member 8 and a plain bearing 1 mounted on bearing mounting member 8, and Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating the state when a load from a vehicle body or the like is applied to plain bearing 9 in a bearing structure having a cylindrical bearing mounting member 8 and a conventional plain bearing 9 mounted on bearing mounting member 8. Hatching has been omitted in Figures 8 and 9 to make them easier to see.

[0038] 9 , the conventional sliding bearing 9 is the sliding bearing 1 according to the present embodiment in which the center plate 4 has been replaced with a conventional center plate 90. In the conventional center plate 90, the annular thin-walled portion 47 has been omitted from the center plate 4, and the positions of the pair of annular protrusions 42a, the pair of annular protrusions 42b, and the pair of annular protrusions 42c have been changed so that the radial width of the center plate 90 matches the radial width of the center plate 4.

[0039] As shown in Figure 9, in a conventional sliding bearing 9, a load applied to the upper case 2 is transmitted to the lower case 3 via the sliding seat 5 and center plate 90, and then from the lower case 3 to the bearing mounting member 8. The paths passing through the pair of annular protrusions 42a, the pair of annular protrusions 42b, and the pair of annular protrusions 42c provided on the center plate 90 respectively constitute the load transmission part, and path N passing through the pair of annular protrusions 42a located on the innermost periphery forms the inner edge of the load transmission part. Furthermore, the receiving seat 38 formed on the underside 37 of the lower case 3 is located outer than the inner edge (path N) of the load transmission part. Therefore, when a load is applied to the inner edge of the load transmission part, a moment load R is generated in the lower case 3, with the inner edge P1 of the contact surface between the receiving seat 38 and the bearing mounting member 8 as the fulcrum. Then, the inner edge P2 of the contact surface between the center plate 90 and the lower case 3 (the inner edge P2 of the contact surface between the lower case 3 and the annular protrusion 42b provided on the underside of the center plate 90), which is located radially outward from this fulcrum, acts as a rotation stopper, restricting the rotation of the lower case 3. This generates bending stress in the lower case 3. This bending stress increases in proportion to the load applied to the sliding bearing.

[0040] 8 , in the sliding bearing 1 according to this embodiment, a load applied to the upper case 2 is also transmitted to the lower case 3 via the sliding sheet 5 and the center plate 4, and then from the lower case 3 to the bearing mounting member 8. In this case, the paths passing through the pair of annular protrusions 42a, the pair of annular protrusions 42b, and the pair of annular protrusions 42c provided on the center plate 4 respectively constitute the load transmission part, and of these, path N passing through the pair of annular protrusions 42a located on the innermost periphery forms the inner edge of the load transmission part.

[0041] Here, the pair of annular protrusions 42a located on the innermost periphery are located on the same circle as the inner edge 380 of the seat 38 or further outward than that, so even if a load is applied to the inner edge (path N) of the load transfer part, a moment load with the inner edge P1 of the contact surface between the seat 38 and the bearing mounting member 8 as the fulcrum is not generated in the lower case 3. This makes it possible to suppress bending stress generated in the lower case 3. Therefore, the sliding bearing 1 according to this embodiment is able to support a heavier load than conventional sliding bearing 9.

[0042] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above.

[0043] As explained above, according to this embodiment, the pair of annular protrusions 42 a located on the innermost periphery are located on the same circle as the inner edge 380 of the seat 38 or further outward than this, and therefore can support a heavier load than a conventional sliding bearing 9.

[0044] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an annular thin-walled portion 47 is provided on the inner edge 46 of the center plate 4. By adjusting the radial width H of this thin-walled portion 47, it is possible to match the radial width of the center plate 4 to that of a conventional center plate 90. As a result, even if the upper case 2 and lower case 3 used in a conventional sliding bearing 9 are converted into the sliding bearing 1 according to this embodiment, the center plate 4 can be positioned in the annular space 7 without any radial rattle. Furthermore, by converting the upper case 2 and lower case 3 used in the conventional sliding bearing 9 into the sliding bearing 1 according to this embodiment, the outer dimensions of the sliding bearing 1 according to this embodiment can be made to match the outer dimensions of the conventional sliding bearing 9, making it easy to replace the conventional sliding bearing 9 with the sliding bearing 1 according to this embodiment.

[0045] In a conventional sliding bearing 9, a pair of annular protrusions 42a are provided on the inner edge of the center plate 90. For this reason, if an excessive load is applied to the sliding bearing 9, the pair of annular protrusions 42a will be crushed, and this crushed portion will extend radially inward and enter the gap between the upper case 2 and lower case 3, increasing the rotational torque between the two and reducing sliding performance. In contrast, in the sliding bearing 1 according to the present embodiment, an annular thin-walled portion 47 is provided on the inner edge 46 of the center plate 4, so that even if an excessive load is applied to the sliding bearing 1, the thin-walled portion 47 is unlikely to be crushed, and therefore a reduction in sliding performance can be prevented.

[0046] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0047] For example, in the above embodiment, triple annular protrusions 42a-42c are formed on each of the upper surface 40 and the lower surface 41 of the center plate 4, and radially adjacent annular protrusions 42a-42c form annular grooves 43a, 43b. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The center plate 4 may be provided with a load transfer portion that transfers a load applied to the upper case 2 to the lower case 3, and the inner edge of this load transfer portion may be located on the same circle as or further outward from the inner edge of the seat 38 of the lower case 3. For example, as shown in FIG. 10 , the lower surface 41 of the center plate 4 may be flat. This allows the load applied to the upper case 2 to be distributed across the entire lower surface 41 of the center plate 4 and transferred to the lower case 3, further suppressing bending stress in the lower case 3.

[0048] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the grooves formed in the center plate 4 for filling with a lubricant such as grease do not have to be annular grooves 43a, 43b, but may be grooves divided into multiple parts in the circumferential direction, or grooves formed only in a portion of the circumferential direction.

[0049] Furthermore, by devising the shape of the center plate 4, the upper case 2 and lower case 3 used in the conventional sliding bearing 9 can be reused as they are, while the pair of annular protrusions 42a located on the innermost periphery of the center plate 4 are positioned on the same circle as or further outward from the inner edge 380 of the seat 38 of the lower case 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The center plate 90 used in the conventional sliding bearing 9 may also be used. In this case, the inner diameter of the annular recess 34 formed on the top surface 33 of the flange portion 32 of the lower case 3 is increased, and the inner diameter of the center plate 90 is increased accordingly, so that the inner edge of the load transfer portion is positioned on the same circle as or further outward from the inner edge 380 of the seat 38 of the lower case 3.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the sliding sheet 5 is disposed between the upper case 2 and the center plate 4. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The sliding sheet 5 may be disposed between the lower case 3 and the center plate 4. Alternatively, the sliding sheet 5 may be disposed both between the upper case 2 and the center plate 4 and between the lower case 3 and the center plate 4. Furthermore, the sliding sheet 5 may be omitted.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the dust seal 6 may be omitted.

[0052] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which a housing hole 10 is provided for housing a shock absorber (not shown) of a vehicle suspension (e.g., air suspension), and the shock absorber housed in the housing hole 10 is allowed to rotate while supporting the vehicle body load applied to the suspension. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to a structure in which an air spring is installed separately from the shock absorber. In this case, the housing hole 10 serves as an insertion site for the upper mount.

[0053] The present invention is widely applicable to sliding bearings that support loads in various mechanisms, including vehicle suspensions.

[0054] 1: Plain bearing 2: Upper case 3: Lower case 4: Center plate 5: Sliding sheet 6: Dust seal 7: Annular space 8: Bearing mounting member 10: Housing hole for plain bearing 1 20: Insertion hole for upper case 2 21: Upper case body 22: Top surface of upper case body 21 23: Mounting surface of upper case body 21 24: Bottom surface of upper case body 21 25: Annular recess for upper case body 21 26: Bottom surface of annular recess 25 27: Load transfer surface for upper case 2 30: Insertion hole for lower case 3 31: Lower case body 32: Flange portion of lower case body 31 33: Top surface of flange portion 32 34: Annular recess for lower case body 31 35: Top end portion of lower case body 31 36: Outer circumferential surface of lower case body 31 37: Bottom surface of flange portion 32 38: Receiving seat of lower case 3 40: Upper surface of center plate 4 41: Lower surface of center plate 4 42a to 42c: Annular convex portion of center plate 4 43a, 43b: Annular groove of center plate 4 46: Inner edge portion of center plate 4 47: Thin portion of center plate 4 50: Contact surface 50 of sliding sheet 5 51: Sliding surface 51 of sliding sheet 5 60: Dust seal body of dust seal 6 61: Outer peripheral surface of dust seal body 60 62: Lip portion of dust seal 6

Claims

1. A sliding bearing that supports a load, comprising: an upper case; a lower case that is combined with said upper case; and an annular center plate that is arranged between said upper case and said lower case and that enables relative rotation between said upper case and said lower case, wherein said center plate has a load transfer part that transfers a load applied to said upper case to said lower case, and said lower case has an annular seat that is formed on the surface facing a cylindrical bearing mounting member and comes into contact with said bearing mounting member, and wherein the inner edge of said load transfer part of said center plate is located on the same circle as the inner edge of said seat or is located more radially outward than that.

2. A sliding bearing as set forth in claim 1, wherein the center plate further has an annular thin-walled section formed radially inward from the inner edge of the load transfer section.

3. A sliding bearing as set forth in claim 2, wherein, where T1 is the thickness of the thin-walled portion of the center plate, H is the radial width of that thin-walled portion, and T2 is the thickness of the load-transmitting portion of the center plate, then T1 / T2≦0.5×(H+0.8). －０．１ A sliding bearing characterized by:

4. A sliding bearing as set forth in claim 1, wherein the load transfer portion of the center plate has a flat surface facing the lower case.

5. A bearing structure comprising: a sliding bearing according to any one of claims 1 to 4; and a cylindrical bearing mounting member on which the sliding bearing is mounted.

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