Axial Locking Ring with Radially Projecting Tabs for Gearbox Bearing Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bearing arrangements for motor vehicle drive trains face challenges in securing roller bearings efficiently, particularly in terms of cost, space requirements, and bending behavior, with current solutions either being expensive or requiring significant installation space.
Innovation Solution
A bearing arrangement utilizing an axial locking ring with radially projecting tabs, produced by bending and grinding, which allows for precise positioning and easy assembly/disassembly, with a constant radial width and adaptive tab ends for secure engagement in radial grooves, enabling compact design and low material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If axial locking rings are stamped out of sheet metal with tabs, then various forms can be realized including tabs and eyes for attaching tools, but the radial width varies and requires larger installation space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating tabs with different radial widths at specific locations while maintaining a constant radial width for the main ring body. This allows the ring to have uniform installation space requirements while providing localized functional features (tabs, eyes) where needed. The ring section has constant radial width but the tabs extend radially to provide attachment points without increasing the overall radial envelope of the main structure.
2Ease of manufacture
If axial locking rings are produced by winding process, then production cost is very low, but the radial width is essentially constant and bending behavior is unfavorable requiring more space when bending open
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the axial locking ring into a main ring body with constant radial width and separate tabs that extend radially. This segmentation allows the ring body to be produced by cost-effective winding processes while the tabs are formed separately through bending or stamping operations. The tabs can be bent open for installation without requiring the entire ring to have increased radial width, thus reducing the bending space requirement while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
3Ease of manufacture
If radial bending and trimming is performed on free ends to produce tabs, then part price is low with low tool costs and high precision is achieved, but detailed design is not easy due to interference contour in bending radius
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by forming the tabs through radial bending and trimming of the free ends of the ring section before final assembly. This preliminary formation of tabs simplifies the overall design process compared to creating complex interference contours, as the tabs can be straightforwardly bent radially outward and trimmed to length. The constant radial width of the ring body provides a simple baseline geometry that facilitates this preliminary tab formation without complex design considerations.
4Stability of the object's composition
If Circlips with radially projecting tabs and variable radial width are used, then bending behavior is significantly improved, but radial installation space is relatively large due to large slot depths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by maintaining constant radial width for the main ring body while providing localized radial extensions only where tabs are needed for engagement. This differs from traditional Circlips that have variable radial width throughout, creating large slot depths. The constant radial width minimizes the radial installation space requirement, while the locally added tabs provide the necessary engagement features for improved bending behavior during installation and removal.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a cost-effective, space-efficient, and precise method for securing roller bearings, allowing for manual or automated assembly, with enhanced bending behavior and reduced tool costs, while ensuring secure locking and easy disassembly.
Implementation Method 1
The axial locking ring (10) is bent open elastically in order to release the bearing seat (62)
Implementation Method 2
with the further step of grinding the open ring flat on its axial sides
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6~8
AI summary
An axial retaining ring (10) for insertion into a radial groove (74), wherein the axial retaining ring (10) is designed as an open, flat ring with a ring section (12) at each of whose ends radially projecting tabs (14) are provided, wherein the radial width (16) of the ring section (12) is substantially constant over the circumference. The tabs (14) are formed by bending relative to the ring section (12), and the axial retaining ring (10) is ground flat on its axial sides (24) (Fig. 1).