Ball Bearing Assembly With Recirculation Insert
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ball bearings have a lower load capacity due to the limited number of balls that can be loaded, and they struggle to withstand both radial and axial loads efficiently, especially when using a cage or groove structures.
Innovation Solution
A ball bearing assembly with a recirculation arrangement that includes an outer ring, an inner ring, and an insert with recessed channels, allowing for multiple rows of balls to be loaded in both axial directions and preventing balls from popping out, thereby increasing axial load capacity and enabling a smaller envelope size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cage is used to maintain ball position, then the bearing can withstand radial and axial loads, but the number of balls that can be loaded is reduced due to additional space requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the cage component entirely from the bearing assembly. Instead of using a cage to maintain ball position, the invention employs an insert with complementary groove structures on the inner and outer rings that guide and retain the balls without requiring a separate cage component. This extraction of the cage eliminates the space it occupied, allowing more balls to be loaded into the bearing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the ball position maintenance function into the ring structures themselves through complementary grooves. The insert creates interlocking groove patterns on the inner and outer rings that work together to guide ball movement and maintain proper ball positioning without requiring a separate cage component. This integration eliminates the need for additional space dedicated to a cage.
2Quantity of substance
If grooves are added to inner and/or outer rings to load balls, then full complement bearing can be achieved, but the bearing cannot withstand axial loads as balls can pop out
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric groove structures where the inner ring and outer ring have complementary but non-identical groove patterns. The insert creates asymmetric retention features that prevent balls from popping out axially while still allowing them to be fully loaded. The asymmetric design provides directional retention that maintains axial load capacity despite the full complement of balls.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a third dimensional aspect to ball retention through the insert structure. Rather than relying solely on groove depth (one dimension) or groove cross-section (two dimensions), the insert adds a third dimension of control through its positioning and structural features, creating a multi-dimensional retention system that prevents ball ejection while maintaining full ball complement.
3Reliability
If multiple rows of balls are loaded in both axial directions, then axial load capacity in both directions is improved, but the bearing envelope size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the insert to create bidirectional load paths within a compact envelope. By introducing the insert as a separate dimensional element that interfaces with both inner and outer rings, the design achieves bidirectional axial load capacity without simply doubling the bearing dimensions. The insert enables load paths in multiple directions within the same radial envelope.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent nests the insert within the bearing assembly in a way that maximizes space utilization. The insert is positioned within the existing radial envelope of the bearing, nesting its functional elements within the space already defined by the inner and outer rings. This nested arrangement provides bidirectional load capacity without significantly increasing the overall bearing envelope size.
Data Source
AI summary
A ball bearing assembly having a bearing ball recirculation arrangement. The ball bearing assembly includes an outer ring having an inner surface, an inner ring having an outer surface and insertable inside the outer ring along a common longitudinal axis, and an insert removably fixed in a position between the outer ring and the inner ring. The outer ring, inner ring and insert define at least one ball bearing recirculation path. At least one set of bearing balls is disposed to travel along the at least one ball bearing recirculation path.