Rolling Bearing Cage With Empty Pockets For Lubricant Distribution

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional rolling bearing cages with empty pockets require increased material and processing costs, and reduced load rating due to wider design or shorter rolling elements, while maintaining lubricant feed is challenging.

Innovation Solution

A rolling bearing cage design with fewer rolling elements in one row, featuring at least one empty pocket without a rolling element, allowing for targeted lubricant distribution and production methods that include varying empty pocket geometries and undercuts to reduce production costs and maintain dimensions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If a conventional rolling bearing cage design with empty pockets is used, then lubricant feed is enabled, but the cage width increases or rolling element length must be reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing costVSAvoidcage width

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The invention applies local quality by differentiating the geometry of specific pockets based on their function. Rolling element pockets are provided with undercuts to secure rolling elements, while empty pockets are designed with optimized geometries (such as larger openings or different cross-sectional shapes) to enhance lubricant distribution. This localized differentiation allows the cage to maintain standard dimensions while achieving both rolling element retention and effective lubrication without increasing overall cage width.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The invention inverts the conventional approach by not providing undercuts in empty pockets, thereby simplifying their geometry. Instead of making all pockets identical with full features, the invention removes unnecessary features (undercuts) from empty pockets, reducing material requirements and manufacturing complexity while still achieving the lubricant feed function.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Ease of manufacture

If empty pockets are added to the rolling bearing cage, then lubricant distribution is improved, but material requirements and processing expenditure increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing expenditureVSAvoidmaterial requirement

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The invention applies local quality by differentiating the geometry of specific pockets based on their function. Rolling element pockets are provided with undercuts to secure rolling elements, while empty pockets are designed with optimized geometries (such as larger openings or different cross-sectional shapes) to enhance lubricant distribution. This localized differentiation allows the cage to maintain standard dimensions while achieving both rolling element retention and effective lubrication without increasing overall cage width.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The invention inverts the conventional approach by not providing undercuts in empty pockets, thereby simplifying their geometry. Instead of making all pockets identical with full features, the invention removes unnecessary features (undercuts) from empty pockets, reducing material requirements and manufacturing complexity while still achieving the lubricant feed function.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Ease of manufacture

If the rolling bearing cage is designed wider to accommodate empty pockets, then lubricant feed is enabled, but the load rating is reduced due to shorter rolling elements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelubricant feed capabilityVSAvoidload rating

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The invention applies dimensionality change by optimizing the cross-sectional geometry of empty pockets rather than increasing the axial length. By creating pockets with larger radial or circumferential dimensions (different cross-sectional shapes) instead of extending the cage axially, the invention enables effective lubricant distribution while maintaining the standard cage width and rolling element length, thereby preserving the load rating.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS9206845B2Rolling bearing

Publication Date: 2015.12.08 SCHAEFFLER TECHNOLOGIES AG & CO KG

AI summary

A rolling bearing comprising a rolling bearing cage having a plurality of rolling element pockets arranged in at least one row to receive at least one row of rolling elements, two lateral rings and a plurality of crosspieces connecting the two lateral rings, such that the plurality of rolling element pockets are formed between the plurality of crosspieces, and at least one empty pocket. The rolling bearing cage includes fewer rolling elements in the at least one row than the number of rolling element pockets, such that the at least one empty pocket does not receive a rolling element. A method for producing a rolling bearing cage is also provided.