Bearing Unit Mounting Flange Design for Roundness Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing bearing units suffer from deformation of the stationary ring's mounting flange and raceways due to uneven fastening forces, leading to changes in roundness and increased manufacturing costs, with previous solutions either increasing mass or complicating surface treatments.
Innovation Solution
A bearing unit design featuring a mounting flange with unequal hole spacing and varying radial and axial thicknesses, along with a thickness-reduced portion on the flange surface to reduce contact area and prevent deformation, maintains the roundness of the raceways while minimizing manufacturing complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the mounting flange is made with uniform thickness to simplify manufacturing, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but deformation occurs under uneven fastening forces leading to raceway roundness changes
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting flange is designed with non-uniform thickness distribution, where the radial thickness varies at different angular positions and axial locations. Specifically, the flange has greater thickness in regions subjected to higher fastening forces, providing localized structural reinforcement exactly where needed to prevent deformation while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through a single-piece construction approach.
2Strength
If the radial thickness of the mounting flange is increased to prevent deformation, then strength and deformation resistance are improved, but the mass of the bearing unit increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flange thickness is optimized locally rather than uniformly throughout. The radial thickness is increased only in specific regions where fastening forces are applied, while maintaining thinner sections in areas subject to lower stresses. This localized reinforcement approach provides the necessary deformation resistance to maintain raceway roundness while minimizing the overall mass increase of the bearing unit.
3Manufacturing precision
If surface treatment is applied to prevent flange deformation, then manufacturing precision is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flange thickness is segmented into different zones with varying radial thickness values. This segmentation is achieved through the tooling design during casting or forging, creating distinct thickness regions without requiring post-manufacturing surface treatments. The segmented thickness distribution naturally provides deformation resistance in critical areas while keeping the manufacturing process relatively simple and cost-effective.
Data Source
AI summary
An outer ring (2) is provided with a stationary ring-side flange (2a) along a circumferential direction. The stationary ring-side flange (2a) is provided with a plurality of mounting holes (2b) which is arranged at unequal intervals and which is used to fasten the outer ring (2) to a knuckle (N) through knuckle bolts (Bt). The stationary ring-side flange (2a) includes first flange part (30) located in a region in which a distance between adjacent mounting holes (2b) is larger and second flange part (40) located in a region in which a distance between adjacent mounting holes (2b) is smaller. A radial thickness of the first flange part (30) is a greater than a radial thickness of the second flange part (40).