Bearing Grease Retention via Inclined Guiding Surface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Grease leakage in grease-retaining bearings used in heat dissipating fans leads to friction wear and premature failure, reducing the fan's lifespan due to centrifugal force expelling all grease, causing abnormal sounds and shaft sticking.
Innovation Solution
A bearing structure with an inclined grease guiding surface that allows lubricating grease to flow back and be stored, featuring a body with a shaft hole and sloped grease guiding surface, and a heat dissipating fan design incorporating this bearing structure to prevent grease loss and extend fan lifetime.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a grease-retaining bearing is used in the heat dissipating fan, then the friction wear of the shaft and bearing is reduced, but the grease is thrown out by centrifugal force when the shaft rotates, causing the bearing to fail prematurely
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful centrifugal force that throws grease outward into a beneficial force by designing a grease collecting groove at the outer periphery of the bearing body. The centrifugal force directs grease into the groove instead of allowing it to escape, and the groove stores the grease for reuse, transforming a loss mechanism into a retention mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements grease recovery by collecting grease that would otherwise be lost through centrifugal force. The grease collecting groove captures and stores the expelled grease, allowing it to be retained and reused, thereby preventing complete grease exhaustion and extending bearing operational life.
2Ease of operation
If the grease is retained in the bearing pores by capillary force, then the bearing can lubricate the shaft, but all the grease is eventually thrown out and exhausted, causing friction wear and abnormal sounds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a new spatial dimension for grease storage by creating a grease collecting groove at the outer periphery of the bearing body, separate from the internal pore structure. This external groove provides an additional grease reservoir that supplements the capillary-held grease, extending the overall grease availability duration without interfering with the internal lubrication mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The grease collecting groove is pre-positioned at the outer periphery of the bearing body before operation begins. This preliminary structural arrangement ensures that when grease is thrown out by centrifugal force during rotation, it is immediately captured and stored in the groove, preventing complete exhaustion and ensuring continuous lubrication capability.
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 effectively prevents grease leakage by allowing it to flow back and be stored, thereby increasing the bearing and fan's lifespan by reducing friction wear and abnormal sounds, enhancing operational reliability.
Implementation Method 1
when the heat dissipating fan stops rotating, the lubricating grease thrown out of the bearing can flow back, along the inclined grease guiding surface 113 of the bearing structure 1, to the bearing
Implementation Method 2
the grease is stored in the pores by inherent capillary force after the bearing is immersed in the grease
Implementation Method 3
Because the shaft rotates and the grease will be thrown out by centrifugal force
Data Source
AI summary
A bearing structure includes a heat dissipating fan using the same. The bearing structure comprises a body which has a first surface, a second surface, and an inclined grease guiding surface. The first surface is provided with a shaft hole penetrating through the body. The inclined grease guiding surface is sloped on the first surface. Two end edges of the inclined grease guiding surface individually connect the first surface and the shaft hole. The bearing structure disposed in the heat dissipating fan can prevent the grease from leaking and increase the storage capacity for the grease.