Bearing Ring Sealing Surface Machining for Low-Friction Wheel Bearings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current roller bearing production methods face challenges in efficiently creating contact surfaces for seals that minimize friction and wear while maintaining effective sealing, particularly in retaining lubricants and excluding dirt.
Innovation Solution
The method involves high-feed milling to create a structured sealing surface on the roller bearing ring, allowing for precise control of surface roughness and friction, eliminating the need for separate stop elements and minimizing part count and space requirements by integrating the sealing surface with the bearing ring's machining process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional machining methods are used to create sealing surfaces, then the sealing surface can be produced, but friction and wear between the seal and bearing ring are high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a specifically structured sealing surface on the bearing ring with controlled roughness parameters (Ra 0.4-1.6 μm) in the contact area with the seal. This localized surface treatment reduces friction and wear in the sealing zone without affecting other parts of the bearing ring, thereby improving sealing reliability while minimizing harmful effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the surface roughness parameter of the sealing surface through high-feed milling to achieve optimal values (Ra 0.4-1.6 μm). By controlling the arithmetic mean roughness within this specific range, the patent optimizes the balance between sealing effectiveness and friction reduction, resolving the contradiction between sealing performance and wear resistance.
2Reliability
If separate stop elements are used to enhance sealing, then sealing effectiveness improves, but device complexity and part count increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sealing function directly into the bearing ring by creating a structured sealing surface through high-feed milling. This eliminates the need for separate stop elements or additional sealing components, reducing part count and device complexity while maintaining effective sealing through the optimized surface structure with Ra 0.4-1.6 μm roughness.
Solution Approach 2:
The bearing ring is given multiple functions: it serves both as a structural component and as a sealing element through its milled surface. The sealing surface with controlled roughness performs the sealing function that would otherwise require separate components, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining sealing reliability.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If high-feed milling is used to structure the sealing surface, then friction and wear are reduced, but manufacturing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The high-feed milling process creates a continuous structured surface pattern on the bearing ring that consistently reduces friction and wear across the entire sealing zone. The continuous milled grooves with controlled spacing and depth provide ongoing lubricant retention and surface protection, making the manufacturing complexity worthwhile for the sustained reduction in operational friction and wear.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the sealing surface is machined separately from the bearing ring, then manufacturing flexibility is maintained, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the sealing surface machining with the bearing ring manufacturing process through high-feed milling. By integrating these operations into a single manufacturing sequence rather than separate steps, the patent improves productivity while maintaining the adaptability to produce bearing rings with optimized sealing surfaces directly during production.
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
This approach results in a roller bearing with low friction, low wear, and excellent sealing capabilities, effectively retaining lubricants and preventing dirt ingress, while reducing the number of parts and space needed, thus enhancing the efficiency and longevity of the seal.
Implementation Method 1
structuring a ring-shaped surface of the bearing ring forming a sealing surface by high-feed milling
Implementation Method 2
friction between the seal and the sealing surface can be specifically adjusted and minimized
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5a~5e
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for machining a bearing ring (2, 3) of a rolling bearing (1), in particular a wheel bearing, comprising the following features: clamping a blank for producing the bearing ring (2, 3) into a machine tool; structuring an annular surface (10) of the bearing ring (2, 3) by high-feed milling, said surface forming a sealing face. The invention further relates to a rolling bearing, in particular a wheel bearing, having a high-feed milled surface as a sealing face for a seal (8).