Cageless Rolling Device With Transfer Grooves
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rolling devices with supporting cages experience increased rotary torque, breakage, and reduced load capacity due to sliding friction between rolling elements and cages, as well as space constraints.
Innovation Solution
A rolling device design featuring transfer grooves and rolling elements with contact point changing paths that alter the contact radius and frictional forces, allowing for uniform intervals and reduced friction without a supporting cage, thereby increasing load capacity and preventing jostling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a supporting cage is used to retain rolling elements at uniform intervals, then the rolling elements are prevented from jostling and maintaining uniform intervals is improved, but sliding friction between rolling elements and the supporting cage increases, causing increased rotary torque and potential breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the supporting cage from the rolling device, replacing it with a cageless structure where rolling elements are guided solely by the transfer grooves. This removes the source of sliding friction between rolling elements and cage, thereby reducing rotary torque while maintaining uniform intervals through the groove geometry alone
Solution Approach 2:
The transfer grooves are designed to perform multiple functions: they guide the rolling elements, maintain uniform intervals between them, and prevent jostling during operation. This multi-functional design replaces the need for a separate supporting cage, eliminating the harmful sliding friction while achieving the same stabilizing effect
2Stability of the object's composition
If a supporting cage is used to retain rolling elements, then uniform intervals are maintained, but the supporting cage occupies space that reduces the dimensions of rolling elements and restricts load capacity
Solution Approach 1:
By removing the supporting cage entirely, the invention eliminates the space that the cage would occupy. This freed space allows for larger rolling element dimensions, which directly increases the load capacity of the rolling device while maintaining uniform intervals through the transfer groove design
Solution Approach 2:
The invention shifts the mechanism for maintaining uniform intervals from a radial constraint (cage) to a dimensional constraint defined by the transfer groove geometry. This allows rolling elements to be positioned uniformly without the physical presence of a cage, maximizing the available space for load-bearing rolling elements
3Stability of the object's composition
If rolling elements contact both transfer grooves, then stable positioning is achieved, but frictional resistance increases due to contact with both grooves
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer grooves are designed with asymmetric local qualities: one groove has a contact point changing path with a smaller contact radius that creates higher frictional force, while the other groove has a larger contact radius with lower frictional force. This causes rolling elements to be preferentially guided by the higher-friction groove, reducing overall frictional resistance while maintaining stable positioning
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the contact radius parameter of the transfer grooves, creating a contact point changing path where the contact radius varies. By making one contact radius smaller than the other, the frictional forces become unequal, allowing the rolling elements to be guided by the dominant frictional force from one groove, thereby reducing total frictional resistance while maintaining stability
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 reduces frictional resistance and jostling, enhances load capacity, and eliminates the need for a supporting cage, allowing for more efficient operation and increased space utilization.
Implementation Method 1
an area in which the rolling element comes in contact with only one of the transfer grooves of the transfer path is formed, or an area in which a frictional force acting between one of the transfer grooves of the transfer path and the rolling element is greater than a frictional force acting between the other transfer groove and the rolling element is formed
Data Source
AI summary
Intervals are provided between rolling elements in a load area to avoid jostling of rolling elements in a rolling device. A portion of a transfer groove has such a sectional shape as to form a contact point changing path for coming in contact with smaller diameter portions of the rolling elements than outer diameters of the rolling elements to thereby reduce revolution quantities of the rolling elements to bring rolling elements in contact with or close to each other at this portion. Then, when the rolling elements come out of the contact point changing path, the outer diameter portions of the rolling elements come in contact with the transfer groove to thereby increase the revolution quantities of the rolling elements to create intervals between the rolling elements entering the load area.