Elastomeric Roller Bearing Mounting for Tolerance Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high production costs of rollers due to the need for precise machining of the roller bearing seat to ensure accurate alignment and balance, which is challenging and costly, especially for large rollers.
Innovation Solution
The roller features radially inward webs distributed over its circumference to support the roller bearing, utilizing material elasticity to adjust for manufacturing tolerances, with tapered ends and radially inward cams for further adaptation, and grooves for fastening screws and balancing weights, allowing for simpler and cost-effective manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the roller bearing seat is precisely machined to ensure accurate alignment and balance, then the roller operates centrally without imbalances, but the manufacturing complexity and costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state of the mounting structure from rigid to elastic by using elastomeric material. This allows the mounting structure to deform elastically during roller bearing insertion, automatically compensating for dimensional tolerances and ensuring precise alignment without complex machining operations. The elastic property enables the structure to adapt to manufacturing variations while maintaining operational precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If the roller bearing seat is precisely machined to ensure accurate alignment, then the roller runs centrally under load, but the production costs increase due to additional machining steps
Solution Approach 1:
The elastomeric mounting structure performs self-adjustment during the roller bearing insertion process. As the roller bearing is pressed in, the elastic material deforms and automatically positions the roller bearing concentrically within the roller body. This self-aligning mechanism eliminates the need for expensive precision machining operations and specialized manufacturing equipment, significantly reducing production costs while ensuring accurate alignment.
3Volume of moving object
If the roller body is manufactured with large dimensions, then the roller can handle larger material webs, but the machining of the roller bearing seat becomes increasingly difficult and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from rigid mounting to elastic mounting using elastomeric material. This allows large roller bodies to be manufactured without complex precision machining of the bearing seats. The elastic material compensates for the increased difficulty of machining large components, enabling cost-effective production of large-diameter rollers while maintaining accurate roller bearing alignment and balance.
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 ensures the roller operates centrally and balances without imbalances, even under load, reducing manufacturing complexity and costs while maintaining uniformity and reproducibility.
Implementation Method 1
By utilizing the elasticity of the material of the roller body and thus of the webs, this mount for the roller bearing can be slightly adjusted radially. When the roller bearing is pressed in, the webs are slightly elastically deformed, so that in this way manufacturing tolerances in the manufacture of the roller body are compensated for.
Implementation Method 2
at least one of the webs is tapered towards at least one end. This taper forms a predetermined bending point around which the web is pivoted. By bending the webs around this predetermined bending point, the inside diameter of the seat for the roller bearing increases accordingly.
Implementation Method 3
at least one of the webs has at least one radially inwardly directed cam at its inner end, which is plastically deformable when inserting the roller bearing. In this way, manufacturing tolerances in the manufacture of the roller body are even better compensated for, since both plastic and elastic deformations are used to adapt the inner contour of the roller body to the outer contour of the roller bearing.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The roller (1) has a tubular roller body (2) supported over a roller bearing (6) rotatable at an axle (5). The roller body comprises bars (7) directed inwardly in a region of the roller bearing, and is formed as an extruded profile. The roller bearing is supported at the bars. An axially oriented extension (13) for receiving fastening screws (14) and/or balancing weights is provided in a groove between the bars. One of the bars comprises an inwardly directed cam (12) at inner-side end (9), where the cam is plastic deformable when using the roller bearing.