Multi-Component Plastic Bearing Ring for Low-Friction Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rolling bearings face issues such as high friction, wear, heating, and difficulty in material selection, requiring significant lubrication, and are not suitable for both low and high rotational speeds while maintaining cost-effectiveness and stability.
Innovation Solution
A rolling bearing design featuring an inner and outer ring with guide portions formed by slide and stabilizing rings made of different plastics materials, where the softer slide ring ensures low-friction and low-noise interaction, and the harder stabilizing ring provides stability, allowing for a lubricant-free operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional rolling bearings use metal bearing rings with rolling bodies, then they can support radial and axial forces, but they require considerable lubrication and generate friction, wear, and heating at high speeds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional metal-mechanical rolling bearing system with a plastics-based rolling bearing where the bearing rings are made from plastic material. This substitution reduces friction and wear between the rolling bodies and bearing rings, eliminating the need for considerable lubrication and reducing heating at high rotational speeds while maintaining load-bearing capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structures, particularly in the multi-component plastics bearing ring design where different plastic materials or plastic-metal combinations are used to optimize both load-bearing strength and low-friction surfaces, resolving the contradiction between mechanical strength and friction reduction
2Force
If the interference fit of rolling bearings between bearing rings is increased, then radial force absorption improves, but friction increases leading to wear and heating
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters of the bearing rings from metal to plastic, which alters the interference fit characteristics. The plastic material provides sufficient radial force absorption through its elastic properties while maintaining lower friction coefficients, thus reducing wear and heating even with appropriate interference fit values
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the interference fit of rolling bearings is decreased, then friction and wear are reduced, but play develops between bearing rings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the viscoelastic properties of plastic materials to maintain positional stability between bearing rings with reduced interference fit compared to metal bearings. The plastic's ability to deform and recover provides continuous contact and stability while allowing for lower interference fit values that reduce friction and wear
4Strength
If metal materials are used for bearing rings, then stability and load-bearing capacity are ensured, but friction with rolling bodies increases requiring lubrication
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes metal bearing rings with plastic bearing rings, fundamentally changing the material system. This replacement maintains sufficient structural stability and load-bearing capacity while providing inherently lower friction surfaces that reduce wear and eliminate the need for considerable lubrication
5Strength
If a single material is used for the entire bearing ring, then manufacturing is simplified, but it cannot simultaneously achieve low friction and sufficient stability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs multi-component plastics bearing rings that combine different plastic materials or plastic with metal components in specific configurations. This composite approach allows different regions of the bearing ring to have optimized properties: low-friction surfaces for contact with rolling bodies and high-strength regions for structural stability, while still being manufacturable as integrated components
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing different material properties in different regions of the bearing ring. The inner surface contacting rolling bodies uses low-friction plastic material, while other regions provide structural support and stability, optimizing both friction reduction and mechanical strength where needed
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 design achieves low-friction, low-maintenance, and robust performance across various rotational speeds, suitable for critical environments like the food industry, with reduced wear and noise, and enhanced stability.
Implementation Method 1
the first plastics material is softer than the second plastics material... the first plastics material ensures low-friction and low-noise interaction
Implementation Method 2
the stabilising ring is produced from a second plastics material... the stabilising ring provides stability
Data Source
AI summary
A rolling bearing, in particular a ball bearing, is in the form of two bearing rings that are mounted so as to be rotatable relative to each other about an axis. The roller bearing includes an inner ring and an outer ring which each form a guide portion of a guide. The guide portion surrounds the axis with the portion formed by the inner ring is radially opposite the portion formed by the outer ring. In the guide, rolling bodies are distributed around the axis and rest on the two guide portions. When the bearing rings rotate, the rolling bodies roll on the two guide portions. At least one of the rings has a slide ring as the guide portion and a stabilising ring on the slide ring. The slide ring and the stabilising ring are produced from first and second plastics materials, respectively. The first plastics material is softer than the second plastics material.