Rolling Bearing Damping Element Reduces Noise
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rolling bearings with toric wires or spherical surfaces often produce noise and vibrations due to metallic contact and junction issues, which existing designs fail to adequately mitigate.
Innovation Solution
A rolling bearing design featuring an outer and inner ring with raceways, an annular preloading element made of elastic material, and a damping element formed by a layer of damping material that contacts both half-raceways and the axial portion of the envelope, reducing vibrations and noise by separating metallic contacts and applying axial preload.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metallic wires are used to form raceways in rolling bearings, then the structural integrity and load-bearing capacity are improved, but noise and vibrations are generated due to metallic contact and junction issues
Solution Approach 1:
A damping element made of elastomeric material is introduced as an intermediary between the metallic raceway wires and the rolling elements. This damping element absorbs vibrations and reduces noise while maintaining the load-bearing capacity of the metallic structure, effectively mediating between the conflicting requirements of strength and noise reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The rolling bearing employs a composite structure combining metallic raceway wires for structural integrity with elastomeric damping material for vibration absorption. This composite approach allows the system to simultaneously achieve high load-bearing capacity and low noise emission by leveraging the complementary properties of different materials.
2Reliability
If separate damping element and preloading element are used, then the functionality is adequate, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The damping element and preloading element are merged into a single integrated component. The elastomeric damping element is designed with an annular groove that inherently provides the preloading function through its deformation characteristics, eliminating the need for a separate preloading element while maintaining both vibration damping and axial preloading functionalities.
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 noise and vibrations by using a damping element integrated with the preloading element to separate metallic contacts and apply axial preload, enhancing operational quietness and stability.
Implementation Method 1
a damping element radially arranged between the axial portion of the envelope and each of the half-raceways
Implementation Method 2
an annular preloading element made of an elastic material and arranged inside the envelope to be preloaded axially between a first radial portion of the envelope and a lateral face of a first half-raceway
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 4
AI summary
This rolling bearing (1) comprises an outer ring (3) and an inner ring (5), both having a raceway (30, 32, 50) for rolling elements (7) placed between said inner and outer rings (3, 5) in contact with said raceways (30, 32, 50). At least one of the rings (3) comprises an envelope (34) having an axial portion (340) and, connected to the edges of the axial portion (340), two radial portions (342, 344), and two half-raceways (30, 32) arranged in said envelope (34) to form the raceway of this ring (3). The rolling bearing (1) further comprises at least one annular preloading element (9) made of an elastic material and arranged inside the envelope (34) to be preloaded axially between a first radial portion (342) of the envelope (34) and a lateral face (300) of a first half-raceway (30). The rolling bearing (1) comprises at least one damping element (11) radially arranged between the axial portion (340) of the envelope and each of the half-raceways (30, 32).