Rolling Bearing Seal Member with Variable Thickness Elastic Portion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rolling bearing assemblies face issues with negative pressure generation during temperature changes, leading to premature seal failure and water ingress due to inadequate seal design, particularly with the inter-inner ring seal's assembly challenges and deformation during mounting.
Innovation Solution
A seal member with an annular elastic portion featuring alternating thin and thick portions that deform radially to separate from the annular groove under negative pressure, ensuring efficient pressure elimination and improved assembly by preventing deformation and catching during mounting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the inter-inner ring seal has a uniform thickness extending portion, then the seal can prevent grease leakage and water ingress, but the seal deforms during assembly and gets caught between inner rings
Solution Approach 1:
The extending portion of the seal member is designed with non-uniform thickness, featuring a first thickness in a first circumferential region and a second thickness different from the first thickness in a second circumferential region. This local variation in thickness allows the seal to have different mechanical properties in different regions, enabling it to resist deformation during assembly in certain areas while maintaining sealing effectiveness in other areas.
2Reliability
If the seal lip remains in contact with the annular groove during negative pressure events, then sealing is maintained, but the negative pressure causes premature seal failure and water ingress
Solution Approach 1:
The seal member is designed to dynamically respond to pressure changes. During negative pressure events, the varying thickness of the extending portion allows the seal lip to separate from the annular groove, breaking the suction effect and preventing premature seal failure. This dynamic separation and reconnection mechanism protects the seal from harmful negative pressure while maintaining sealing under normal conditions.
3Ease of manufacture
If the extending portion is made thinner to facilitate assembly, then assembly becomes easier, but the seal cannot effectively eliminate negative pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The extending portion incorporates regions of different thicknesses, allowing thin regions to facilitate assembly by reducing resistance during installation, while thicker regions provide the structural integrity needed to eliminate negative pressure effectively. This localized variation in thickness optimizes both assembly ease and negative pressure elimination capability.
4Ease of manufacture
If the seal member has uniform structural properties, then manufacturing is simplified, but the seal experiences deformation and catching during mounting
Solution Approach 1:
The seal member features an extending portion with non-uniform thickness, creating different structural properties in different circumferential regions. This local variation allows certain regions to be more compliant during assembly, preventing deformation and catching, while other regions maintain structural integrity for effective sealing and negative pressure elimination.
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 seal member effectively eliminates negative pressure and enhances assembly performance by allowing the sliding contact lip to separate from the groove, preventing premature failure and water ingress, while ensuring smooth mounting without deformation or catching between inner rings.
Implementation Method 1
The extending portion has a thin portion that deforms radially outwards by virtue of a negative pressure generated in an interior of the rolling bearing
Data Source
AI summary
A rolling bearing has a pair of inner rings and an annular groove provided on an outer circumference of a portion where end portions of the pair of inner rings abut against each other. A seal member for a rolling bearing has an elastic portion. The seal member for a rolling bearing is mounted in the annular groove. The elastic portion has an annular proximal end portion that is fixed to one axial end side of the annular groove and an annular extending portion extending from the proximal end portion towards the other axial end side and having on an inner circumference thereof a sliding contact lip configured to be brought into sliding contact with the other axial end side of the annular groove.