Sealed Thrust Ball Bearing Separation Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Sealed thrust ball bearings used in strut type suspension devices face challenges in maintaining the separation between the inner and outer rings during assembly, maintenance, and repair, where increasing the separation load to prevent separation also increases the running torque, making it difficult to enhance the separation prevention function without increasing torque.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates an inner elastic sealing member with a projection extending radially outward from the inner cylindrical base portion and an outer elastic sealing member with a lip extending radially inward, which increases the separation load without increasing the running torque by ensuring the projection is stopped by the outer ring, and the lip's deformation provides a restoring force without additional torque during assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the separation load is increased to prevent separation between inner and outer rings, then the separation prevention function is improved, but the running torque of the bearing is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing structure is divided into two independent functional components: an outer elastic sealing member with a lip for preventing separation, and an inner elastic sealing member with a projection for maintaining spacing. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in one function, enabling the outer lip to provide strong separation prevention without requiring the inner sealing member to contribute to separation resistance, thereby reducing overall running torque.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner elastic sealing member's projection acts as an intermediary element between the inner and outer rings, maintaining their axial spacing during operation. By having this intermediary component handle the spacing maintenance function, the outer elastic sealing member's lip can focus entirely on providing separation prevention with high restoring force, without the need to also maintain spacing, thus reducing the torque penalty.
2Force
If the restoring force of the elastic deformation is increased to improve separation prevention, then the separation load is increased, but the running torque is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The force generation function is segmented between two components: the outer elastic sealing member's lip generates restoring force for separation prevention, while the inner elastic sealing member's projection provides mechanical spacing. This allows the outer lip to be optimized for high restoring force without proportionally increasing running torque, as the inner projection shares the load of maintaining ring separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution moves from a single-component design where one sealing member must simultaneously provide both spacing maintenance and separation prevention, to a two-component design where spacing maintenance is handled in one dimension (inner projection) and separation prevention is handled in another dimension (outer lip), allowing each to be optimized independently.
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 configuration significantly enhances the separation prevention between the inner and outer rings while maintaining low running torque, as the projection stops the rings from separating and the lip's deformation supports assembly without increasing torque, thus improving work efficiency and reducing production costs.
Implementation Method 1
after the lip (6A) elastically deforms, the lip (6A) reverses and elastically deforms in the direction opposite to the direction of the elastic deformation at the time of completion of assembling, whereby, at the time of completion of assembling, the restoring force of the elastic deformation of the lip is applied to the tilted pressure contact surface
Implementation Method 2
the projection of the inner elastic sealing member is stopped by the outer ring
Data Source
AI summary
The inner elastic sealing member 5 includes an inner cylindrical base portion 5A leading to an end portion of an inner cylindrical portion 1B of the inner ring 1, and also includes, at an outer circumferential surface of the inner cylindrical base portion 5A, a projection 7 extending radially outward of an inner periphery of a lower end of an inner cylindrical portion 2B of the outer ring 2. The outer elastic sealing member 6 includes a lip 6B brought into pressure contact with a pressure contact surface B of the outer ring 2. An upper surface 7A of the projection 7 is spaced downward from the lower end of the inner cylindrical portion 2B of the outer ring 2, and an outer circumferential surface 7C of the projection 7 is spaced radially inward from the lower member 8.