Segment Bearing Plastic Cage Retention for Secure Final Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Segmented bearing arrangements face challenges in final assembly due to rollers potentially falling out of the cage and the cage itself falling out of the bearing part shell, leading to difficulties in securing the components radially and preventing accidental loss during assembly.
Innovation Solution
A segmented bearing arrangement with a plastic cage and a bearing part shell, where the rollers are positively secured within the cage, and the cage is secured to the bearing part shell using caulking in the side edges and end stop devices, forming a self-retaining preassembled assembly that prevents radial and rotational disassembly, with a coupling structure ensuring the cage is captive over the pivoting angle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the cage is not positively secured to the bearing part shell, then the assembly process is simpler, but the rollers may fall out of the cage and the cage may fall out of the bearing part shell during assembly and operation
Solution Approach 1:
The cage is pre-secured to the bearing part shell using caulking elements that are formed on the bearing part shell during manufacturing. This preliminary securing action ensures that the cage and rollers remain in place during subsequent assembly and operation, eliminating the risk of components falling out while maintaining a simple final assembly process.
Solution Approach 2:
The bearing part shell performs dual functions: it provides the structural bearing surface and simultaneously generates the caulking elements that secure the cage. The caulking elements are formed directly on the bearing part shell, eliminating the need for separate fastening components and simplifying the overall assembly while ensuring reliable component retention.
2Reliability
If retaining elements are used to secure the cage radially, then the cage remains in place during operation, but the assembly process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining function is merged into the bearing part shell itself through the caulking elements. These caulking elements are formed directly on the bearing part shell and serve as integrated retaining features that secure the cage radially without requiring separate retaining components, thus maintaining reliability while minimizing assembly complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The caulking elements act as intermediary features between the bearing part shell and the cage. These elements are formed on the bearing part shell and provide the radial retention force needed to keep the cage in place, serving as a simple yet effective mediator that connects the shell to the cage without adding complex assembly steps.
3Ease of operation
If the cage is designed to pivot freely in the bearing part shell, then the pivot bearing function is optimized, but the cage may fall out in the radial direction during assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing part shell has different local properties: in the radial direction, it provides retention through caulking elements to prevent the cage from falling out during assembly, while in the tangential direction, it allows free pivoting motion through the raceway. This local differentiation of constraints enables both assembly reliability and operational freedom.
Solution Approach 2:
The cage is dynamically constrained: radially it is held in place by the caulking elements during assembly and operation, while tangentially it is free to pivot along the raceway. This dynamic constraint system allows the cage to move freely in the desired pivoting direction while preventing unwanted radial displacement during assembly and operation.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a segment bearing arrangement (1) for a pivot bearing, said arrangement being particularly advantageous for a final assembly. The segment bearing arrangement comprises a cage (2); a plurality of rollers (4), said rollers (4) being arranged in the cage (2); and a partial bearing shell (3) as a track support for the rollers (4), said cage (2) together with the rollers (4) being arranged on the partial bearing shell (3) in a pivotal manner by a pivot angle in the circumferential direction relative to a main axis. The rollers (4) in the cage (2) are secured to the cage (2) in a formfitting manner so as to be prevented from falling out radially in the direction of the main axis, and the cage (2) is secured to the partial bearing shell (3) in a formfitting manner at least in a sub-range of the pivot angle so as to be prevented from falling out radially in the direction of the main axis.