Segmented Bearing Cage Assembly for Low Vibration Lubrication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional integral injection molding of large-diameter bearing cages results in dimensional accuracy issues, limited adaptability to different diameters, poor lubrication, and increased noise and vibration due to simple structure and lack of lubricant guidance.
Innovation Solution
A segmented cage design using arc-shaped segments with ellipsoidal pockets and claws, allowing for flexible assembly and improved lubrication through lubricant guiding and storage grooves, reducing clearance and enhancing vibration performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If integral injection molding is used to manufacture large-diameter cages, then the cage structure is simple, but the dimensional accuracy deteriorates and manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cage is divided into multiple arc-shaped segments that can be manufactured separately using injection molding and then assembled together. Each segment is smaller and easier to manufacture with high dimensional accuracy, while the complete cage achieves the required large diameter and complex structure. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing simple manufacturing processes for each part while achieving complex overall geometry.
2Ease of manufacture
If integral injection molding is used for cage manufacturing, then the manufacturing process is simple, but adaptability to different bearing diameters deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cage is segmented into modular arc-shaped units that can be manufactured using standardized injection molding processes. These segments can be assembled in different configurations to create cages of various diameters, allowing the same basic segment design to adapt to different bearing sizes while maintaining simple manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The arc-shaped segments are designed as universal components that can be used to construct cages for bearings of different diameters. By varying the number of segments and their arrangement, the same segment design serves multiple applications, achieving adaptability without complicating the manufacturing process.
3Device complexity
If traditional cage design is used, then the structure is simple, but lubrication performance deteriorates due to lack of lubricant guidance
Solution Approach 1:
The cage structure incorporates localized lubricant guiding features such as grooves and channels in specific areas where lubrication is needed. These local structural modifications direct lubricant flow to critical contact points between rolling elements and raceways, improving lubrication performance without requiring a complete redesign of the entire cage structure.
4Ease of manufacture
If integral injection molding is used for large cages, then manufacturing is straightforward, but assembly difficulty increases due to large size
Solution Approach 1:
The large-diameter cage is divided into multiple smaller arc-shaped segments that can be manufactured separately using injection molding and then assembled. Each segment is small enough to be easily handled and assembled, eliminating the assembly difficulties associated with manufacturing a single large integral cage while maintaining the benefits of injection molding for each segment.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a cage for bearings. The cage includes a pocket (2) for accommodating a rolling element of the bearing. The pocket (2) completely encloses the corresponding rolling element on a cylindrical surface where a pitch circle of the cage is located. The pocket has a roughly ellipsoidal shape. The ellipsoidal shape of each pocket (2) has a major axis L1 and a minor axis L2. The major axis L1 and the minor axis L2 satisfy the following relationship: L2<L1≤1.07L2. Through this arrangement, there may be a smaller circumferential clearance or axial clearance between the rolling element and the pocket, so as to improve the vibration of the whole bearing according to different load requirements. The present disclosure also provides a bearing comprising the cage.