Self-Locking Slewing Bearing With Anti-Friction Coating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional slewing rings with self-locking bearings pose cleanliness issues due to lubricant leakage and maintenance requirements, making them unsuitable for critical applications like medical device ceiling mounts.
Innovation Solution
A slewing ring design featuring a sliding bearing with an intermediate ring and coated sliding surfaces, eliminating the need for lubricants by using a dry-running sliding pair with anti-friction coatings and adjustable contact pressure, and optionally incorporating prestressed spring elements for self-locking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a roller bearing with lubricant is used to achieve self-locking, then the bearing can maintain constant adjusting torque, but lubricant leakage occurs compromising cleanliness
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the lubricant from the bearing system entirely. By using a dry-running sliding pair with bonded coatings instead of a roller bearing with grease or oil, the harmful lubricant leakage is removed while maintaining the self-locking function through friction between the coated sliding surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the roller bearing mechanical system with a sliding bearing system. Instead of rolling elements and lubricant, it uses two sliding surfaces with bonded coatings that create sufficient friction for self-locking without requiring any lubricant, thus eliminating the leakage problem.
2Reliability
If regular relubrication is implemented to maintain bearing performance, then adjusting torque remains constant, but maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bonded coatings on the sliding surfaces are designed to be maintenance-free for the entire service life of the bearing. The coatings self-mate and self-regulate the friction characteristics without requiring external intervention, relubrication, or maintenance, thus eliminating the need for regular maintenance while maintaining consistent adjusting torque.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a sliding bearing with bonded coating is used to eliminate lubricant, then cleanliness is improved, but the bearing structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies bonded coatings only to the specific sliding surfaces where friction is needed, rather than coating entire components or using complex sealing systems. This localized application achieves the cleanliness goal while minimizing structural complexity by only modifying the essential friction surfaces.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If dry-running sliding surfaces are used to prevent lubricant leakage, then cleanliness is maintained, but contact pressure control becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention incorporates an adjustable intermediate ring that allows dynamic adjustment of the contact pressure between the sliding surfaces. This adjustment capability enables optimization of the friction characteristics and self-locking performance while maintaining the dry-running, lubricant-free design, thus resolving the contradiction between preventing leakage and controlling contact pressure.
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 provides a maintenance-free, leak-proof self-locking bearing suitable for clean environments with consistent actuation torque, reducing maintenance needs and overall height while maintaining load capacity.
Implementation Method 1
a sliding surface of a pair of slides is coated with a bonded coating
Implementation Method 2
a largely constant adjusting or actuating torque over the service life of the slewing ring and the self-locking bearing
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a rotational connection by means of a self-locking bearing (1), in particular for supporting a ceiling pendant, said bearing comprising an inner ring (2) and at least one outer ring (3), wherein the bearing (1) is designed as a plain bearing and has an intermediate ring (4) arranged radially between the at least one inner ring (2) and the at least one outer ring (3), wherein each ring has at least one annular sliding surface that is inaccessible from outside and wherein a first sliding pairing (5) between the at least one inner ring (2) and the outer ring (3) and a second sliding pairing (6) between the intermediate ring (4) and the at least one outer ring (3) are provided, wherein a sliding surface of a sliding pairing (5, 6) is coated with an anti-friction lacquer.