Unitized Stacked Thrust Bearing With Compressible Impact Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional axial roller bearings often require assembly fixtures to maintain component alignment during installation and operation, risking disassembly and component loss if parts separate, which complicates handling and installation.
Innovation Solution
A unitized axial bearing design incorporating a compressible ring and inner and outer washers with rows of rollers, along with cages to position rollers, retains components without external fixtures, using a rubber washer or spring for axial retention and allowing relative rotation with minimal resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional axial roller bearings use separate housing and shaft components, then the bearing can be assembled into the application, but assembly fixtures are required to maintain component alignment and parts may separate during operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the housing and shaft components into a single unitized bearing assembly where the inner washer, outer washer, and rollers are pre-assembled and retained together by a compressible ring. This merging eliminates the need for separate housing and shaft parts, allowing the bearing to be installed as one cohesive unit without assembly fixtures.
Solution Approach 2:
The compressible ring acts as an intermediary retaining mechanism that holds the inner washer, outer washer, and rollers together in a stacked configuration. This intermediary component enables the bearing assembly to stay unified during installation and operation, replacing the need for external assembly fixtures.
2Reliability
If conventional axial roller bearings rely on mating parts to retain components, then the bearing can be installed in housing and shaft, but parts risk separating and falling out of position during operation
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing components (inner washer, outer washer, rollers) are merged into a single retained assembly through the compressible ring, ensuring they remain together during handling, installation, and operation. This eliminates the risk of parts separating and falling out of position.
Solution Approach 2:
The compressible ring provides dynamic retention that adapts to operational conditions. It maintains component retention during normal operation and allows for compression during installation, providing both reliability and ease of operation through its flexible retaining mechanism.
3Ease of operation
If a unitized bearing assembly is designed to stay together without fixtures, then handling and installation are simplified, but the design must accommodate compression and retention mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The compressible ring functions as a flexible retaining element that can be compressed during assembly and then expands to retain the bearing components. This flexible structure provides the necessary retention functionality without requiring complex rigid mechanisms, maintaining ease of operation while achieving unitized design.
Solution Approach 2:
The compressible ring changes its physical parameters (compression state) during installation, allowing the assembly to be compressed for installation and then expand to its operational state for component retention. This parameter change enables simplified handling while providing the necessary retention structure.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If axial roller bearings use rolling contact between rollers and washers, then resistance to relative rotation is minimized, but axial loads and impact forces must be managed
Solution Approach 1:
The compressible ring changes its compression state based on the axial load applied. During normal operation, it maintains the bearing components in position with minimal rotation resistance. During impact or high axial load, it compresses to absorb the force, managing the axial loads and impact forces while maintaining the rolling contact benefit.
Solution Approach 2:
The compressible ring provides beforehand cushioning by being pre-positioned between the inner and outer washers. It is ready to absorb impact forces and axial loads before they occur, protecting the bearing components from sudden shocks while maintaining minimal rotation resistance during normal operation.
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 design ensures the bearing assembly remains cohesive during operation, minimizing drag and effectively managing axial loads and impact forces, maintaining structural integrity even if shafts briefly separate.
Implementation Method 1
a compressible ring positioned axially between the first and second inner washers when the shafts are in a compressed state against one another
Implementation Method 2
The compressible ring may be, for example, a rubber washer. Alternatively, the compressible ring may be a spring such as a garter spring
Data Source
AI summary
A double row axial roller bearing assembly includes a compressible ring between the two rows. This compressible ring prevents excessive axial forces if the respective shafts impact one another after becoming axially separated. One embodiment is fully unitized such that all parts of the bearing assembly remain with one of the two shafts if the shafts become axially separated. Another embodiment is semi-unitized such that one row of rollers and the compressible ring remain with one of the shafts while the other row of rollers remains with the other shaft. In both cases, all bearing components are prevented from falling out of position such that they return to their proper axial and radial position when the shafts come back together.