Thrust Roller Bearing Hook Portion Stress Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Thrust roller bearings with large diameters face issues of dimensional variations leading to increased clearance between the cage and washer, causing the hook portion to crack during the staking process, resulting in appearance defects and increased disposal costs.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a washer with hook portions that include a first projecting portion extending axially, a second projecting portion extending radially inward, and a third projecting portion that further projects radially inward, reducing the likelihood of cracking by distributing stress and maintaining cage retention without excessive tensile stress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the projecting length of the hook portion is increased to suppress separation of the washer and cage in large diameter thrust roller bearings, then the cage retention is improved, but the hook portion becomes prone to cracking at the distal end
Solution Approach 1:
The hook portion is divided into three distinct projecting portions (first, second, and third) that extend in different directions. This segmentation distributes the stress that would otherwise concentrate at the distal end of a single long hook, preventing cracking while maintaining effective cage retention through the combined action of multiple shorter segments
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the hook structure are given different functional qualities: the first projecting portion provides axial extension for retention, the second projecting portion extends radially inward for structural support, and the third projecting portion further projects radially for additional retention. This local differentiation allows each segment to be optimized for its specific stress conditions
Data Source
AI summary
A thrust roller bearing includes rollers, a cage that holds the rollers in a manner that allows the rollers to roll, and a washer including a raceway surface on which the rollers roll. The washer includes a raceway portion that has the raceway surface and is disposed on a first axial side of the cage, and hook portions that extend toward a second axial side. Each of the hook portions includes a first projecting portion that extends toward the second axial side from the raceway portion, a second projecting portion that extends radially toward the rollers and toward the second axial side from an end portion of the first projecting portion on the second axial side, and a third projecting portion that further projects radially toward the rollers from an end portion of the second projecting portion on a side opposite to the first projecting portion.