Thrust Rolling Bearing Raceway Grooves for End Pressure Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing axial roller bearings experience increased contact pressures and reduced service life due to elastic deformation of bearing washers at high loads, leading to friction and noise issues.
Innovation Solution
The axial roller bearing features curved raceways with circumferential groove-shaped depressions at the ends of rolling elements, allowing rolling elements to rest almost entirely on the raceway at high loads, reducing contact pressures and friction through a stable and rounded profile cross-section design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the bearing washer is designed with a curved raceway that deflects under load to increase contact length, then the bearing capacity is improved, but the contact pressure at the ends of rolling elements increases leading to higher friction and reduced service life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by introducing groove-shaped depressions at specific locations (ends of rolling elements) rather than uniformly modifying the entire raceway. This localized modification reduces contact pressure precisely where the problem occurs (at the ends of rolling elements) while preserving the curved profile's load-bearing capacity in other regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The raceway is segmented into different functional zones: the groove-shaped depressions at the ends of rolling elements and the curved profile in the middle region. This segmentation allows each zone to serve its specific purpose - the grooves reduce end contact pressure while the curved middle portion maintains load-bearing capacity and increases contact length under load.
2Strength
If the bearing washer deflects under high load to increase contact length, then load-bearing capacity is improved, but friction increases due to increased contact pressure at rolling element ends
Solution Approach 1:
The groove-shaped depressions are strategically placed at the locations where rolling element ends contact the raceway under high load. This localized modification reduces contact pressure precisely at these high-friction zones while maintaining the curved profile's ability to increase overall contact length, thus reducing friction without sacrificing load-bearing capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The raceway profile is segmented into groove regions (at rolling element ends) and curved regions (in the middle). The groove segments reduce contact pressure and friction at critical locations, while the curved segments maintain and enhance load-bearing capacity through increased contact length under load.
3Strength
If the bearing washer deflects under high load, then contact length increases, but noise development is adversely affected due to increased contact pressure and out-of-roundness of rolling elements
Solution Approach 1:
The groove-shaped depressions are specifically positioned at the ends of rolling elements where contact pressure increases under high load. This localized modification reduces contact pressure and associated out-of-roundness effects precisely where noise is generated, while preserving the curved profile's ability to increase contact length for load-bearing purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The raceway is divided into groove segments (at rolling element ends) and curved segments (in the middle region). The groove segments reduce contact pressure and noise at critical locations, while the curved segments maintain contact length for load-bearing capacity.
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
This design reduces friction and noise, enhances bearing life, and ensures a more uniform contact pressure distribution, preventing peak pressures at the ends of rolling elements even under high loads.
Implementation Method 1
due to the elastic deformation behavior of the bearing washers at high bearing loads near the ends of the rolling elements
Implementation Method 2
the bearing washer has a raceway with such a curved profile cross-section that the rolling elements in the unloaded state of the axial roller bearing rest only at certain points on the raceway and in the loaded state of the axial roller bearing rest almost over the entire length of the rolling elements on the raceway
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
The invention relates to an axial rolling bearing 1), comprising at least one annular bearing disc (2), which has a circumferential raceway (3) arched in profile cross section, and comprising a multiplicity of rolling elements (4) formed as bearing needles or bearing rollers and arranged beside one another in circular form, which roll on the raceway (3) of the bearing disc (2) and are kept at uniform distances from one another by a bearing cage (14). According to the invention, the arched raceway (3) is formed having at least one circumferential groove-shaped depression (15, 16), at least in the region of one of the two ends (5, 6) of the rolling elements (4).