Anti-rotational locking device for a roller bearing

• US 20110103731A1
• Filed: 05/19/2005
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Timken Company
• Original Assignee: The Timken Company
• Inventors: Fahrni, Glen R., Piotrowski, Gregory C.
• Application Number:
  US11/631,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20110103731A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 384/572
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/364 with tapered rollers, i.e. rollers having essentially the shape of a truncated cone
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2226/60 with threaded parts, e.g. bolt and nut connections
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 25/06 Ball or roller bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/586 outside the space between the races, e.g. end faces or bore of inner ring
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 35/047 with a base plate substantially parallel to the axis of rotation, e.g. horizontally mounted pillow blocks
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 35/067 Fixing them in a housing with interposition of an element F16C35/07
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49636 Process for making bearing or component thereof

Abstract

An anti-rotational locking device (8) for a roller bearing assembly (A) having an annular ring (50) attached to an outer race (24) of the roller bearing assembly (A), an outer lip (52) extending from the annular ring (50), an inner lip (54) extending from the annular ring (50), the inner lip (54) being capable of engagement by a tool (58) for adjusting the bearing setting of the roller bearing assembly (A) within a housing (2), and a fastener (70) being capable of engaging the outer lip (52) to secure the roller bearing assembly (A) at a desired bearing setting.

Claims

1. An anti-rotational locking device for a roller bearing assembly, comprising:

an annular ring attached to an outer race of the roller bearing assembly;

an outer lip extending from the annular ring;

an inner lip extending from the annular ring, the inner lip being capable of engagement by a tool for adjusting the bearing setting within a housing of the roller bearing assembly; and

a fastener being capable of engaging the outer lip to secure the bearing assembly at a desired bearing setting.

2. The anti-rotational locking device of claim 1, wherein the outer race has a threaded surface that engages a threaded seat of the housing.

3. The anti-rotational locking device of claim 2, wherein the threaded surface of the outer race occupies about 33% to about 50% of the length of the outer surface of the outer race.

4. The anti-rotational locking device of claim 1, wherein the fastener comprises a set screw advanced through a threaded hole of the housing until the set screw engages the outer lip.

5. The anti-rotational locking device of claim 1, wherein the fastener comprises a self-tapping screw drilled through an unthreaded hole of the housing until the self-tapping screw engages the outer lip.

6. The anti-rotational locking device of claim 1, wherein the tool comprises a disk having tabs that engage notches of the inner lip.

7. The anti-rotational locking device of claim 6, wherein the tool further comprises incremental marks that provide a visual aid for achieving the desired bearing setting for the bearing assembly.

8. The anti-rotational locking device of claim 1, wherein the roller bearing assembly further comprises:

an outer race having a threaded outer surface being capable of engagement with a threaded housing;

an inner race located within the outer race, the inner race being capable of engagement with a shaft; and

rolling elements arranged between the outer race and the inner race.

9. An anti-rotational roller bearing assembly, comprising:

an outer race having a threaded outer surface being capable of engagement with a threaded housing;

an inner race located within the outer race, the inner race being capable of engagement with a shaft;

rolling elements arranged between the outer race and the inner race;

an anti-rotational locking device attached to the outer race, the locking device being capable of engagement by a tool for adjusting a bearing setting of the roller bearing assembly within the threaded housing; and

a fastener being capable of engaging the anti-rotational locking device to secure the bearing assembly at a desired bearing setting.

10. The anti-rotational roller bearing assembly of claim 9, wherein the anti-rotational locking device comprises:

an annular ring attached to the outer race;

an outer lip extending from the annular ring; and

an inner lip extending from the annular ring, the inner lip having notches being capable of engagement by a tool for adjusting the bearing setting of the roller bearing assembly within the threaded housing.

11. The anti-rotational locking device of claim 9, wherein the fastener comprises a set screw advanced through a threaded hole of the threaded housing until the set screw engages the outer lip.

12. The anti-rotational locking device of claim 9, wherein the fastener comprises a self-tapping screw drilled through an unthreaded hole of the threaded housing until the self-tapping screw engages the outer lip.

13. The anti-rotational locking device of claim 9, wherein the threaded surface of the outer race occupies about 33% to about 50% of the length of the outer surface of the outer race.

14. A method of securing a bearing assembly within a housing at a desired bearing setting, the bearing assembly having an outer race with a threaded outer surface, an inner race located within the outer race, rolling elements arranged between the outer race and the inner race, and an anti-rotational locking device attached to the outer race, the method comprising the steps of:

engaging the threaded outer surface of the outer race with a threaded surface of the housing;

engaging the anti-rotational locking device with a tool;

rotating the tool and the engaged anti-rotational locking device to advance or retract the bearing assembly within the housing until the bearing assembly reaches a desired bearing setting; and

securing the bearing assembly at the desired bearing setting with a fastener.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of securing the bearing assembly, further comprises the step of advancing a set screw through a threaded hole of a housing until the set screw engages the outer lip.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of securing the bearing assembly, further comprises the step of advancing a self-tapping screw through an unthreaded hole of a housing until the self-tapping screw engages the outer lip.