TOLERANCE RING WITH LOCKING FEATURE

• US 20150000098A1
• Filed: 06/17/2014
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Rencol Limited (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Rencol Limited (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Inventors: Pickering, Llewelyn, Slayne, Andrew R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,074,637 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/428
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 1/0835 due to the elasticity of the ring or sleeve
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 7/021 with radially applied torque-limiting friction surfaces F16D7/022 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/4813 Mounting or aligning of arm assemblies, e.g. actuator arm supported by bearings, multiple arm assemblies, arm stacks or multiple heads on single arm G11B5/484 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/7051 Wedging or camming

Abstract

A tolerance ring with a generally cylindrical body having a sidewall, wherein the sidewall includes an undeformed portion and a plurality of wave structures protruding from the undeformed portion. The wave structures each having a feature disconnected from the adjacent sidewall.

Claims

1. A tolerance ring, comprising:

a generally cylindrical body having a sidewall that defines a first axial end and a second axial end,

wherein the sidewall includes;

an undeformed portion; and

a plurality of wave structures protruding from the undeformed portion, wherein each wave structure has a first and a second opposite axial end, and wherein the tolerance ring has at least one feature selected from the group consisting of;

(i) each opposite axial end has an end section that is disconnected from the undeformed portion;

or

(ii) each wave structure has a first and a second longitudinal side, each longitudinal side having a total length, L_WS, and a disconnected length, L_D, defined by a disconnect between the first and second longitudinal sides and the undeformed portion as measured from a terminal end of the wave structure, wherein L_D is less than 0.2 L_WS;

or

(iii) at least one axial end is disconnected from the undeformed portion and wherein a radius of curvature of the wave structure at the axial end, R_WS, is less than the radius of curvature of the body, R_B, such as R_WS no greater than 0.9 R_B.

2. An assembly, comprising:

an outer component;

an inner component; and

the tolerance ring of claim 1 mounted between the inner component and the outer component.

3. The tolerance ring of claim 1, further comprising

a gap extending along the entire axial length of the body, wherein the gap establishes a split in the body.

4. The tolerance ring of claim 1, wherein the first and second longitudinal sides of a first end section are partially disconnected from the undeformed portion along a length, L_D1, measured from the first axial end of the wave structure along L_WS, and wherein the first and second longitudinal sides of a second end section are partially disconnected from the undeformed portion along a length, L_D2, measured from the second axial end of the wave structure along L_WS.

5. The tolerance ring of claim 4, wherein L_D1 is no less than 0.01 L_WS.

6. The tolerance ring of claim 4, wherein L_D2 is no less than 0.01 L_WS.

7. The tolerance ring of claim 4, wherein L_D1 is equal to L_D2.

8. The tolerance ring of claim 1, wherein each wave structure comprises an arcuate wave body.

9. The tolerance ring of claim 1, wherein each wave structure comprises an outer apex with an apex radius, R_A, measured perpendicularly from a central axis of the ring to the outer surface of the apex, and a base radius, R_B, measured perpendicularly from the central axis of the ring to the outer surface of the undeformed portion, wherein R_A is no less than 1.01 R_B.

10. The tolerance ring of claim 9, wherein R_A is no greater than 1.90 R_B.

11. The tolerance ring of claim 1, wherein each wave structure comprises a first and second end face and wherein each end face comprises a tapered surface, the tapered surface having an angle, A_S, defined by the angle between the undeformed portion and the surface of the tapered face, wherein A_S is no less than 20 degrees.

12. The tolerance ring of claim 1, wherein the end section has an end face, and wherein the entirety of the end face is disconnected from the sidewall.

13. The tolerance ring of claim 1, wherein the sidewall of the ring has a total axial length, L_R, measured from the first axial end of the sidewall to the second axial end of the sidewall, and wherein L_WS no greater than L_R.

14. The tolerance ring of claim 1, wherein the ring has an axial length, L_R, and L_WS is no greater than 0.95 L_R.

15. The tolerance ring of claim 1, wherein each wave structure comprises a number of smaller wave structures, N_SWS, and wherein N_SWS is no less than 2.

16. The tolerance ring of claim 1, wherein R_WS is no greater than 0.8 R_B.

20. A method of positioning a shaft relative to a bore, the method comprising:

providing the tolerance ring of claim 1;

locating a shaft to be positioned within a bore;

positioning the tolerance ring radially external to the shaft; and

engaging the bore with the tolerance ring, causing the end sections of the tolerance ring to deform radially inward and compress into the shaft disposed of there below.

17. An assembly, comprising:

an inner component;

an outer component; and

a tolerance ring mounted between the inner component and the outer component, the

tolerance ring including;

a generally cylindrical body having a sidewall that defines a first axial end and a second axial end,

wherein the sidewall includes;

an undeformed portion; and

a plurality of wave structures protruding from the undeformed portion, wherein a portion of each wave structure is disconnected from the undeformed portion, and

wherein the tolerance ring is adapted to provide a slip torque, T_S1, wherein a tolerance ring devoid of disconnected wave structures has a slip torque, T_S2, and wherein a ratio of T_S1;

T_S2 is not less than 1.01.

18. The assembly of claim 17, wherein the ratio of T_S1:

T_S2 is not less than 1.25.

19. The assembly of claim 17, wherein the ratio of T_S1:

T_S2 is not greater than 1.50.