BALL-BEARING RETAINERS

• US 3,832,023 A
• Filed: 02/07/1973
• Issued: 08/27/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Northrop Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Winthrop H. Fairbank
• Inventors: Fairbank, Winthrop H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Myhre, Charles J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Susko, Frank
• Application Number:
  US05/330,224
• Time in Patent Office: 566 Days
• Field of Search: 308/201
• US Class Current: 384/527
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/06 with a single row or balls
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/3806 Details of interaction of cage and race, e.g. retention, centring
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/3856 made from plastic, e.g. injection moulded window cages

Abstract

A ball-bearing retainer for suppressing gross oscillations of the retainer, balls, and raceways of high speed bearings. The retainer has a generally cylindrical shape and has a plurality of ball pockets. It is designed for insertion between two relatively rotating members which have confronting coaxial cylindrical surfaces. These surfaces may be formed integrally with the rotating members themselves or may be raceways placed between the rotating members for accommodating the balls held in the retainer. Formed upon a surface of the retainer and extending toward one or the other of the relatively rotating members is a plurality of lands or portions extending radially from the retainer. The lands are three in number symmetrically disposed about the inner or outer peripheral walls of the retainer. The centers of the lands are a nominal 120* apart and each land subtends an angle of 30* or less. Clearence between the surface of the lands and the confronting surface of one of the rotating members is typically of the order of tens of thousandths of an inch.

Claims

1. In an anti-friction ball-bearing system for facilitating the coaxial relative rotation of one member having at least an external cylindrical surface with respect to another member having at least an internal cylindrical surface, the combination of a generAlly cylindrical retainer disposed between and facing said internal and said external cylindrical surfaces rotatable relative thereto, a plurality of balls held in symmetrical array by said retainer between said cylindrical surfaces, said balls being of a predetermined diameter, and three lands formed upon and extending radially from points on said retainer between certain of said balls toward one of said cylindrical surfaces, the thickness of said retainer at said points at which said lands are formed being less than said predetermined diameter and spaced from said cylindrical surface.

2. In an anti-friction ball-bearing system as defined in claim 1, the combination wherein each said land being of a width subtending an angle of less than approximately 30*.

3. In an anti-friction system as defined in claim 2, the combination wherein the center point of each said land is spaced 120* from the center point of lands adjacent thereto.

4. In a ball-bearing retainer for insertion between first and second relatively rotating members having confronting coaxial cylindrical surfaces, said retainer having a generally cylindrical shape and having pockets formed therein to accommodate a plurality of balls, the improvement which comprises three lands formed upon said retainer and extending radially toward one of said confronting coaxial cylindrical surfaces, said lands being symmetrically disposed about the periphery of said retainer, the edges of adjacent lands being a minimum of 90* apart and the radial spacing between said lands and the cylindrical surface toward which they extend being approximately 0.0001 inches to 0.002 inch.

5. In a ball-bearing retainer as defined in claim 4, the combination in which said first member is an internal member having an outer cylindrical surface disposed coaxially within said retainer and said second member is an external member having an inner cylindrical surface disposed coaxially about said retainer, said lands being formed upon the outer periphery of said retainer and extending toward said inner cylindrical surface.

6. In a ball-bearing retainer as defined in claim 4, the combination of which said first member is an internal member having an outer cylindrical surface disposed coaxially within said retainer and said second member is an external member having an inner cylindrical surface disposed coaxially about said retainer, said lands being formed upon the inner periphery of said retainer and extending toward said outer cylindrical surface.