Cam follower assembly

• US 5,531,137 A
• Filed: 11/14/1994
• Issued: 07/02/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Roller Bearing Company of America Incorporated (RBC Bearings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Roller Bearing Company of America Incorporated (RBC Bearings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Guilford, Werner B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saether, Flemming
• Application Number:
  US08/337,774
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• Field of Search: 74/569, 384/475, 384/484, 384/551, 384/568, 384/903
• US Class Current: 74/569
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 13/006 Guiding rollers, wheels or the like, formed by or on the outer element of a single bearing or bearing unit, e.g. two adjacent bearings, whose ratio of length to diameter is generally less than one
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/28 with two or more rows of rollers
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/605 with a separate retaining member, e.g. flange, shoulder, guide ring, secured to a race ring, adjacent to the race surface, so as to abut the end of the rolling elements, e.g. rollers, or the cage
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 53/06 Cam-followers F16H53/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2107 Follower

Abstract

A cam follower assembly is provided which has a bearing outer ring on an inner cylinder, with two rows of cylindrical rollers there-between. The rollers are provided with crowned end portions and are held in place by inturned flanges at ends of the bearing outer ring. A thrust washer is carried by the inner cylinder, and projects outwardly into a space between the two rows of cylindrical rollers, to accommodate endwise thrust load, such that endwise thrust is transferred between the bearing outer ring and the inner cylinder by passing through the rollers of a single row of cylindrical rollers. The inner cylinder is provided with a mounting shaft adapted to be mounted in a carrier and fastened together therewith.

Claims

1. A cam follower assembly comprising a bearing outer ring and an inner bearing member;

with the bearing outer ring having a cylindrical inner surface disposed between inwardly directed flanges at axially spaced apart ends thereof and defining a cylindrical race for cylindrical bearing rollers therein, said inwardly directed flanges each having an inner surface disposed in perpendicular relation to said cylindrical inner surface;

with said inner bearing member comprising a cylindrical member having a cylindrical outer periphery and mounting shaft extending axially from an end thereof;

a pair of generally parallel rows of bearing rollers mounted in axially spaced-apart relation defining a space there between and between the cylindrical outer periphery of said inner bearing member and the cylindrical inner periphery of the bearing outer ring;

a generally annular groove on the outer periphery of said inner bearing member;

with thrust means disposed in said groove and carried thereby and extending radially outwardly thereof into the space between the rows of bearing rollers, for contact with and thrust engagement with adjacent ends of said bearing rollers, with said thrust means, said pair of rows of bearing rollers and said annular groove between said rows of bearing rollers cooperating to define means for accommodating axial thrust through row of bearing rollers in either axial direction;

wherein said inner bearing member is provided with lubricating means comprising a generally longitudinally directed lubrication channel, and a transverse roller lubrication channel communicating therewith, said transverse roller lubrication channel being longitudinally wider than the thickness of said annular groove of the shaft inner bearing member and being provided in communicating relation on opposite sides of said annular groove with said cylindrical race, for lubrication of said bearing outer ring, said inner bearing member, and said pair of rows of bearing rollers from the transverse channel;

said bearing rollers each having crowned end portions provided at each axial end thereof, wherein each said crowned end portion comprises a crown radial portion and a corner radial portion, said crown radial portion and said corner radial portion together defining a crown width, and wherein said crown width comprises a unit dimension at least as great as the width of said transverse lubrication channel extends past each side of said annular groove and is suitable for maintaining said cylindrical peripheral roller surface a predetermined distance from said transverse roller lubrication channel to facilitate the operation of said bearing assembly by preventing said bearing rollers from contacting said transverse lubrication channel;

with said mounting shaft having fastening means thereon for facilitating the fastening of said shaft to a carrier member for movement therewith;

wherein said thrust means accommodates a first thrust load transmitted from the shaft in one direction through one of the parallel rows of bearing rollers, and accommodates a second thrust load transmitted from the shaft in the opposite direction through the other parallel row of bearing rollers; and

wherein said bearing outer ring ultimately transmits a thrust load to the mounting shaft of said inner bearing member through said thrust means by engagement of said flange inner surface with one of the parallel rows of bearing rollers.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the end of said bearing member closest to said mounting shaft has a mounting shoulder which protrudes axially beyond the adjacent end of the bearing outer ring.

3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the end of said bearing member closest to said mounting shaft is, in relation to said mounting shaft axis, radially greater than said mounting shaft, and whereby said shoulder provides means for compressive axial engagement against a carrier member to which said bearing assembly is adapted to be mounted.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the end of said bearing member closest to said mounting shaft is, in relation to said mounting shaft axis, radially greater than said mounting shaft.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said inner bearing member is provided with a generally longitudinally directed lubrication channel extending longitudinally into said mounting shaft, and with a second transverse lubrication channel comprising a second transverse shaft lubrication channel communicating therewith, said second transverse shaft lubrication channel providing means for lubricating through internal passages of the carrier member in which it is mounted.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each said flange defines a generally radially inwardly directed annular portion.

7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein said annular portions are provided with annular grooves therein, with bearing seals being disposed in the grooves and mounted in wiping contact at opposite ends of the outer periphery of said inner bearing member, said bearing seals being carried in part within said annular grooves and extending beyond the flanges of the bearing outer ring.

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said thrust means is a split ring comprising means facilitating opening the ring for installation thereof.

9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the thrust means comprises a thrust ring.

10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the thrust means comprises:

(a) a ring disposed about the inner bearing member and having a circumferential annular groove on its inner periphery, opening toward the annular groove on the outer periphery of the inner bearing member; and

(b) a connector member disposed in both said annular grooves and connecting said ring to said inner bearing member, against relative axial movement.

11. The assembly of claim 10, wherein said connector member comprises a generally annularly configured polygonal, kinked wire member.

12. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said rows of bearing rollers are rows of circumferentially spaced-apart rollers, and wherein said assembly includes means for facilitating lubricant storage space, said means comprising roller cage means between said bearing outer ring and said inner bearing member and including means spacing apart adjacent rollers in each said row.

13. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said thrust means is a thrust ring, wherein the end of said bearing member closest to said mounting shaft has a mounting shoulder which protrudes axially beyond the adjacent end of said outer bearing ring, wherein, the end of said bearing member closest to said mounting shaft is of a transverse width larger than the transverse width of said mounting shaft, whereby said shoulder provides means for compressive axial engagement against a carrier member to which it is adapted to be mounted, wherein said flanges each define generally radially inwardly directed annular portions, wherein said annular portions are provided with annular grooves therein, with bearing seals being disposed in the grooves and mounted in wiping contact at opposite ends of the outer periphery of said inner bearing member;

and, with a second transverse shaft lubrication channel communicating with said longitudinally directed lubrication channel, said transverse shaft lubrication channel providing means for lubricating through internal passages of the carrier member in which it is mounted;

wherein said mounting shoulder transmits to and receives a thrust load from said bearing outer ring through a single row of bearing rollers at one time.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein proximate the adjacent end of said bearing outer ring closest to said mounting shaft, a mounting ring is disposed on said shaft, from a location axially spaced from the adjacent end of said bearing outer ring, said mounting ring disposed to maintain said bearing outer ring from contact with a mounting surface.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said thrust means comprises an annular ring member, and wherein said annular ring member transmits a thrust load to said outer bearing member through a bearing roller.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said thrust means comprises an annular ring member, and wherein said annular ring member receives a thrust load from said outer bearing member through a bearing roller.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said outer bearing member further includes pair of annular grooves disposed within its cylindrical inner surface at opposite axial ends thereof.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, including means to facilitate lubricant storage between said adjacent bearing rollers in a row.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said rows of bearing rollers are rows of circumferentially spaced-apart rollers, and wherein said lubricant storage facilitating means includes roller cage means disposed between said bearing outer ring and said inner bearing member, and further provides means spacing apart adjacent rollers in each said row.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, with said transverse roller lubrication channel being in communication with said space between rows of bearing rollers and said space between adjacent bearing rollers within a row.