Cage segment of a tapered roller bearing, and tapered roller bearing

• US 9,366,293 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2011
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABet SKF
• Original Assignee: ABet SKF
• Inventors: Gessendorfer, Matthias, Liang, Baozhu, Oestreicher, Winfried, Wahler, Ralf
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Phillip A
• Application Number:
  US13/991,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20150078699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,651 Days
• Field of Search: 384/568, 384/571, 384/578, 384/580
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/364 with tapered rollers, i.e. rollers having essentially the shape of a truncated cone
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2208/36 Polyarylene ether ketones [PAEK], e.g. PEK, PEEK F16C2208/58 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2208/52 Polyphenylene sulphide [PPS] F16C2208/58 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2240/40 Linear dimensions, e.g. length, radius, thickness, gap
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2300/14 Large applications, e.g. bearings having an inner diameter exceeding 500 mm
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2360/31 Wind motors in general F03D
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/4605 Details of interaction of cage and race, e.g. retention or centring
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/467 Details of individual pockets, e.g. shape or roller retaining means
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/4676 of the stays separating adjacent cage pockets, e.g. guide means for the bearing-surface of the rollers
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/4682 of the end walls, e.g. interaction with the end faces of the rollers
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/51 formed of unconnected members
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/513 formed of arcuate segments for carrying one or more rollers

Abstract

A tapered roller bearing includes cage segments each having a pocket that retains one conical rolling element. The pocket is formed by two mutually-opposing circumferential bridges, which each extend between first and second circumferential ends of the cage segment, and at least two mutually-opposing connecting bridges, which connect the two circumferential bridges. The circumferential and connecting bridges have pocket sides, which delimit the pocket. The connecting bridges disposed in the region of the first and second circumferential ends each have a concavely-shaped first guide surface on their pocket and circumferential sides that partially enclose one rolling element. When a rolling element is disposed between the first circumferential end of one cage segment and the second circumferential end of the adjacent cage segment, the circumferential bridges of the two adjacent cage segments do not touch during operation.

Claims

1. A tapered roller bearing configured to rotatably support a first machine part relative to a second machine part, the tapered roller bearing comprising:

a plurality of conical roller elements and

a plurality of cage segments, each having;

two mutually-opposing circumferential bridges, which each extend between a first circumferential end and a second circumferential end of the cage segment, and

at least two mutually-opposing connecting bridges, which connect the two circumferential bridges to each other and, together with the circumferential bridges, form a pocket that accommodates one of the conical rolling elements,

wherein;

the circumferential bridges and the connecting bridges respectively have pocket sides, which delimit the pocket,

the connecting bridges, which are disposed in the region of the first circumferential end and of the second circumferential end, and the circumferential bridges respectively have circumferential sides opposite of the pocket sides,

a concavely-shaped first guide surface and a concavely-shaped second guide surface is defined on the pocket side of each connecting bridge,

a concavely-shaped first guide surface configured to partially enclose one of the conical rolling elements in its circumferential direction is also defined on the circumferential side of each connecting bridge and is disposed in the region of the first circumferential end or of the second circumferential end,

the first guide surface and the second guide surface on the pocket side of each connecting bridge, which delimit the same pocket, secure the rolling element disposed in the pocket against falling out in a first direction, and secure the rolling element in an interference-fit manner in a second direction opposite to the first direction and thereby captively retain the rolling element in the pocket and

wherein the cage segments are roller element guided.

2. The tapered roller bearing according to claim 1, wherein the first guide surface on the circumferential sides of the connecting bridges are formed in an analogous manner, with respect to shape and arrangement, to the first guide surface on the pocket sides of the connecting bridges.

3. The tapered roller bearing according to claim 2, wherein the pocket sides of all connecting bridges are identically formed.

4. The tapered roller bearing according to claim 3, wherein the circumferential bridges each begin on one of the connecting bridges and end on one of the connecting bridges.

5. The tapered roller bearing according to claim 4, wherein the first guide surface and the second guide surface on the pocket side of the same connecting bridge enclose one rolling element disposed in the pocket indifferent circumferential regions and/or in different axial regions.

6. The tapered roller bearing according to claim 5, wherein the connecting bridges have formed thereon:

first projections configured to support the cage segment on an inner rolling element raceway of the tapered roller bearing and/or

second projections configured to support the cage segment on an outer rolling element raceway of the tapered roller bearing.

7. The tapered roller bearing according to claim 6, wherein a first region, within which the first projections extend between the two circumferential bridges, and a second region, within which the second projections extend between the two circumferential bridges, do not overlap with each other.

8. A tapered roller bearing configured to rotatably support a first machine part relative to a second machine part, the tapered roller bearing comprising:

a plurality of conical roller elements and

a plurality of cage segments, each having;

two mutually-opposing circumferential bridges, which each extend between a first circumferential end and a second circumferential end of the cage segment and

at least two mutually-opposing connecting bridges, which connect the two circumferential bridges to each other and, together with the circumferential bridges, form a pocket that accommodates one of the conical rolling elements,

wherein;

the circumferential bridges and the connecting bridges respectively have pocket sides, which delimit the pocket,

the connecting bridges, which are disposed in the region of the first circumferential end and of the second circumferential end, and the circumferential bridges respectively have circumferential sides opposite of the pocket sides,

a concavely-shaped first guide surface configured to partially enclose one conical rolling element in its circumferential direction is defined on the pocket side and on the circumferential side of each connecting bridge and is disposed in the region of the first circumferential end and of the second circumferential end,

roller elements are respectively disposed between the first circumferential ends of one of the cage segments and the second circumferential ends of another of the cage segments and the circumferential bridges of the adjacently-disposed cage segments do not touch, and

wherein the cage segments are roller element guided.

9. The tapered roller bearing according to claim 8, wherein the pocket side of each connecting bridge has a concavely-shaped guide surface configured to partially enclose one conical rolling element in its circumferential direction.

10. The tapered roller bearing according to claim 8, wherein the first guide surface on the circumferential sides of the connecting bridges are formed in an analogous manner, with respect to shape and arrangement, to the first guide surface on the pocket sides of the connecting bridges.

11. The tapered roller bearing according to claim 8, wherein all connecting bridges are identically formed on their pocket sides.

12. The tapered roller bearing according to claim 8, wherein the circumferential bridges each begin on one of the connecting bridges and end on one of the connecting bridges.

13. The tapered roller bearing according to claim 8, wherein the first guide surface and a second guide surface on the pocket side of the same connecting bridge enclose one rolling element disposed in the pocket in different circumferential regions and/or in different axial regions.

14. The tapered roller bearing according to claim 8, wherein the connecting bridges have formed thereon:

first projections configured to support the cage segment on an inner rolling element raceway of the tapered roller bearing and/or

second projections configured to support the cage segment on an outer rolling element raceway of the tapered roller bearing.

15. The tapered roller bearing according to claim 14, wherein a first region, within which the first projections extend between the two circumferential bridges, and a second region, within which the second projections extend between the two circumferential bridges, do not overlap with each other.

16. A tapered roller bearing configured to rotatably support a first machine part relative to a second machine part, the tapered roller bearing comprising:

a plurality of conical roller elements, each having an axis of rotation,

a plurality of cage segments, each having a pocket that retains at least one of the conical rolling elements and each having a first circumferential end and a second circumferential end,

wherein;

the axes of rotation of all rolling elements are disposed on a common conical surface,

the cage segments are disposed in a row one after another in a circumferential direction such that, between each two adjacent cage segments, one rolling element is respectively disposed that is not retained by one of cage segments and that permanently prevents the two adjacent cage segments from touching each other during operation and

wherein the cage segments are roller element guided.

17. The tapered roller bearing according to claim 16, wherein the cage segments each have a concavely-shaped first guide surface in the region of their first circumferential end and of their second circumferential end, the first guide surface partially enclosing the rolling element disposed between two adjacent cage segments in its circumferential direction.

18. The tapered roller bearing according to claim 16, wherein each cage segment has:

two mutually-opposing circumferential bridges, which each extend between the first circumferential end and the second circumferential end of the cage segment, and

at least two mutually-opposing connecting bridges, which connect the two circumferential bridges to each other and, together with the circumferential bridges, form the pocket that accommodates one of the conical rolling elements,

wherein;

the circumferential bridges and the connecting bridges respectively have pocket sides, which delimit the pocket,

the connecting bridges, which are disposed in the region of the first circumferential end and of the second circumferential end, and the circumferential bridges respectively have circumferential sides opposite of the pocket sides,

a concavely-shaped first guide surface and a concavely-shaped second guide surface is defined on the pocket side of each connecting bridge,

a concavely-shaped first guide surface configured to partially enclose one of the conical rolling elements in its circumferential direction is also defined on the circumferential side of each connecting bridge and is disposed in the region of the first circumferential end or of the second circumferential end,

the first guide surface and the second guide surface on the pocket side of each connecting bridge, which delimit the same pocket, secure the rolling element disposed in the pocket against falling out in a first direction, and secure the rolling element in an interference-fit manner in a second direction opposite to the first direction and thereby captively retain the rolling element in the pocket.

19. The tapered roller bearing according to claim 16, wherein each cage segment has:

two mutually-opposing circumferential bridges, which each extend between the first circumferential end and the second circumferential end of the cage segment and

at least two mutually-opposing connecting bridges, which connect the two circumferential bridges to each other and, together with the circumferential bridges, form the pocket that accommodates one of the conical rolling elements,

wherein;

the circumferential bridges and the connecting bridges respectively have pocket sides, which delimit the pocket,

the connecting bridges, which are disposed in the region of the first circumferential end and of the second circumferential end, and the circumferential bridges respectively have circumferential sides opposite of the pocket sides,

a concavely-shaped first guide surface configured to partially enclose one conical rolling element in its circumferential direction is defined on the pocket side and on the circumferential side of each connecting bridge and is disposed in the region of the first circumferential end and of the second circumferential end,

roller elements are respectively disposed between the first circumferential ends of one of the cage segments and the second circumferential ends of another of the cage segments and the circumferential bridges of the adjacently-disposed cage segments do not touch.

20. The tapered roller bearing according to claim 16, wherein a inner rolling element raceway and a conical outer rolling element raceway are disposed on opposite sides of the rolling elements, and the cage segments are not mechanically connected to one another.