Double-row spherical roller bearing, manufacturing method and wind turbine bearing arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10041539-B2
Application number	US-201514969668-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2015
Priority date	Dec 19, 2014
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

A double-row spherical roller bearing comprising an outer ring which presents a first and a second spherical raceway on a radially inner peripheral surface, an inner ring which presents a first and a second outer curved-shaped raceway. Moreover, roller elements are arranged in a first and second roller row being axially displaced from each other, and arranged in-between the respective first and second inner raceways of the outer ring and the first and second outer raceways of the inner ring. The outer ring includes a first groove on the radially inner peripheral surface located in-between the first and second inner raceways, extending radially outwardly and in the circumferential direction of the ring. The first and second inner raceways have hard turned surfaces. The first groove presents a hardened surface which has not undergone any post-hardening machining operation. The double-row spherical roller bearing can be a wind turbine bearing arrangement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A double-row spherical roller bearing, comprising,
an outer ring presenting a first spherical raceway and a second spherical raceway on a radially inner peripheral surface;
an inner ring presenting at least one radially outer curved-shaped raceway;
roller elements arranged in a first roller row and a second roller row being axially displaced from each other, the roller elements being arranged in-between the respective first inner raceway and the respective second inner raceway of the outer ring and the at least one outer raceway of the inner ring; and
a first groove, the first groove being formed on the radially inner peripheral surface on the outer ring located in-between the first inner raceway and the second inner raceway, extending radially outwardly, in the circumferential direction,
wherein the first inner raceway and the second inner raceway present hard machined surfaces,
wherein the first groove presents a hardened surface which has not undergone any post-hardening machining operation,
wherein the outer ring further presents on its outer peripheral surface a second groove extending radially inwardly and in the circumferential direction,
wherein the roller elements in each roller row present a nominal roller position in the bearing,
wherein the second groove further presents a width X and location on the outer peripheral surface which fulfills the following relation:
L 1≤ X≤L 2,

wherein L2 extends between a first axial end point and a second axial end point on the outer peripheral surface, which first end point is defined as the intersection between a first normal vector and the outer peripheral surface,
wherein the first normal vector is an inverted normal vector of the first inner raceway and starts from a position located at the axially inner end face of a roller in the first roller row at its nominal roller position, and which second end point is defined as the intersection between a second normal vector and the outer peripheral surface,
wherein the second normal vector is an inverted normal vector of the second inner raceway and starts from a position located at the axially inner end face of a roller in the second roller row at its nominal roller position, and
wherein L1 has a length of L2*⅓ and where the end points of L1 are located with equal distances to each respective first and second end point of L2.

2. The double-row spherical roller bearing according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first groove has a radial depth of 2 to 6 millimeters.

3. The double-row spherical roller bearing according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first groove has a radial depth of substantially 4 millimeters.

4. The double-row spherical roller bearing according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first groove presents a maximum axial width extending such that the inner ring and the outer ring can be relatively misaligned up to 5 degrees without any roller element being displaced axially inwardly to an extent such that the roller element interferes with the first groove.

5. The double-row spherical roller bearing according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first groove has a minimum axial width of 10 millimeters.

6. The double-row spherical roller bearing according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least one axial end of the first groove has a radius of 6 to 10 millimeters.

7. The double-row spherical roller bearing according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least one axial end of the first groove has a radius of substantially 8 millimeters.

8. The double-row spherical roller bearing according to claim 1 ,
wherein the outer ring further presents at least one radially extending lubrication bore,
wherein the at least one lubrication bore presents an inlet on the radially outer peripheral surface and an outlet in the first groove.

9. A wind turbine comprising:
a hub,
a housing,
a rotor shaft connected to the hub and extending into the housing,
a plurality of rotor blades extending from the hub, and
a bearing according to claim 1 rotatably supporting the rotor shaft relative to the housing.

10. A double-row spherical roller bearing, comprising,
an outer ring having a radially inner surface and a radially outer surface and a first spherical raceway axially spaced from a second spherical raceway on the radially inner surface;
an inner ring having at least one curved, radially outer raceway;
a first plurality of roller elements arranged in a first roller row between the first spherical raceway and the at least one curved, radially outer raceway and a second plurality of roller elements arranged in a second roller row axially spaced from the first roller row between the second spherical raceway and the at least one curved, radially outer raceway,
a first circumferentially extending groove in the radially inner surface of the outer ring between the first spherical raceway and the second spherical raceway, the first groove extending radially outwardly, and
a second circumferentially extending groove in the radially outer surface of the outer ring having a width X,
wherein the first plurality of roller elements and the second plurality of roller elements are located in a nominal roller position in the bearing,
wherein a distance L2 is defined between a first point on the radially outer surface and a second point on the radially outer surface axially spaced from the first point, the first point being located at an intersection of a first normal vector and the radially outer surface, the first normal vector extending outwardly from the first spherical raceway at a location at an axially inner end face of one of the first plurality of rollers in the nominal roller position, and the second point being located at an intersection of a second normal vector and the radially outer surface, the second normal vector extending outwardly from the second spherical raceway at a location at an axially inner end face of one of the second plurality of rollers in the nominal roller position,
wherein a distance L1 is defined from a third point on the radially outer surface to a fourth point on the radially outer surface axially spaced from the third point, L1 being equal to ⅓*L2 and a distance from the first point to the third point being equal to a distance from the second point to the fourth point, and
wherein L 1≤ X≤L 2.

11. A wind turbine comprising:
a hub,
a housing,
a rotor shaft connected to the hub and extending into the housing,
a plurality of rotor blades extending from the hub, and
a bearing according to claim 10 rotatably supporting the rotor shaft relative to the housing.

Assignees

• Bjorkman Emma
• James Peter
• Loof Marcus
• Stigsj Umlaut Over Oe Oe Lars
• Skf Ab

Inventors

• Bjorkman Emma
• James Peter
• Loof Marcus
• Stigsj{Umlaut Over (Ö)}Ö Lars

Classifications

• F16C33/64

  Special methods of manufacture · CPC title

• C21D9/40 Primary

  for rings; for bearing races · CPC title

• F16C33/58 Primary

  Raceways; Race rings · CPC title

• F16C2300/14

  Large applications, e.g. bearings having an inner diameter exceeding 500 mm · CPC title

• F16C23/086

  forming a track for rolling elements · CPC title