Ball bearing assembly with inner ring and lubrication therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10174791-B2
Application number	US-201615191069-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2016
Priority date	Jun 23, 2016
Publication date	Jan 8, 2019
Grant date	Jan 8, 2019

Abstract

A bearing assembly comprises ring assemblies cooperating to form a roller volume. A single circumferential slot is in an inner circumferential surface of the inner ring assembly and in fluid communication with the roller volume through central passages in the inner ring assembly. The proximal inner ring includes proximal axial slots extending axially along a proximal portion of the inner circumferential surface, a first plurality of the proximal axial slots being in fluid communication with the roller volume, a second plurality of the proximal axial slots not in fluid communication with the roller volume. The distal inner ring includes distal axial slots extending axially along a distal portion of the inner circumferential surface from the circumferential slot to respective distal passages in fluid communication with the roller volume, wherein a circumferential spacing between adjacent proximal axial slots is equivalent to a circumferential spacing between adjacent distal axial slots.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A bearing assembly comprising:
an outer ring defining a central axis of rotation for the bearing assembly;
an inner ring assembly disposed radially inwardly of the outer ring and cooperating therewith to form a roller volume, the inner ring assembly having a proximal inner ring, a distal inner ring, and a single circumferential slot in an inner circumferential surface of the inner ring assembly, the circumferential slot being in fluid communication with the roller volume through central passages in the inner ring assembly,
the proximal inner ring including proximal axial slots formed in, extending axially along and circumferentially spaced around a proximal portion of the inner circumferential surface, each said proximal axial slots extending axially from openings in an axial face of the proximal inner ring to the circumferential slot defined in the inner circumferential surface, a first plurality of the proximal axial slots being in fluid communication with the roller volume through respective proximal passages in the proximal inner ring, a second plurality of the proximal axial slots being without proximal passages in the proximal inner ring so as not to be in fluid communication with the roller volume, and
the distal inner ring including distal axial slots formed in, extending axially along and circumferentially spaced around a distal portion of the inner circumferential surface, each said distal axial slots being in fluid communication with the roller volume through respective distal passages in the distal inner ring, the distal axial slots extending axially from the circumferential slot at least to respective ones of the distal passages in fluid communication with the roller volume, wherein a circumferential spacing between adjacent proximal axial slots is equivalent to a circumferential spacing between adjacent distal axial slots, and wherein a depth of continuous axial slots each formed of a pair of one of the proximal axial slot and then one of the distal axial slots increases from the axial face of the proximal inner ring to the respective distal passages; and
ball bearing elements in the roller volume rollingly disposed against an inner circumferential surface of the outer ring and an outer circumferential surface of the inner ring, the bearing elements allowing relative rotational motion between the outer ring and the inner ring.

2. The bearing assembly according to claim 1 , wherein one of four of the proximal axial slots has one said proximal passages.

3. The bearing assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the circumferential slot is concurrently defined by a circumferential slot portion in the proximal inner ring, and another circumferential slot portion in the distal inner ring.

4. The bearing assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the distal axial slots extend from the single circumferential slot to a distal axial face of the distal ring.

5. The bearing assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the inner ring assembly comprises a ratio of one said central passage for two said distal passages.

6. The bearing assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the inner ring assembly comprises a ratio of two said central passages for one said proximal passages.

7. The bearing assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the single circumferential slot is continuous over 360 degrees.

8. The bearing assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a number of the proximal axial slots is equal to a number of the distal axial slots.

9. The bearing assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a depth of the distal axial slots increases from the circumferential slot to the respective distal passages, the distal axial slots being at least as deep as the circumferential slots at a junction between distal axial slots and circumferential slot.

10. A bearing assembly comprising:
an outer ring defining a central axis of rotation for the bearing assembly;
an inner ring assembly disposed radially inwardly of the outer ring and cooperating therewith to form a roller volume, the inner ring assembly having a proximal inner ring, a distal inner ring, and a single circumferential slot in an inner circumferential surface of the inner ring assembly, the circumferential slot being in fluid communication with the roller volume through central passages in the inner ring assembly,
the proximal inner ring including proximal axial slots formed in, extending axially along and circumferentially spaced around a proximal portion of the inner circumferential surface, each said proximal axial slots extending axially from openings in an axial face of the proximal inner ring to the circumferential slot defined in the inner circumferential surface, a first plurality of the proximal axial slots being in fluid communication with the roller volume through respective proximal passages in the proximal inner ring, a second plurality of the proximal axial slots being without proximal passages in the proximal inner ring so as not to be in fluid communication with the roller volume, and
the distal inner ring including distal axial slots formed in, extending axially along and circumferentially spaced around a distal portion of the inner circumferential surface, each said distal axial slots being in fluid communication with the roller volume through respective distal passages in the distal inner ring, the distal axial slots extending axially from the circumferential slot at least to respective ones of the distal passages in fluid communication with the roller volume, wherein a same number of the proximal axial slots and the distal axial slots are provided, and wherein a depth of continuous axial slots each formed of a pair of one of the proximal axial slot and then one of the distal axial slots increases from the axial face of the proximal inner ring to the respective distal passages; and
ball bearing elements in the roller volume rollingly disposed against an inner circumferential surface of the outer ring and an outer circumferential surface of the inner ring, the bearing elements allowing relative rotational motion between the outer ring and the inner ring.

11. The bearing assembly according to claim 10 , wherein one of four of the proximal axial slots has one said proximal passages.

12. The bearing assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the circumferential slot is concurrently defined by a circumferential slot portion in the proximal inner ring, and another circumferential slot portion in the distal inner ring.

13. The bearing assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the distal axial slots extend from the single circumferential slot to a distal axial face of the distal ring.

14. The bearing assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the inner ring assembly comprises a ratio of one said central passage for two said distal passages.

15. The bearing assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the inner ring assembly comprises a ratio of two said central passages for one said proximal passages.

16. The bearing assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the single circumferential slot is continuous over 360 degrees.

17. The bearing assembly according to claim 10 , wherein a depth of the distal axial slots increases from the circumferential slot to the respective distal passages, the distal axial slots being at least as deep as the circumferential slots at a junction between distal axial slots and circumferential slot.

18. A bearing assembly comprising:
an outer ring defining a central axis of rotation for the bearing assembly;
an inner ring assembly disposed radially inwardly of the outer ring and coope

Assignees

• Pratt & Whitney Canada

Inventors

• Beauvais Gilles

Classifications

• F16C33/6677 Primary

  from radial inside, e.g. via a passage through the shaft and/or inner ring · CPC title

• F16C2360/23

  Gas turbine engines · CPC title

• F16C19/16

  with a single row of balls · CPC title

• F16C2300/22

  High-speed rotation · CPC title

• F16C19/02

  with bearing balls essentially of the same size in one or more circular rows · CPC title