Needle roller thrust bearing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10871193-B2
Application number	US-201916426765-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 30, 2019
Priority date	Jun 5, 2018
Publication date	Dec 22, 2020
Grant date	Dec 22, 2020

Abstract

A needle roller thrust bearing includes an annular cage and a plurality of rollers. The cage includes a plurality of cage pockets that is radially disposed. The plurality of rollers is housed in the cage pockets and disposed between a first raceway surface and a second raceway surface that axially face each other. Lubricating oil flows from a radially inner side to a radially outer side in an annular space in which the cage and the rollers are provided. The cage includes inner grooves and drainage grooves. Each of the inner grooves connects a circumferentially adjacent pair of the cage pockets by connecting radially inner areas of the pair of cage pockets. Each of the drainage grooves has an opening at an outer circumferential surface of the cage to drain lubricating oil in a circumferential area including radially outer areas of the cage pockets.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A needle roller thrust bearing comprising:
an annular cage having a plurality of cage pockets radially around the annular cage; and
a plurality of rollers respectively housed in the plurality of cage pockets, the plurality of rollers being disposed between a first raceway surface and a second raceway surface of the thrust bearing that axially face each other, the cage and the plurality of rollers being provided in an annular space defined between the first raceway surface and the second raceway surface such that lubricating oil flows in the annular space from a radially inner side to a radially outer side, wherein:
the cage includes:
a plurality of inner grooves, each of the plurality of inner grooves connecting a circumferentially adjacent pair of the plurality of cage pockets by connecting radially inner areas of the pair of cage pockets,
a plurality of drainage grooves, each of the plurality of drainage grooves extending in a radial direction of the cage to an outer circumferential surface of the cage and opening at the outer circumferential surface of the cage to drain lubricating oil radially outward in a circumferential area including radially outer areas of the plurality of cage pockets, and
a plurality of middle grooves respectively located between and separating each of the plurality of inner grooves and each of the plurality of drainage grooves.

2. The needle roller thrust bearing according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of drainage grooves are provided both in a first side surface facing the first raceway surface and in a second side surface facing the second raceway surface of the thrust bearing.

3. The needle roller thrust bearing according to claim 1 , wherein:
the cage includes an inner annular portion located in a radially inner portion of the cage, an outer annular portion located in a radially outer portion of the cage, and a plurality of cage bars that each connects the inner annular portion and the outer annular portion,
each of the cage pockets is formed by a space between a circumferentially adjacent pair of the cage bars in a region between the inner annular portion and the outer annular portion,
the outer annular portion includes first arcuate portions located radially outside the cage pockets and second arcuate portions located radially outside the cage bars, the first arcuate portions and the second arcuate portions being alternately arranged along a circumferential direction, and
the plurality of drainage grooves are provided in the second arcuate portions.

4. The needle roller thrust bearing according to claim 3 ,
wherein the cage further includes connecting grooves that connect the cage pockets and the plurality of drainage grooves.

5. The needle roller thrust bearing according to claim 1 , wherein the cage includes:
a first guide surface that contacts the first raceway surface when the cage is displaced toward the first raceway surface, and
a second guide surface that contacts the second raceway surface when the cage is displaced toward the second raceway surface.

6. The needle roller thrust bearing according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of middle grooves connect the pair of cage pockets and the respective drainage groove of the plurality of drainage grooves.

Assignees

• Jtekt Corp

Inventors

• Shishihara Yuki
• Kamamoto Shigeo
• Murata Junji

Classifications

• F16C33/467

  Details of individual pockets, e.g. shape or roller retaining means · CPC title

• F16C33/4694

  Single-split roller or needle cages · CPC title

• F16C2361/65

  Gear shifting, change speed gear, gear box · CPC title

• F16C33/6681 Primary

  Details of distribution or circulation inside the bearing, e.g. grooves on the cage or passages in the rolling elements · CPC title

• F16C19/46

  with one row or needles · CPC title