Insert and wear ring for a railway roller bearing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11220279-B2
Application number	US-201816031556-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 10, 2018
Priority date	Jul 10, 2018
Publication date	Jan 11, 2022
Grant date	Jan 11, 2022

Abstract

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a wear ring assembly is provided for a railway roller bearing. The wear ring assembly includes a wear ring having a central opening for receiving a journal of a railway wheel assembly and an insert including a plurality of spacers configured to extend in the opening of the wear ring to separate the wear ring from the journal. The spacers are spaced apart from each other about the wear ring. The insert may include one or more flanges that separate the wear ring from a bearing cone.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An insert for a wear ring of a railway roller bearing, the insert comprising:
an annular body of a polymer material; and
fingers of the annular body spaced apart from each other about the annular body, the annular body permitting at least one of the fingers to be deflected radially inward as the fingers are inserted into the wear ring.

2. The insert of claim 1 wherein the annular body includes arcuate portions and flexible portions connecting the fingers to the arcuate portions, the flexible portions being deflectable to permit the at least one of the fingers to shift radially inward as the fingers are inserted into the wear ring.

3. The insert of claim 2 wherein the flexible portions each include a pair of flexible arm portions connecting one of the fingers to two of the arcuate portions of the annular body.

4. The insert of claim 1 wherein the fingers include protrusions configured to engage a groove of the wear ring.

5. The insert of claim 1 wherein the annular body has a central axis, the fingers extend parallel to the central axis, and the fingers each include a thickness measured perpendicular to the central axis that varies along the finger.

6. The insert of claim 5 wherein each finger includes a base portion and a free end portion opposite the base portion, and wherein each finger includes a first thickness at the base portion and a second thickness intermediate the base portion and the free end portion that is greater than the first thickness.

7. The insert of claim 1 wherein the annular body includes a plurality of flanges spaced apart from each other about the annular body.

8. The insert of claim 1 wherein the annular body has a unitary, one- piece construction.

9. The insert of claim 1 wherein the annular body is resilient.

10. A wear ring assembly for a railway roller bearing, the wear ring assembly comprising:
a wear ring having a central opening for receiving a journal of a railway wheel assembly; and
an insert including a plurality of spacers configured to extend in the opening of the wear ring to separate the wear ring from the journal, the spacers being separated from each other around the wear ring
wherein the wear ring includes a pair of opposite sides and the central opening extends between the opposite sides; and
the insert includes at least one flange extending along one of the sides of the wear ring to separate the wear ring from another component of the railway roller bearing.

11. The wear ring assembly of claim 10 wherein the wear ring includes a groove and the spacers are each engaged with the groove of the wear ring.

12. The wear ring assembly of claim 10 wherein the insert is annular and includes arcuate portions connecting the spacers.

13. The wear ring assembly of claim 10 wherein insert has a unitary, one-piece construction.

14. The wear ring assembly of claim 13 wherein the insert is made of a polymer.

15. The wear ring assembly of claim 10 wherein the wear ring has not been subjected to a hardening process.

16. The wear ring assembly of claim 10 wherein the one side of the wear ring includes a radially extending surface; and
wherein the at least one flange extends radially to overlap the radially extending surface of the one side of the wear ring and separate the wear ring from the other component of the railway roller bearing.

17. A method of assembling a wear ring and an insert having a plurality of spacers, the method including:
advancing at least one of the spacers of the insert into an opening of the wear ring; and
advancing the remainder of the spacers of the insert into the opening of the wear ring to position the spacers around the opening of the wear ring.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein advancing the at least one of the spacers of the insert into the opening of the wear ring includes advancing the at least one of the spacers into the opening at an angle relative to a central axis of the wear ring.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein advancing the remainder of the spacers of the insert into the opening includes inwardly deflecting at least one of the remainder of the spacers.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein advancing the remainder of the spacers into the opening of the wear ring includes flexing at least one flexible portion of the insert associated with at least one of the remainder of the spacers.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein advancing the remainder of the spacers of the insert into the opening of the wear ring includes shifting a free end of at least one of the remainder of the spacers from a first position radially outward from the opening of the wear ring to a second position radially inward from the first position.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein advancing the remainder of the spacers into the opening of the wear ring includes bending a pair of flexible arm portions of the insert to shift one of the remainder of spacers radially inward.

23. The method of claim 17 further comprising engaging projections of the spacers with a groove of the wear ring.

24. The method of claim 17 further comprising seating at least one flange of the insert against a side of the wear ring.

25. A wear ring assembly for a railway roller bearing, the wear ring assembly comprising:
a wear ring having an opening for receiving a journal of a railway wheel assembly;
an insert including a plurality of fingers spaced apart from each other about the insert, the fingers configured to extend in the opening of the wear ring to separate wear ring from the journal; and
the insert permitting at least one of the fingers to shift relative to the other fingers to facilitate assembly of the insert with the wear ring.

26. The wear ring assembly of claim 25 wherein the insert includes an annular portion; and
wherein the fingers include free end portions and base portions, the base portions connecting the free end portions of the fingers to the annular portion.

27. The wear ring assembly of claim 25 wherein the wear ring includes a groove; and
wherein the fingers of the insert include protrusions to engage the groove and retain the insert in the wear ring.

28. The wear ring assembly of claim 25 wherein the insert has a central axis, the fingers extend parallel to the central axis, and the fingers each include a thickness measured perpendicular to the central axis that varies along the finger;
wherein each finger includes a base portion and a free end portion opposite the base portion; and
wherein each finger includes a first thickness at the base portion and a second thickness intermediate the base portion and the free end portion that is greater than the first thickness.

29. The wear ring assembly of claim 25 wherein the insert has a unitary, one-piece construction and includes a polymer material.

30. The wear ring assembly of claim 25 wherein the wear ring and the insert include surfaces configured to engage and shift the at least one of the fingers relative to the other fingers with advancing of the at least one of the fingers into the opening of the wear ring.

31. The wear ring assembly of claim 25 wherein the insert includes a plurality of through openings at the fingers.

32. The wear ring assembly of claim 25 wherein the insert includes at least one flange to separate the wear ring from

Assignees

• Amsted Rail Co Inc

Inventors

• Lumpkin Michael
• Mason Michael

Classifications

• F16C33/80

  Labyrinth sealings {(F16C33/761 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• F16C2361/31

  Axle · CPC title

• F16C2326/10

  Railway vehicles · CPC title

• F16C2226/74

  with snap-fit, e.g. by clips · CPC title

• F16C19/22

  with bearing rollers essentially of the same size in one or more circular rows, e.g. needle bearings · CPC title