Low friction multi stage thrust bearing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016010688-A1
Application number	US-201514735433-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 10, 2015
Priority date	Jul 10, 2014
Publication date	Jan 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A thrust bearing having a circular cage with rolling elements disposed in at least some of pockets formed in the cage, upper and lower raceways having inward-facing surfaces disposed adjacent to the cage so that a first plurality of rolling elements is in rolling contact with the upper and lower raceways when the thrust bearing is in a first load condition and a second plurality of rolling elements is in rolling contact with the upper and lower raceways when the thrust bearing is in a second load condition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A thrust bearing comprising:
a circular cage having an upper cage surface and a lower cage surface with a thickness therebetween, and pockets formed through the thickness; rolling elements disposed in at least some of the pockets, the rolling elements having a diameter greater than the thickness; upper and lower raceways each having inner and outer diameters and an intermediate portion between the inner and outer diameters formed with an inward-facing surface and an outward-facing surface, wherein the inward-facing surface of the upper raceway is disposed adjacent to the upper cage surface and the inner-facing surface of the lower raceway is disposed adjacent to the lower cage surface so that a first plurality of rolling elements is in rolling contact with the upper and lower raceways when the thrust bearing is in a first load condition and a second plurality of rolling elements is in rolling contact with the upper and lower raceways when the thrust bearing is in a second load condition.

2 . The bearing of claim 1 , wherein the pockets are disposed on at least a first pitch diameter and a second pitch diameter.

3 . The bearing of claim 2 , wherein the pockets disposed on the first pitch diameter are angularly offset from the pockets disposed on the second pitch diameter.

4 . The bearing of claim 1 , wherein the rolling elements are spherical rolling elements.

5 . The bearing of claim 1 , wherein the rolling elements are cylindrical rolling elements.

6 . The bearing of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the rolling elements are spherical rolling elements and at least some of the rolling elements are cylindrical rolling elements.

7 . The bearing of claim 1 , wherein the inward-facing surfaces of the raceways are convex and the outward-facing surfaces of the raceways are concave.

8 . The bearing of claim 1 , wherein the inward-facing surfaces of the raceways are radially divergent.

9 . The bearing of claim 1 , wherein the inward-facing surfaces of the raceways are radially convergent.

10 . The bearing of claim 1 , wherein the second plurality includes the first plurality.

11 . A thrust bearing comprising:
a circular cage having an upper cage surface and a lower cage surface with a thickness therebetween, and pockets formed through the thickness; rolling elements disposed in at least some of the pockets, the rolling elements having a diameter greater than the thickness; upper and lower raceways each having inner and outer diameters and an intermediate portion between the inner and outer diameters formed with an inward-facing convex surface and an outward-facing concave surface, wherein the inward-facing surface of the upper raceway is disposed adjacent to the upper cage surface and the inward-facing surface of the lower raceway is disposed adjacent to the lower cage surface so that a first plurality of rolling elements is in rolling contact with the upper and lower raceways forming a first contact area when the thrust bearing is in a first load condition and the same plurality of rolling elements is in rolling contact with the upper and lower raceways forming a second contact area when the thrust bearing is in a second load condition.

12 . The bearing of claim 10 , wherein the pockets are disposed on a pitch diameter.

13 . The bearing of claim 10 , wherein at least some of the rolling elements are spherical rolling elements.

14 . The bearing of claim 10 , wherein at least some of the rolling elements are cylindrical rolling elements.

Assignees

• Schaeffler Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Tate John

Classifications

• F16C33/40 Primary

  for multiple rows of balls · CPC title

• F16C19/305

  consisting of rollers held in a cage · CPC title

• F16C33/48

  for multiple rows of rollers or needles · CPC title

• F16C19/10

  for axial load mainly · CPC title

• F16C19/49

  Bearings with both balls and rollers · CPC title