Cage of a roller bearing and method for producing such a cage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017191527-A1
Application number	US-201515313196-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 29, 2015
Priority date	Jul 3, 2014
Publication date	Jul 6, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A cage for a roller bearing is provided. The cage has a ring-shaped base body with a plurality of pockets for receiving rolling elements. The base body is formed by two side rings arranged in a defined axial distance and by a plurality of pocket elements, which are located between the side rings. Each pocket element has two face sides designed for contacting a rolling element. The connection between the pocket element and each of the side rings is established by at least one beam joined with one of the side rings and the pocket element. The beam is a positive substance joined with one of the side rings and the pocket element and has a ring-shaped or elliptical cross section in a section perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the beam.

First claim

1 . A cage for a roller bearing comprising: a ring-shaped base body with a plurality of pockets for receiving rolling elements, wherein
the base body is formed
by two side rings arranged in a defined axial distance and
by a plurality of pocket elements located between the side rings, wherein
each pocket element has two face sides designed for contacting a rolling element, wherein the connection between the pocket element and each of the side rings is established by at least one beam that is positive substance joined with one of the side rings and the pocket element, wherein beside the at least one beam no further connection exists between the pocket element and each of the side rings and wherein the at least one beam ( 8 , 9 , 10 ) has a ring-shaped or elliptical cross section in a section perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the beam.

2 . The cage according to claim 1 , further comprising four or six beams arranged to establish the connection between the pocket element and each of the side rings.

3 . The cage according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one beam has a minimum diameter which is between 10% and 20%, of the diameter of the rolling element.

4 . The cage according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one beam has an enlarged diameter at the location where it merges with the side ring and/or with the pocket element, wherein the diameter at that location is double the value of the minimum diameter.

5 . The cage according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one beam has a rounding radius at the location where it merges with the side ring and/or with the pocket element, wherein the rounding radius is 0.2 mm to 0.3 mm or 2.0% to 3.0% of the diameter of the rolling element, whichever is greater.

6 . The cage according to claim 1 , wherein the two side rings are spaced in an axial distance in which an radial outer opening (OP) for the rolling elements is given between 92.5% and 97.5% of the diameter of the rolling elements in the case of a ball bearing and of the length of the rolling elements in the case of a roller bearing.

7 . The cage according to claim 1 , wherein the side rings have a concave shape at a face side.

8 . The cage according to claim 1 , wherein the side rings extend radially between an inner radius which corresponds to a pitch circle of the roller bearing and an outer radius which corresponds to the pitch circle plus half of the diameter of the rolling element.

9 . The cage according to claim 1 , wherein the surface of the side rings which are facing the rolling elements comprise a substantially radial outer rectangular portion and an adjoining radial inner trapezoid portion seen perpendicular onto the surface.

10 . The cage according to claim 1 , wherein the face sides of the pocket elements have a concave surface, wherein the concave surface is spherical and has a radius which is between 105% and 115% of the diameter of the rolling elements.

11 . A method for producing a cage of a roller bearing comprising:
providing a ring-shaped base body with a plurality of pockets for receiving rolling elements, wherein the base body is formed by two side rings arranged in a defined axial distance and by a plurality of pocket elements located between the side rings, wherein each pocket element has two face sides designed for contacting a rolling element, wherein the connection between the pocket element and each of the side rings is established by at least one beam that is positive substance joined with one of the side rings and the pocket element, wherein beside the at least one beam no further connection exists between the pocket element and each of the side rings, wherein the at least one beam has a ring-shaped or elliptical cross section in a section perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the beam, and producing the cage by means of an additive manufacturing process, and wherein a plastic material is used for the production of the cage.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the production of the cage is carried out by means of a 3-D-printing process.

13 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the production of the cage is carried out by means of a stereo-lithographic process.

Assignees

• Skf Ab

Inventors

• Krebs Philipp
• Peters Gilbert
• Ziegler Sebastian
• Zimmerman Gregory A

Classifications

• F16C33/3806

  Details of interaction of cage and race, e.g. retention, centring · CPC title

• F16C33/3843 Primary

  formed as one-piece cages, i.e. monoblock cages · CPC title

• F16C33/385

  made from metal, e.g. cast or machined window cages · CPC title

• F16C33/46

  Cages for rollers or needles · CPC title

• F16C33/38 Primary

  Ball cages · CPC title