Cage for a toroidal roller bearing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9500229-B2
Application number	US-201614996754-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 15, 2016
Priority date	May 17, 2011
Publication date	Nov 22, 2016
Grant date	Nov 22, 2016

Abstract

A cage ( 1 ) for separating rollers in a toroidal roller bearing. The cage ( 1 ) comprises a first and second annular ring ( 2, 3 ), a plurality of elongated axial members ( 4 ) interposed between the first and second annular ring to thereby form a number of roller pockets ( 5 ). The cage further comprises a portion ( 6 ) extending radially inwardly on at least one of the first and second annular ring. The portion further extends in at least a part of the circumference of the at least one first and second annular ring. The radially outer peripheral surface of the annular ring comprising the portion further comprises axial grooves ( 7 ) at least at the circumference having the portion, wherein each axial groove is located at the axial end face of each roller pocket in such a way that a roller can be inserted and pulled out via the axial groove into and out of each roller pocket.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cage for separating rollers in a toroidal roller bearing having an outer ring and an inner ring, the toroidal roller bearing allowing for axial and angular displacement between the outer and inner ring, the cage comprising,
a first and second annular ring displaced axially from each other and forming first and second axial ends of the cage, respectively,
a plurality of elongated axial members interposed between the first and second annular rings and thereby forming a number of roller pockets, each roller pocket meant to receive at least one roller element,
the first annular ring comprising a portion extending radially inwardly from the elongated axial members and forming at least a part of the first axial end of the cage, the portion is at least partly located at a radius being smaller than a minimum radial location of the elongated axial members and wherein a minimum radius of the first axial end is a smallest radius of the cage, the portion further extending in at least a part of the circumference of the first annular ring and having a bottom surface configured to contact the inner ring during operation,
wherein a radially outer peripheral surface of the first annular ring presents axial grooves at least at the circumference having the portion, each of the axial grooves is located at an axial end face of each roller pocket and has a groove radius that is less than the minimum radial location of the elongated axial members, the axial grooves extend axially to the first axial end of the cage and are at least partially radially aligned with the portion such that a roller can be inserted and pulled out via the axial groove into and out of each roller pocket while the cage is at least partially radially between the inner and outer rings, and wherein the portion is at least partly located at the radius being smaller than a minimum groove radius.

2. The cage of claim 1 , wherein the radially inwardly extending portion extends at least one of: one third of the circumference of the first annular ring, half the circumference of the first annular ring, two thirds of the circumference of the first annular ring, and the whole circumference of the first annular ring.

3. The cage of claim 1 , further comprising a second radially inwardly extending portion disposed on the second annular ring.

4. The cage of claim 1 , wherein the cage is made of a polymer or metal.

5. The cage of claim 1 , wherein the cage is made in one piece.

6. The cage of claim 1 , further comprising a radially inner peripheral surface of the portion configured to be in sliding contact with the inner ring of the toroidal roller bearing.

7. The cage of claim 6 , wherein the radially inner peripheral surface of the portion has a friction coefficient μ being less than or equal to 0.1.

8. A method for assembling or disassembling a toroidal roller bearing, the method comprising the steps of:
providing the toroidal roller bearing comprising an inner ring, an outer ring, a plurality of roller elements and a cage having;
a first and second annular ring displaced axially from each other and forming first and second axial ends of the cage, respectively,
a plurality of elongated axial members interposed between the first and second annular rings and thereby forming a number of roller pockets, each roller pocket meant to receive at least one roller element,
the first annular ring comprising a portion extending radially inwardly from the elongated axial members and forming at least a part of the first axial end of the cage,
wherein the portion is at least partly located at a radius being smaller than a minimum radial location of the elongated axial members and wherein a minimum radius of the first axial end is a smallest radius of the cage, the portion further extending in at least a part of the circumference of the first annular ring and having a bottom surface configured to contact the inner ring during operation,
wherein a radially outer peripheral surface of the first annular ring comprises axial grooves at least at the circumference having the portion,
wherein each axial groove is located at an axial end face of each roller pocket and has a groove radius that is less than the minimum radial location of the elongated axial members, the axial grooves extend axially to the first axial end of the cage and are radially aligned with the portion such that a roller can be inserted and pulled out via the axial groove into and out of each roller pocket without deforming the cage, and wherein the portion is at least partly located at the radius being smaller than a minimum groove radius;
inserting or pulling out roller elements into or out of the roller pockets of the cage at the location where the portion is located axially outside the inner ring and the second axial end is located radially between the inner ring and the outer ring without deforming the cage.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein a step of angularly and axially displacing the cage relative the inner ring is executed before the step of inserting or pulling out roller elements, and a step of inserting the cage between the inner ring and the outer ring is executed at least before the step of angularly and axially displacing the cage relative the inner ring.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising angularly aligning the inner ring and the outer ring after inserting roller elements into the roller pockets of the cage.

11. A toroidal roller bearing having a cage, an outer ring and an inner ring, the toroidal roller bearing allowing for axial and angular displacement between the outer and inner ring, the cage comprising,
a first and second annular ring displaced axially from each other and forming first and second axial ends of the cage, respectively,
a plurality of elongated axial members interposed between the first and second annular rings and thereby forming a number of roller pockets, each roller pocket meant to receive at least one roller element,
the first annular ring comprising a portion extending radially inwardly from the elongated axial members and forming at least a part of the first axial end of the cage, the portion is at least partly located at a radius being smaller than a minimum radial location of the elongated axial members and wherein a minimum radius of the first axial end is a smallest radius of the cage, the portion further extending in at least a part of the circumference of the first annular ring and having a bottom surface configured to contact the inner ring during operation,
wherein a radially outer peripheral surface of the first annular ring presents axial grooves at least at the circumference having the portion, each of the axial grooves is located at an axial end face of each roller pocket and has a groove radius that is less than the minimum radial location of the elongated axial members, the axial grooves extend axially to the first axial end of the cage and are radially aligned with the portion such that a roller can be inserted and pulled out via the axial groove into and out of each roller pocket while the cage is at least partially radially between the inner and outer rings, the cage being rigid and configured such that the at least one roller elements can be inserted and/or removed from one of the number of pockets without deforming the cage and without removing the cage from the toroidal roller bearing, and wherein the portion is at least partly located at the radius being smaller than a minimum groove radius.

12. The toroidal roller bearing of claim 11 , further comprising a radially inwardly extending portion disposed on the first and the second annular ring.

13. The toroidal rolle

Assignees

• Kullin Arne Lars Jonas
• Skf Ab

Inventors

• Kullin Arne Lars Jonas

Classifications

• F16C43/06

  Placing rolling bodies in cages or bearings · CPC title

• F16C33/4623 Primary

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

• F16C19/26

  with a single row of rollers · CPC title

• Y10T29/49698

  Demounting · CPC title

• F16C23/086

  forming a track for rolling elements · CPC title