JPS6229648B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to wear-resistant bearing assemblies and, more particularly, to wear-resistant bearing assemblies having a desired end play or preload.

Traditionally, double row roller bearing assemblies have been provided with a two-piece outer race, the width of which is selected to maintain one separable outer race in a desired position within the bore of the other outer race. Proposals have been made to control end play or preload by means of a split snap spring having a .

The positioning of the outer race member with such a split snap spring is particularly important because the width of the split snap spring and therefore the spring rate for each assembled assembly is
This makes automated assembly of bearing assemblies difficult. Furthermore, since such split-snap spring retention configurations expand rather than contract during installation, it is difficult to adjust end play or preload with a two-piece inner race as in the present invention. It is not suitable for bearing assemblies with Expanding the snap spring is generally difficult and may result in permanent deformation.

Prior art related to the present application includes, for example, U.S. Patent No.
Although the device disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 1916233 is known, it is difficult to say that the desired end play or preload can be reliably produced with a simple structure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a wear-resistant bearing assembly having an improved means for creating the desired end play or preload.

a first race; a first piece having a fixed angular contact track; and a second piece having a fixed angular contact track carried by the first piece; a second race consisting of segments; spaced circumferentially;
a wear-resistant element that engages the first race track and the fixed angular contact track of the first piece to apply a thrust load to the first race; a wear-resistant element that engages the fixed angular contact raceway to apply a thrust load on the first race opposite to said thrust load; a retaining ring piece retained within the circumferential groove by engagement with an annular retaining ring having a portion that engages the retaining ring piece; is the target. Therein, the retaining ring pieces are comprised of a plurality of hardened retaining ring pieces having a conical surface 60, and the retaining ring pieces are connected to an end face 68 of a second piece.
and the portion of the annular retaining ring 56 that engages the retaining ring piece has a frustoconical surface 58 that engages the frustoconical surface of the retaining ring piece, and the annular retaining ring is also permanently attached to the first piece. the retaining ring piece has another portion fixedly fixed such that the thickness of the retaining ring piece determines the end play or preload of the bearing assembly to produce the desired end play or preload. .

Such an arrangement is inherently suitable for automated assembly operations, with the fastening means allowing precise positioning of one race piece on the other snap-spring piece. The fastening means engages the former race piece over substantially 360 degrees. The means for positioning said one race piece with respect to said other race piece are hardened and polished for superior durability and positioning accuracy. It can also be a matching member.

In addition, the fastening means (fastening ring piece) of the present invention
The truncated conical surface engages with the retaining ring and acts in cooperation with it, ensuring reliable operation and requiring no additional machining, and a part of it is permanently fixed to the shaft. Therefore, the desired preload state is maintained for a long period of time.

The present invention and its embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a rear wheel bearing assembly 10 that may be used with the independently suspended rear wheels of a front wheel drive motor vehicle. For this purpose, the rear wheel bearing assembly 10 includes an axle 14.
A fixed (non-rotatable) spindle 12 is incorporated which includes a circular mounting flange 16 and an integral circular mounting flange 16. Mounting flange 16 carries a plurality of stud-like bolts 18 for securing assembly 10 to adjacent structures of the vehicle.

The axle 14 includes, in sequence from the flange 16 to the free end of the axle, a cylindrical seal run 20, an angular contact track.
raceway) 22, a frustoconical section 24, and a cylindrical section 26 having a smaller diameter. The cylindrical portion 26 has an inner groove 2 having a square cross section.
8, and an outer groove 30 having a trapezoidal cross section and provided near the free end of the axle 14.

Bearing assembly 10 further includes a hub 32 having an outer ring 34 and an integral wheel mounting flange 36. Wheel mounting flange 36 is rectangular and provides access to the bolt holes in circular mounting flange 16. (The cross section of the wheel mounting flange 36 shown in FIG. 1 is along the diagonal line of the rectangle passing through the bolt holes located at the corners of the rectangle.) The outer ring 34 has a pair of angular wheels spaced apart in the axial direction. - contact races 38, 40, which have a reduced inner diameter 42 in the central part of the bearing;
are separated from each other by a common shoulder defining the

first spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction by the retainer;
The bearing balls 44 of the set are the inner ring raceway 22 and the outer ring raceway 3.
It's on top of 8. A second set of bearing balls 46 also rides on the outer ring raceway 40 and the angular contact rear wheel 48 of the separable inner ring 50. Inner ring 5
0 fits onto the cylindrical portion 26 of the axle 14.

Inner ring 50 creates the desired end play or preload within the bearing assembly by positioning a plurality of retaining ring pieces of selected width end-to-end within slotted groove 28. is positioned on the cylindrical portion 26 as shown in FIG. When the bearing is preloaded, the bearing balls 44, 46 are in the center plane 5 of the bearing.
The pressure angle is such that a thrust load in both directions acting toward the rear wheels 38 and 40 is applied onto the outer ring 34 through the rear wheels 38 and 40. Each retaining ring piece 54 can be installed within the groove 28 without requiring elastic deformation, and the retaining ring pieces cooperate to engage the outer surface of the inner ring 50 over substantially 360 degrees. In the illustrated bearing arrangement, the retaining ring pieces are preferably semi-circular in order to minimize the number of parts.

The retaining ring pieces 54 are hardened to a Rockwell hardness of 55 to 60 on the C scale for durability, and ground to a highly accurate width dimension, as well as to the desired end play or Approximately 0.00051 cm (0.0002 inch) to create preload
It is segregated in the width class. Preferably, groove 28 undercuts the raceway by a small amount.

The retaining ring piece 54 is mounted and maintained at the bottom of the square cross-section groove 28 by a sealing metal retaining ring 56. The retaining ring 56 has a frustoconical inner surface 58 that engages a frustoconical outer surface 60 of each retaining ring piece 54 . The retaining ring 56 further has a cylindrical end 62 which is drawn or rolled into the trapezoidal cross-section groove 30 at a location 64 to form the retaining ring 56. is fixed to the axle 14.

The retaining ring 56 in this embodiment includes a flange 66 having an outer diameter larger than the diameter of the bore 42 to prevent disassembly of the bearing in the event of damage to internal bearing components.

The bearing assembly 10 in this embodiment further includes a bearing seal 69. The seal has a circular mounting flange 1
It is carried on one end of the hub 32 near 6, and the axle 1
It has a flexible sealing tongue that rests on four cylindrical lands 20. A grease cap 71 mounted within a hole in the opposite end of hub 32 seals the opposite end of bearing assembly 10.

The design value of the axial end play or preload of the bearing assembly 10 can be obtained by the axial positioning of the separable inner ring 50 on the axle 14. To maintain axial end play or preload,
After the inner ring 50 is pressed into position on the cylindrical portion 26 of the axle 14 to provide the desired end play or preload, it is held securely in that position.

To explain the assembly of the bearing 10, first
and the second set of bearing balls 44, 46 and the hub 32 are assembled with the spindle 12, and the separable inner ring 50 is then pressed into a convenient position on the cylindrical portion 26 of the axle 14, and this separation Possible inner ring rear face 6
8 (FIG. 3) and the radial surface 70 (FIG. 3) of the groove 28 remote from the inner ring. This measured value and the desired final end play of the assembly are the basis for determining the groove 2
The required width of the retaining ring piece 54 to be inserted into the 8 is determined. The inner ring 50 can then be axially repositioned to the final desired position and the retaining ring piece 54 having an appropriately selected width inserted into the groove 28. Alternatively, the retaining ring piece 54 can be inserted into the groove by forcing it between the rear face 68 of the inner race and the groove end face 70 to obtain the final positioning for the desired end play or preload.

After the retaining ring pieces 54 are attached to the bottom of the groove 28, the frustoconically tapered inner surface 58 of the retaining ring 56 is brought into contact with the frustoconically tapered outer surface 60 of one retaining ring member formed by each retaining ring piece 54. and place the retaining ring 56 on the axle spindle. The cylindrical portion 62 of the retaining ring is then drawn or rolled into the groove 30 to permanently lock the retaining ring 56 in place and restrain the retaining ring pieces 54 within the groove 28.

If any thrust load is applied to the bearing assembly that tends to cause the separable inner ring 50 to move to the right in FIGS. 1 and 3, thus changing the preset end play or preload. ,
This thrust load is transmitted from the inner ring 50 via the rear face 68 to the retaining ring piece 54 and then via the radial face 70 of the groove 28 to the axle 14. The retaining ring pieces 54 and spindle 12 are sufficiently hard to resist permanent deformation, thereby preventing movement of the inner ring 50 and preventing changes in pre-established end play or preload.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a preferred embodiment of a wheel bearing assembly according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrow; FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the wheel bearing assembly shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Explanation of symbols of main parts], 1st race...3
4. Second lace...14,50, First piece...1
4. Second piece...50, anti-friction element...44, 46,
Retaining ring piece...54, circumferential groove...28, end face of second piece...68, retaining ring...56, truncated conical outer surface of retaining ring piece...60, truncated conical inner surface of retaining ring...58, first A further groove provided in the piece...3
0. Retaining ring portion deformed into the groove 30...64, One-piece outer ring...34, Pair of angular contact outer ring raceways...38, 40, First set of anti-friction elements...44, Second set Anti-friction element...4
6. Axle...14, Fixed inner raceway...22, Separable inner raceway...50, Separable inner raceway of the inner race...48, End face of the separable inner race...68.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A first race; a first piece having a fixed angular contact track; a second piece having a fixed angular contact track carried by the first piece; a second race consisting of at least two pieces; circumferentially spaced apart and engaging the raceway of the first race and the fixed angular contact raceway of the first piece; 1st
a wear-resistant element that applies a thrust load to the race of the first race; a wear-resistant element that engages the raceway of the first race and a fixed angular contact raceway of the second piece to oppose the thrust load to the first race; a wear-resistant element that applies a thrust load;
a plurality of retaining ring pieces received within the annular circumferential groove of the piece, the retaining ring having a portion that engages the retaining ring pieces; a wear-resistant bearing assembly comprising: a retaining ring piece retained within the second retaining ring piece; said retaining ring piece comprising a plurality of hardened retaining ring pieces having a conical surface; The portion of the annular retaining ring that engages the end face of the piece and engages the retaining ring piece has a frustoconical surface that engages the frustoconical surface of the retaining ring piece, and the annular retaining ring also has a frustoconical surface that engages a frustoconical surface of the retaining ring piece. another part permanently fixed to the first part, whereby the thickness of said retaining ring part determines the end play or preload of the bearing assembly to obtain the desired end play or preload. What is claimed is: 1. A bearing assembly characterized in that: 2. The wear-resistant bearing assembly according to claim 1, wherein the second race 14, 50 is an inner race, and the hardened retaining ring piece 54 is attached to the circumferential groove 2.
8, the second
forming a hardened retaining ring that engages an end surface 68 of the piece 50 and having a frustoconical outer surface formed by a frustoconical surface 60 of said hardened retaining ring piece; A frustoconical surface of the portion of the retaining ring that engages the retaining ring is an inner surface that engages a frustoconical outer surface of the hardened retaining ring to retain the hardened retaining ring piece within the circumferential groove of the wear-resistant bearing. assembly. 3. A wear-resistant bearing assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein another portion 62 of the annular retaining ring 56 comprises:
a wear-resistant bearing assembly having a portion 64 adapted to fit into another groove 30 in the first piece 14 to permanently secure the retaining ring to the first piece; . 4. A wear-resistant bearing assembly according to claim 1, in the form of a double-row wear-resistant bearing, comprising an integrally constructed outer ring 34, said outer ring being located in a fixed spatial relationship. It has a pair of angular contact outer raceways 38 and 40, each of which has a reduced diameter at its adjacent end, thereby creating a thrust in both directions toward the bearing center plane between the outer raceways. first and second members adapted to carry a load and comprising circumferentially spaced apart wear-resistant elements 44 and 46, said members engaging each of said pair of outer raceways; an axle 14 disposed within said outer race, said axle having a fixed inner raceway 22, said fixed inner raceway engaging said first member of said wear-resistant element; As a result, a thrust load directed toward the center plane of the bearing is applied to one of the pair of outer ring raceways, and further, the axle carries a separable inner ring 50, and the separable inner ring 50 is attached to the axle. has an inner raceway 48 that engages the second member of the wear-resistant element, thereby applying a thrust load in the opposite direction to the thrust load on the other of the pair of outer raceways. The axle further has a circumferential groove 28 formed adjacent to an end surface 68 of the separable inner ring that is remote from the bearing center plane; a semicircular hardened retaining ring piece 54 disposed end-to-end within the circumferential groove to engage the end surface of the separable inner ring; The pieces each have a frustoconical outer surface 60 and a width selected to create the desired end play or preload, and include an annular retaining ring 56 that is connected to the retaining ring. a frusto-conical inner surface 58 that engages a frusto-conical outer surface of the retaining ring piece to attach the retaining ring piece to the bottom of the circumferential groove; a portion 64 which is deformably fitted into another provided groove 30 to permanently fix the retaining ring to the axle;
A wear-resistant bearing assembly with.