A self-aligning roller bearing includes an outer ring, an inner ring, spherical rollers, a cage having a plurality of pockets that contain the spherical rollers, and a guide ring. Each spherical roller may be rotated on an imaginary line passing through a contact point at which the spherical roller contacts an outer raceway surface and a contact point at which the spherical roller contacts an inner raceway surface. Each pocket has a clearance between the pocket and a corresponding spherical roller, and the size of the pocket is set so that the rotation of the corresponding spherical roller is limited. The guide ring has such a side-surface shape that a small clearance is ensured between the spherical roller and the guide ring even when the spherical roller is rotated, in the pocket, on the imaginary line by a maximum amount at which the rotation of the spherical roller is limited.

A separator for rolling elements of a bearing includes a body formed of a composite material and having a central pocket sized to receive one of a plurality of rolling elements, a first contact end to contact one adjacent rolling element and an opposing, second contact end to contact another adjacent rolling element. The composite material includes a mixture of a polymer base, reinforcing fibers and a lubricant, preferably, polyetherimide, short strand carbon fibers and molybdenum disulfide. The separator body is sized such that a first distance between a pocket centerline and the first contact end establishes a desired spacing distance between the rolling element within the pocket and the one adjacent one rolling element and a second distance between the centerline and the second contact end establishes a desired spacing distance between the rolling element within the pocket and the other adjacent rolling element.

A separator for rolling elements of a bearing includes a body formed of a composite material and having a central pocket sized to receive one of a plurality of rolling elements, a first contact end to contact one adjacent rolling element and an opposing, second contact end to contact another adjacent rolling element. The composite material includes a mixture of a polymer base, reinforcing fibers and a lubricant, preferably, polyetherimide, short strand carbon fibers and molybdenum disulfide. The separator body is sized such that a first distance between a pocket centerline and the first contact end establishes a desired spacing distance between the rolling element within the pocket and the one adjacent one rolling element and a second distance between the centerline and the second contact end establishes a desired spacing distance between the rolling element within the pocket and the other adjacent rolling element.

An axial air movement fan having a plurality of variable pitch fan blades (2), extending radially from a hub (4) rotatable about a main axis (3), each blade (2) further being pivotable about its radial axis to vary the blade pitch. The blades (2) each are mounted on an associated bearing (5) mounted on said hub, the bearing comprising a ball bearing having a first radially inner race (25) fast the blade (2) and a second radially outer race (26) rotationally fast to the hub (4). The balls (14) in the bearing are separated by separators (15), each separator being generally cylindrical and having its cylindrical axis coaxial with the orbital axis (22) of the orbit of the balls (14) and being adapted to rotate about the said orbital axis (22), the side faces of the separator each having a part spherical recess (16) adapted to receive a ball (14). Rotation of the separator (15) about the orbital axis (22) is such as to entrain lubricant in the bearing and to bias the lubricant from adjacent the outer race (26) over the balls (14) towards the inner race (25).

An axial air movement fan having a plurality of variable pitch fan blades (2), extending radially from a hub (4) rotatable about a main axis (3), each blade (2) further being pivotable about its radial axis to vary the blade pitch. The blades (2) each are mounted on an associated bearing (5) mounted on said hub, the bearing comprising a ball bearing having a first radially inner race (25) fast the blade (2) and a second radially outer race (26) rotationally fast to the hub (4). The balls (14) in the bearing are separated by separators (15), each separator being generally cylindrical and having its cylindrical axis coaxial with the orbital axis (22) of the orbit of the balls (14) and being adapted to rotate about the said orbital axis (22), the side faces of the separator each having a part spherical recess (16) adapted to receive a ball (14). Rotation of the separator (15) about the orbital axis (22) is such as to entrain lubricant in the bearing and to bias the lubricant from adjacent the outer race (26) over the balls (14) towards the inner race (25).

A spherical roller bearing having an axially extending center axis, an outer ring, an inner ring concentric with the outer ring, a guide ring concentric with the inner and outer rings, the guide ring has two lateral surfaces, one set of cambered rollers on either side of the guide ring and a cage structure arranged to retain the two sets of cambered rollers. The guide ring includes two circumferential guide ring sections, an inner guide ring section proximal to the inner ring and an outer guide ring section distal to the inner ring. A portion of at least one of the two lateral surfaces corresponding to the inner guide ring section is provided with at least one of at least one depression and at least one protrusion. The cambered rollers of each set are distanced from the inner guide ring section and in contact with the outer guide ring section.

An improved cage element for a cage arrangement in a rolling bearing assembly including rolling elements is provided. The cage element includes a cylindrical middle portion, a first end portion including a first concave outer surface shaped to support a rolling element, and a second end portion including a second concave outer surface shaped to support the rolling element. The first and second end portions are arranged on opposite ends of the cylindrical middle portion, and the first and second concave outer surfaces have identical curvatures.

An outer ring case includes an annular guide groove housing an end of each of a plurality of inner rollers. A groove width representing a radial length of the guide groove is greater than a diameter of each inner roller. A radius representing a distance from a bearing axis to an inner wall face of the guide groove that is radially outer is smaller than a distance from the bearing axis to an axial center of each of rollers plus a radius of each inner roller.

An annular guide ring for controlling the position of at least one of rolling elements and a bearing cage in relation to an inner ring of a rolling bearing. The guide ring comprises a base portion, a first side portion extending in a radial direction from a first axial end portion of the base portion, and a second side portion extending in a radial direction from a second axial end portion of the base portion, wherein the first side portion and the second side portion are integrally formed with the base portion of a one-piece sheet material. Also described is a method for manufacturing the guide ring for the rolling bearing.

An annular guide ring for controlling the position of at least one of rolling elements and a bearing cage in relation to an inner ring of a rolling bearing. The guide ring comprises a base portion, a first side portion extending in a radial direction from a first axial end portion of the base portion, and a second side portion extending in a radial direction from a second axial end portion of the base portion, wherein the first side portion and the second side portion are integrally formed with the base portion of a one-piece sheet material. Also described is a method for manufacturing the guide ring for the rolling bearing.