A bearing cage for retaining rolling elements of a rolling element bearing. The bearing cage is made of a sheet metal element. The cage provides at least one cage pocket configured to receive at least one rolling element. The at least one cage pocket is formed by two abutting cage bars that extend axially between a first and a second axially displaced ring element. The bearing cage is made of a one-piece sheet metal element and the first and the second ring element is undivided in its circumference without any joints or connections for joining an interrupted ring element. Furthermore, a rolling element bearing and a method of producing the bearing cage is provided.

A bearing for a strain wave gearing includes an annular plate portion; a plurality of partition plate portions that is arranged on the annular plate portion at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction, that protrudes from the annular plate portion in the axial direction, and that includes side surface portions to form gap portions as the first pockets and the second pockets, the gap portion being formed between the side surface portions facing each other in a pair of the plurality of partition plate portions circumferentially adjacent to each other; protruding surface portions that protrude into the gap portions as the second pockets from the side surface portions at tip end portions of the pair of the plurality of plate portions in the axial direction; and the plurality of balls that is held in the gap portions, as the first pockets and the second pockets.

A rolling-element bearing for an electromagnetic solenoid includes a hollow cylindrical cage with a plurality of spherical pockets formed around a first circumference and a second circumference of the cage. The pockets around the first circumference are offset from the pockets around the second circumference. Spherical rolling elements are provided in the spherical pockets and are captured for free rotation in the first pockets and second pockets.

A cage assembly for a rolling bearing including an improved lubricant configuration is provided. The cage includes a first cage half including a first rim and a first plurality of webs, and a second cage half including a second rim and a second plurality of webs. The first and second cage halves are assembled together with end faces of the first and second plurality of webs contacting each other to define a plurality of rolling element pockets. A first side plate is fastened to the first rim of the first cage half. A second side plate is fastened to the second rim of the second cage half. Lubricant is located in a first reservoir defined by a first groove in either the first rim or first side plate and is also located in a second reservoir defined by a second groove in either the second rim or the second side plate.

A method for producing an annular-shaped cage for a rolling bearing assembly. The method comprises steps of: (a) providing a workpiece contained in a plane having a first side and a second side; (b) forming an annular-shaped cage from the workpiece, the annular-shaped cage having a U-shaped cross section such that portions of the first side of the workpiece face each other; and (c) forming a plurality of windows in the workpiece for receiving and positioning a set of rolling elements.

A retainer includes two annular retaining plates combined with each other, and each having semispherical bulging portions arranged at predetermined intervals along a circumferential direction of the retainer. The semispherical bulging portions, which face each other, form a pocket having a ring-like shape, for retaining a ball. The pocket includes a ball non-contact portion formed in a ball facing surface of the pocket at a center portion in a pocket axial direction, the ball non-contact portion being defined by a recess extending in a pocket circumferential direction. The following relationship is set: A/(B+C)=0.70 to 0.90, where A represents a pocket circumferential length of the ball non-contact portion, B represents a diameter of the ball, and C represents a gap formed between the ball and the ball facing surface of the pocket.

Half-cage for forming cages (10) for ball bearings, in which the half-cages (11, 21) comprise semi-spherical recesses (12, 22) arranged at predefined intervals along a circumference. The semi-spherical recesses are spaced out from each other by means of respective planar portions (14, 24), are arranged along the circumference, and comprise at least one rib (31, 41) having a certain width and extending along the circumference over at least the whole surface of said recesses.

A cage assembly for a rolling bearing including an improved lubricant configuration is provided. The cage includes a first cage half including a first rim and a first plurality of webs, and a second cage half including a second rim and a second plurality of webs. The first and second cage halves are assembled together with end faces of the first and second plurality of webs contacting each other to define a plurality of rolling element pockets. A first side plate is fastened to the first rim of the first cage half. A second side plate is fastened to the second rim of the second cage half. Lubricant is located in a first reservoir defined by a first groove in either the first rim or first side plate and is also located in a second reservoir defined by a second groove in either the second rim or the second side plate.

In a manufacturing process of a corrugated cage, an intermediate assembly 17a is configured by press-fitting each of press-fitting portions 24 and 24 respectively provided in base end portions of rod portions 13b and 13b of rivets 9b and 9b into each of through-holes 12a and 12a of a cage element 8a on one side, and nitriding treatment is performed on the intermediate assembly 17a. An axial dimension X of each of the press-fitting portions 24 and 24 is made smaller than an axial dimension Y of each of the through-holes 12a and 12a (X<Y). In this way, portions which do not come into close contact with each other are provided in axial portions of the inner peripheral surface of each of the through-holes 12a and 12a and the outer peripheral surface of each of the rod portions 13b and 13b, and thus a nitrided layer is formed on each of these portions which do not come into close contact with each other.

A ball bearing includes rivets each including a columnar rivet shaft; a pre-formed head formed beforehand at one end of the rivet shaft; and a crimped head formed by crimping the other end of the rivet shaft. The crimped head of each rivet is formed to satisfy the following formula: 1.25V.sub.o<V<2.43V.sub.o, where V is the volume of the crimped head, and V.sub.o is the volume of the portion of the rivet shaft in the interiors of a first rivet hole and a second rivet hole.