An adjustable spacer with a non-hardened intermediate portion therebetween is mountable between a pair of roller bearings also mounted on a shaft such an axle or spindle or the like. The intermediate portion allows the spacer to collapse in the axial direction to maintain desired axial loads on the bearings.

The invention relates to a rolling element bearing cage formed of one or more segments, each segment comprising: a supporting frame having a plurality of spaced apart openings each for accommodating a rolling element; and a reinforcing frame, inserted within the supporting frame, having a corresponding plurality of openings each for aligning with the openings of the supporting frame.

The invention relates to a rolling element bearing cage formed of one or more segments, each segment comprising: a supporting frame having a plurality of spaced apart openings each for accommodating a rolling element; and a reinforcing frame, inserted within the supporting frame, having a corresponding plurality of openings each for aligning with the openings of the supporting frame.

An outer ring 6a for a shell-type radial needle bearing having a cylindrical shape with a bottom is achieved for which fatigue life of the bottom plate section 9a and the continuous section between the bottom plate section 9a and the cylindrical section 8a is improved, as well as the anti-corrosion characteristic of the outer ring 6a is improved and the outer ring 6a can be prevented from coming out of the bearing without an increase in cost. After obtaining an intermediate raw material 35 having a cylindrical section and a bottom plate section from a metal raw material, shot peening is performed on the intermediate material 35 to create residual compressive stress in the surface and surface layer section on the outer surface side of the cylindrical section 8a and the bottom plate section 9a such that the residual compressive stress in the surface layer section on the outer surface side is greater than the in the surface layer section on the inner surface side, and from the surface to a depth of 0.03 mm is 700 MPa to 1600 MPa.

An outer ring 6a for a shell-type radial needle bearing having a cylindrical shape with a bottom is achieved for which fatigue life of the bottom plate section 9a and the continuous section between the bottom plate section 9a and the cylindrical section 8a is improved, as well as the anti-corrosion characteristic of the outer ring 6a is improved and the outer ring 6a can be prevented from coming out of the bearing without an increase in cost. After obtaining an intermediate raw material 35 having a cylindrical section and a bottom plate section from a metal raw material, shot peening is performed on the intermediate material 35 to create residual compressive stress in the surface and surface layer section on the outer surface side of the cylindrical section 8a and the bottom plate section 9a such that the residual compressive stress in the surface layer section on the outer surface side is greater than the in the surface layer section on the inner surface side, and from the surface to a depth of 0.03 mm is 700 MPa to 1600 MPa.

A method for producing a cage having a body with multiple pockets for rolling elements, the method providing: a) defining a cage basis geometry that provides a radial outer and/or inner surface for contacting a bearing ring and multiple surfaces of the pockets for contacting the rolling elements; b) defining a part of the radial outer and/or inner surfaces as being unalterable surfaces; c) calculating the cage stress distribution when applying a defined stress force from a mathematical model; d) defining cage volume sections where the stress is below a defined threshold; e) removing a part of the volume sections defined according to step d) taking into account the unalterable surfaces according to step b) and the surfaces of the pockets that are unalterable surfaces; f) defining the cage geometry with the removed volume sections; g) manufacturing the cage according to the geometry as defined according to step f).

A method for producing a cage having a body with multiple pockets for rolling elements, the method providing: a) defining a cage basis geometry that provides a radial outer and/or inner surface for contacting a bearing ring and multiple surfaces of the pockets for contacting the rolling elements; b) defining a part of the radial outer and/or inner surfaces as being unalterable surfaces; c) calculating the cage stress distribution when applying a defined stress force from a mathematical model; d) defining cage volume sections where the stress is below a defined threshold; e) removing a part of the volume sections defined according to step d) taking into account the unalterable surfaces according to step b) and the surfaces of the pockets that are unalterable surfaces; f) defining the cage geometry with the removed volume sections; g) manufacturing the cage according to the geometry as defined according to step f).

A method for producing a molded body of particularly steel, and including a hub and a bell-shaped lower part axially connected thereto, in which an inner contour is made in the lower part by non-cutting forming in a convex region. The inner contour includes of ball tracks and cage paths that are concave in the axial direction and arranged in a peripherally alternating manner, for receiving rolling bodies, the cage paths being shallower than the ball tracks. The hub is formed from a rotating round blank and reducing the thickness thereof using at least one pressure roller. The flat region of the round blank that radially connects to the hub is pressed onto contour segments of a rotating first inner contour tool, partially forming the inner contour using at least one axially and radially moving pressure roller to form a preform of the lower part. The fixed preform is pressed against contour segments of a second inner contour tool by a die of partial dies, fully forming the cage paths and ball tracks.

A method for producing a molded body of particularly steel, and including a hub and a bell-shaped lower part axially connected thereto, in which an inner contour is made in the lower part by non-cutting forming in a convex region. The inner contour includes of ball tracks and cage paths that are concave in the axial direction and arranged in a peripherally alternating manner, for receiving rolling bodies, the cage paths being shallower than the ball tracks. The hub is formed from a rotating round blank and reducing the thickness thereof using at least one pressure roller. The flat region of the round blank that radially connects to the hub is pressed onto contour segments of a rotating first inner contour tool, partially forming the inner contour using at least one axially and radially moving pressure roller to form a preform of the lower part. The fixed preform is pressed against contour segments of a second inner contour tool by a die of partial dies, fully forming the cage paths and ball tracks.

Tapered roller bearings and methods of producing the same are disclosed. One method is for producing an inner ring for a tapered roller bearing in which the inner ring comprises a raceway portion and a fixed edge portion. The method may include providing an inner ring blank and an unfinished fixed edge portion. The inner ring blank may include an unfinished raceway portion and the unfinished fixed edge portion may have a larger outside diameter than the unfinished raceway portion. The inner ring blank may have a through-opening. The inner ring blank may be formed into the inner ring by extrusion in a main forming step, the unfinished fixed edge portion being transformed into the fixed edge portion and the unfinished raceway portion being transformed into the raceway portion. The inner ring may be formed in its final contour without any cutting.