LARGE ROLLER BEARING

Abstract

The invention relates to a large rolling bearing, more particularly an open-center large rolling bearing, comprising two concentric running rings, between which a plurality of rolling elements is provided in a bearing gap, which rolling elements roll on at least two raceways. More particularly, the bearing gap between the running rings and/or between at least one running ring and the rolling elements is at least partially filled with a solid lubricant, which comprises a polymer matrix and a lubricant embedded therein.

Claims

1. A large roller bearing, in particular an open centered large roller bearing (1), having two concentric ball races (2, 3) between which a plurality of rolling elements (23) are provided in a bearing gap (14) that roll off on at least two raceways (19, 20), characterized in that the bearing gap (14) is filled between the ball races (2, 3) and/or between at least one ball race (2, 3) and the rolling elements (23) at least partially with a solid lubricant (15) that comprises a polymer matrix and a lubricant embedded therein.

2. A large roller bearing in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of the raceways (19, 20) has an elongate groove-like lubricant pocket (21, 22) in a center section (17, 18) that is filled or completely filled, with the solid lubricant (15) and is flanked at both sides by raceway sections (19a, b; 20a, b) that support the rolling elements (23).

3. A large roller bearing in accordance with claim 2, wherein the raceway sections (19a, b; 20a, b) at both sides each nestle in shell form at the spherical or barrel-shaped rolling elements (23) and the lubricant pocket (21, 22), viewed in cross-section, forms an approximately crescent-shaped convexity between the raceway sections that is filled with the solid lubricant (15).

4. A large roller bearing in accordance with claim 1, wherein the bearing gap (14) between the ball races (2, 3) at both sides of the interposed at least one rolling element row (8, 9, 10, 11, 12) is filled with the solid lubricant (15) over the total clearance such that the solid lubricant (15) lubricates both ball races (2, 3).

5. A large roller bearing in accordance with claim 4, wherein the solid lubricant (15) seals the bearing gap (14) toward the rolling elements (23) toward the outside and/or the bearing gap (14) is formed free of seals separate from the solid lubricant.

6. A large roller bearing in accordance with claim 4, wherein lateral bearing gap sections (14r, 14l) are filled with the solid lubricant (15) between the ball races (2, 3) at both sides of the interposed rolling element row over a width in the direction of the axis of rotation of the rolling elements (23) that amounts in each case to at least a third of the width or of the diameter of the rolling element (23).

7. A large roller bearing in accordance with claim 4, wherein intermediate spaces between adjacent rolling elements of the same rolling element row are filled with the solid lubricant (15).

8. A large roller bearing in accordance with claim 7, wherein the solid lubricant (15) forms spacers between the rolling elements (23) of the rolling element row that hold the rolling elements (23) spaced apart from one another in the intermediate spaces between adjacent rolling elements (23) of the same rolling element row.

9. A large roller bearing in accordance with claim 7, wherein the solid lubricant (15) forms a cage-like spacer structure in the bearing gap (14) that runs around together with the rolling elements (23) relative to the two bearing rings.

10. A large roller bearing in accordance with claim 9, wherein the cage-like spacer structure comprises spacer elements formed by the solid lubricant (15) between adjacent rolling elements (23) of a rolling element row and connection elements that are formed by the solid lubricant (15) and that connect the spacer elements to one another.

11. A large roller bearing in accordance with claim 9, wherein the cage-like spacer structure is exclusively formed by the solid lubricant (15).

12. A large roller bearing in accordance with claim 1, wherein the polymer matrix of the solid lubricant (15) comprises a high molecular or an ultrahigh molecular, polyethylene.

13. A large roller bearing in accordance with claim 1, wherein the polymer matrix of the solid lubricant (15) forms a porous, in particular approximately sponge-like, matrix comprising a plurality of small-volume cutouts.

14. A large roller bearing in accordance with claim 1, wherein the polymer matrix forms a matrix structure that is stable in shape, but deformable and/or compressible, and in particular viscous.

15. A large roller bearing in accordance with claim 1, wherein the lubricant embedded in the polymer matrix is a synthetic oil that has a viscosity in the range of approximately 75-200 mm.sup.2/s and/or a viscosity in the range of 10-25 mm.sup.2/s at 100° C.

16. A large roller bearing in accordance with claim 1, wherein the lubricant embedded in the polymer matrix has a portion of more than 50 mass % or more than 50 volume percent and/or the polymer matrix has a portion of 20-40 mass % or volume percent with respect to the total mass or to the total volume of the solid lubricant.

17. A large roller bearing in accordance with claim 1, wherein a diameter of the large roller bearing defined by an outermost or innermost rolling element row amounts to more than 750 mm or more than 1000 mm or more than 2000 mm.

18. A large roller bearing in accordance with claim 1, wherein the raceways (19, 20) of the ball races (2, 3) are marginal layer hardened, in particular inductively hardened, and have a hardness of more than 52 HRC or more than 56 HRC or more than 57 HRC or more than 58 HRC or more than 59 HRC.

19. A large roller bearing in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of the ball races has connection means for connecting a connection construction, in particular bolt connection means.

20. A large roller bearing in accordance with claim 1, wherein one of the ball races (2, 3) is provided with or rotationally fixedly connected to gear teeth.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] The invention will be explained in more detail in the following with reference to a preferred embodiment and to associated drawings. There are shown in the drawings:

[0036] FIG. 1: a longitudinal half-section of an open centered large roller bearing in accordance with an advantageous embodiment of the invention according to which the two ball races are supported with respect to one another by two axial bearings in the form of cylinder roller bearings and by one radial bearing in the form of a cylinder roller bearing;

[0037] FIG. 2: a longitudinal half-section of an open centered large roller bearing in accordance with a further advantageous embodiment of the invention according to which the two ball races are supported with respect to one another by two conical roller bearings;

[0038] FIG. 3: a longitudinal half-section of an open centered large roller bearing in accordance with a further advantageous embodiment of the invention in accordance with which the two ball races are supported with respect to one another by three axial bearings in the form of cylinder roller bearings and by two radial bearings in the form of a ball bearing and a cylinder roller bearing; and

[0039] FIG. 4: a partially sectional view of the large roller bearing of FIG. 1 in the region of the ball bearing row that shows the bearing gap filled with solid lubricant.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] As FIGS. 1 to 3 show, the large roller bearing 1 can comprise two ball races 2 and 3 of which the one ball race 2 forms an inner race and the other ball race 3 forms an outer race. Said inner race 2 can have a smaller inner diameter than the outer race 3 and/or the outer race 3 can have a larger outer diameter than said inner race 2.

[0041] As FIG. 1 shows, the one ball race 2, preferably the outer race, can have a groove 4 open toward the other ball race 3, preferably toward the inner race, and the other ball race 3 engages by a scraper ring 5 provided thereat into it while forming a gap or with a spacing at all sides. As FIG. 1 shows, said groove can here engage around the scraper ring 5 from three sides, and admittedly at two oppositely disposed end face sides and one jacket surface side.

[0042] As FIG. 1 shows, the one ball race 2 can be supported with respect to the other ball race 3 by three bearings, for example two axial bearings 8 and 9 and one radial bearing 11, with said axial and radial bearings 8, 9, and 11 being able to be arranged in the groove between said scraper ring 5 and said groove 4.

[0043] As FIG. 1 shows, the axial bearings 8, 9 and the radial bearing 11 can each be formed as cylinder roller bearings, with the radial bearing 11 being able to have smaller rolling elements than the two axial bearings 8 and 9. The two axial bearings 8 and 9 can in turn have differently dimensioned rolling elements depending on the direction in which greater axial forces act.

[0044] As FIG. 2 shows, the two ball races 2 and 3 can be supported with respect to one another, but also by two conical roller bearings that can transmit both axial forces and radial forces. For example, the one ball race 3, for example the outer race, can have a wedge surface ring 5 that projects toward the other ball race 2 and engages into a groove 4 having wedge-shaped flanks formed there. Said conical rolling elements of the conical bearings can be arranged in the gap between the wedge ring 5 and the oblique surface groove 4.

[0045] FIG. 3 shows a further possible embodiment. The one ball race 2, for example the inner race, can have a groove 4 open toward the other ball race 3, preferably toward the outer race, and the other ball race 3 can engage by a scraper ring 5 provided thereat into it while forming a gap or with a spacing at all sides. Said groove 4 can in this respect advantageously engage around the scraper ring 4 from four sides, and indeed at two oppositely disposed jacket surface sides and at two oppositely disposed front surface sides of said scraper ring 5.

[0046] To be able to set the scraper ring 5 into said groove 4, the ball race 2 having the groove 4 can be composed of a support race 6 and a holding race 7 which can be set thereon, cf. FIG. 1.

[0047] Said scraper ring 5 is also supported with respect to the groove 4 by three axial bearings 8, 9 and 10 and by two radial bearings 11 and 12 as FIG. 3 shows. In this respect, two of said axial bearings 8 and 9 can be arranged at the same front side of the scraper ring—at the bottom in accordance with FIG. 3—and the third axial bearing 10 can be arranged at the oppositely disposed front side of the scraper ring. The radial bearings 11 and 12 can also be arranged at oppositely disposed sides, namely at oppositely disposed jacket surface sides of said scraper ring 5 such that the scraper ring 5 is embedded in the manner of a sandwich or is supported both in the axial direction and in the radial direction between bearings located at oppositely disposed sides. The scraper ring 5 is supported at the groove 4 at all sides.

[0048] As FIG. 3 shows, the two axial bearings 8 and 9 provided at the same end face of the scraper ring are not only spaced apart from one another in the radial direction and at different raceways, but are also arranged offset from one another in the axial direction—i.e. in the direction of the arrow 13—such that the two axial bearings 8 and 9 are not at the same level.

[0049] The two radial bearings 11 and 12 can be arranged disposed opposite one another. Independently of this, it can be advantageous for the two radial bearings 11 and 12 to be arranged between the axial bearings 8, 9 and 10, cf. FIG. 3.

[0050] As the Figures show, different rolling element types can be used. The two radial bearings 11 and 12 can in particular have different roller body geometries, with one of the radial bearings 11 in particular being able to be configured as a cylinder roller bearing and the other radial bearing 12 as a ball bearing.

[0051] As FIG. 4 shows, the bearing gap 14 between the ball races 2 and 3 of the large roller bearing 1 can preferably be completely filled with a solid lubricant.

[0052] At least one raceway of at least one bearing row, for example the raceways of the axial bearing 12 formed as a ball bearing, but optionally also the other bearing rows, can here advantageously have an elongate groove-like lubricant pocket 16 in a center section of the raceway, with such a lubricant pocket 16 that extends in the manner of an elongate groove along the rolling element row, cf. FIG. 4, advantageously being able to be provided in each of the two oppositely disposed raceways of the respective bearing row. Alternatively, such a lubricant pocket can, however, also be omitted, cf. FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0053] As FIG. 4 shows, center sections 17 and 18 of the raceways 19 and 20 can be provided with an elongate groove-like cutout that forms a lubricant pocket 21 or 22 and is preferably completely filled with solid lubricant 15. Raceway sections 19a, b and 20a, b that support the rolling elements 23 adjoin both sides of said lubricant pocket 21 and 22.

[0054] As FIG. 4 shows, said lubricant pocket 21 and 22 can have, viewed in cross-section, an approximately crescent-shaped contouring that can have a maximum depth centrally at the center and runs out ever flatter and/or forms scythe tips at the sides.

[0055] If said rolling elements 23 are formed as balls, as FIG. 4 shows, the laterally adjoining raceway sections 19a, b and 20a, b can each be contoured as of half-shell or quarter-shell shape or, depending on the design of the bearing, can generally be contoured in shell shape and can nestle up to the spherical rolling elements, with a corresponding design also being possible with barrel-shaped rolling elements. Said lubricant pocket can, however, generally also be provided with other rolling element shapes, for example cylinder rolls or conical rolls.

[0056] In addition to said lubricant pockets 21 and 22 in the raceways 19 and 20 respectively of the example of FIG. 4, the bearing gap 14 can also be filled with the solid lubricant 15 in side sections to the right and to the left of the rolling element row, cf. FIGS. 1 and 2, with said bearing gap 14 advantageously being able to be likewise completely filled there, in particular such that the solid lubricant 15 forms a bridge between the bearing rings 2 and 3 and connects them to one another and/or seals the bearing gap 14 toward the outside.

[0057] In this respect, said lateral bearing gap sections laterally next to the rolling elements can substantially be filled with solid lubricant 15 over the total width of the bearing gap 14.

[0058] Furthermore, the bearing gap sections between adjacent rolling elements 23 of a rolling element row can also be filled with solid lubricant 15 so that the solid lubricant 15 provided between adjacent rolling elements so-to-say forms spacers between the rolling elements 23 that keep the rolling elements at a spacing from one another.

[0059] Said bearing gap sections between the rolling elements 23 of a rolling element row can be connected to the lateral bearing gap sections 14r and 14l shown in FIG. 4 so that the solid lubricant 15 forms a cage of solid lubricant 15 surrounding the rolling elements 23 that rotates together with the rolling elements 23 relative to the two raceways 2 and 3. This cage-like spacer structure of solid lubricant 15 in particular comprises the two rings of solid lubricant to the right and left of the rolling elements 23 extending—viewed in cross-section of a bearing—to the right and to the left of a respective rolling element row, which rings of solid lubricant are connected to one another in the manner of a bridge between the rolling elements, and indeed likewise by solid lubricant that extends in the cavities between adjacent rolling elements 23.