BEARING BODY FOR A SLIDING BEARING AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING A BEARING BODY

Abstract

A metallic bearing body for a sliding bearing includes a main body and a plurality of protrusions extending outward from the main body. Each of the plurality of protrusions extends in a longitudinal direction from the main body to an upper surface that is distal from the main body and has at least one through-bore that extends through the protrusion transversely relative to the longitudinal direction.

Claims

1. A method for producing a bearing body, comprising the steps of: producing, on a surface of a metallic main body, a plurality of protrusions; and subsequently, machining each of the plurality of protrusions to define a through-bore that extends transversely through the protrusion, such that each protrusion includes a form-fitting contour for anchoring a sliding coating.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of protrusions are produced by metal removal machining of the main body by introducing intersecting grooves in the surface of the main body.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the through-bore is produced in each of the plurality of protrusions by laser machining.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each protrusion is machined by laser, and wherein laser radiation is directed at different angles onto each protrusion sequentially, such that the through-bore extends through each protrusion in a non-straight manner.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each protrusion includes a plurality of through-bores passing through each protrusion, and wherein the through-bores are generated by laser radiation being directed exclusively at an upper side of each protrusion.

6. A metallic bearing body for a sliding bearing, comprising: a plurality of journals located on the surface thereof and formed in one piece from a main body of the bearing body and suitable for the form-fitting anchoring of a sliding coating, wherein the journals each have at least one through-bore running in the transverse direction of the journal.

7. The bearing body of claim 6, wherein the journals have a blind hole running in the longitudinal direction of the journal, into which the at least one through-bore opens.

8. The bearing body of claim 7, wherein the at least one through-bore has a kinked shape, and wherein a bend is located in the blind hole and the at least one through-bore runs out at both of the ends thereof obliquely to the longitudinal direction of the journal.

9. The bearing body of claim 8, wherein the at least one through-bore comprises a plurality of through-bores that intersect in the blind hole.

10. The bearing body- of claim 6, wherein the journals each have a geometrically defined shape with a polygonal cross-section.

11. A metallic bearing body for a sliding bearing, comprising: a main body; and a plurality of protrusions extending outward from the main body, each of the plurality of protrusions extending in a longitudinal direction from the main body to an upper surface that is distal from the main body and having at least one through-bore that extends through the protrusion transversely relative to the longitudinal direction.

12. The bearing body of claim 11, wherein the through-bore that extends through the protrusion is parallel to a surface of the main body from which the protrusion extends.

13. The bearing body of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of protrusions includes a blind hole that extends through the upper surface and extends in the longitudinal direction.

14. The bearing body of claim 13, wherein the through-bore of each of the plurality of protrusions is in fluid communication with the blind hole of each of the plurality of protrusions.

15. The bearing body of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of protrusions includes a plurality of through-bores that intersect the blind hole.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] In the following, several exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are explained in more detail by means of a drawing. Herein, partly simplified:

[0033] FIG. 1 shows a section of a bearing body for a sliding bearing in a perspective view,

[0034] FIG. 2 shows a detail of the arrangement according to FIG. 1,

[0035] FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the bearing body according to FIG. 1,

[0036] FIG. 4 shows an alternative design of a bearing body for a sliding bearing in a schematic plan view,

[0037] FIG. 5 shows a further design option for a bearing body for a sliding bearing in a representation analogous to FIG. 2,

[0038] FIG. 6 shows a schematic sectional representation of the bearing body according to FIG. 5 in a representation similar to FIG. 3,

[0039] FIG. 7 shows a schematic plan view of a journal of a further bearing body for a sliding bearing,

[0040] FIG. 8 shows a detail of an alternative design of a bearing body for a sliding bearing in cross-section in a perspective view,

[0041] FIG. 9 shows a detail of a further embodiment of a bearing body for a sliding bearing in cross-section in a perspective view, and

[0042] FIG. 10 shows a flow diagram of a method of producing a bearing body.

[0043] Unless otherwise stated, the following explanations relate to all exemplary embodiments. Parts that correspond to each other or have basically the same effect are marked with the same reference symbols in all figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] A bearing body, generally marked with the reference symbol 1, is intended for use in a sliding bearing, not further described. The bearing body 1 is made of a main body 2 made of steel, on the surface of which there are numerous rod-like protrusions 3 arranged in a regular pattern, which are also referred to as journals for short. Each journal 3 has an upper side, denoted by 4, and a plurality of side surfaces 5, and is produced by removing material from the main body 2. This means that a level placed on the upper side 4 of journal 3 indicates the position of the original, unmachined surface of main body 2.

[0045] The side surfaces 5 can be produced at least in part in that straight grooves 6 are introduced into the main body 2 by metal removal machining. The groove base is denoted by 9. All journals 3 are shown on a common plane in the schematic FIGS. 1 to 7, the xy-plane; however, in practice, the surface on which the journals 3 are arranged as integral parts of the main body 2 is a curved surface. Accordingly, there are grooves 6, which are designed as annular grooves. Configurations can also be realized in which the grooves 6 are wound in a helical manner, in particular on a cylindrical inner peripheral surface of the main body 2.

[0046] In the embodiments according to FIGS. 1 to 6, each journal 3 has a central blind hole 7 which is aligned in the longitudinal direction LR of the journal 3, i.e., in the z-direction. QR is used to designate the transverse direction of the journal 3. The blind holes 7 can be produced by laser machining. Alternatively, the blind holes 7 can be introduced by metal removal. Bores or openings penetrating the main body 2 do not exist.

[0047] In addition to the central blind hole 7, each journal 3 may have a plurality of through-bores 8. Each of these through-bores 8, which are also present in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 7, is produced in several working steps.

[0048] As illustrated in FIG. 3, an opening is first produced from one of the side surfaces 5, which ends in the blind hole 7. This process, which in turn can be carried out in the form of laser machining or metal removal machining, alternatively also by electrical discharge machining or etching, takes place in a machining direction BR which encloses an acute angle ? of 45??15? with the longitudinal direction LR. The angle ?, matched to the geometry and arrangement of the journals 3, is selected in such a way that adjacent journals 3 are not disruptive or are not machined in an unintended manner.

[0049] After the first side surface 5 has been opened in the manner described, a corresponding opening is produced in the diametrically opposite side surface 5, so that overall the through-bore 8, the main direction of which corresponds to the transverse direction QR, is produced. The through-bore 8 has a V shape in longitudinal section. Several through-bores 8 produced in the same way meet at an intersection SP, which lies on the central axis of the blind hole 7 and thus of the entire journal 3.

[0050] In the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 3, as in the exemplary embodiments according to FIGS. 5 to 7, each journal 3 has the basic shape of a cube. Accordingly, each journal 3 is traversed by two through-bores 8 which intersect at right angles when viewed from above. Deviating therefrom, the bearing body 1 according to FIG. 4 has journals 3 with a hexagonal cross-section, which are each traversed by three through-bores 8.

[0051] By laser radiation, which radiates laterally onto the journals 3 and generates in several steps the through-bores 8, the journals 3 of the bearing body 1 according to FIG. 4 are also machinable. Deviating from this machining mode, the laser radiation with which the journals 3 of the bearing bodies 1 are machined according to FIGS. 5 to 7 is directed exclusively at the upper side 4, i.e., the end face of the journal 3. In these cases, too, the angle ? is selected in such a way that adjacent journals 3 are not affected during the laser machining.

[0052] In addition to a through-bore 8 running in the transverse direction QR and produced by multi-stage machining, a central blind hole 7 can be seen in FIG. 6. Such a central blind hole 7, running in the normal direction to the upper side 4, is not present in the embodiment according to FIG. 7. Rather, in this case, only laser radiation is used for laser machining, which is aligned obliquely to the substrate surface, i.e., to the upper side 4. The non-circular cross-sectional shape of the through-bore 8 in the plane defined by the upper side 4 can be seen in both FIG. 5 and FIG. 7. This cross-sectional shape with four arcs combined to form a closed contour results from the fourfold laser irradiation of the end face of the journal 3.

[0053] A further embodiment of a bearing body 1 machined using the method described is shown in FIG. 8. Contrary to the embodiment variants shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 7, FIG. 8 does not involve journals 3 formed in sections in the x- and y-direction. Rather, the rod-like protrusions 3 are formed in sections in the x-direction and continuously in the y-direction. In the x-direction, they are spaced apart from one another by a groove 6 with a groove base 9 running in the y-direction. In the same way, the rod-like protrusions 3 can be formed continuously in the x-direction and in sections in the y-direction and can each be spaced apart in the y-direction by a groove 6 running in the x-direction with a groove base 9. Similar to FIG. 7, the rod-like protrusions 3 which protrude from the main body 2 in the z-direction have no recognizable recess on the upper side 4 thereof. Only through-bores 8 running obliquely to the upper side 4 pass through the rod-like protrusions 3 in such a way that they enter a side surface 5 and exit on a side surface 5 lying opposite thereto in the x-direction. This is shown alternately in FIG. 8, i.e., the through-bores 8 occur on both sides of the rod-like protrusions 3 in the x-direction, wherein the outlet opening and inlet opening alternate on a side surface 5 along the y-direction. The inlet opening is close to the upper side 4 in the z-direction, and the outlet opening is close to the main body in the z-direction. The inlet opening has a smaller diameter than the outlet opening.

[0054] The variant shown in FIG. 9 is also an embodiment of the rod-like protrusions 3 in sections in the x-direction and continuous in the y-direction. They protrude from the main body 2 in the z-direction, have an upper side 4 and side surfaces 5 and are spaced apart by a groove 6 running in the y-direction with a groove base 9. In the same way, the rod-like protrusions 3 can be formed continuously in the x-direction and in sections in the y-direction and can each be spaced apart in the y-direction by a groove 6 running in the x-direction with a groove base 9. The machining of the rod-like protrusions 3 takes place in a manner similar to that shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, starting from the upper side 4, that is to say the end face of the journal. The bore opens the upper side 4 of the rod-like protrusions 3 on entry and opens a side surface 5 on exit. The inlet opening and the outlet opening are at least approximately circular and the diameters thereof are of a similar order of magnitude. Another bore, starting from the upper side 4, creates an outlet opening on the surface opposite the side surface 5 in the x-direction. Thus, the through-bores 8 intersect in the rod-like protrusions 3 such that a 180-rotated V-shape of the bore channel in the cross-section through the xz-plane through a through-bore 8 results.

[0055] The bores 7, 8 form undercuts, in which a sliding lining is anchored in a form-fitting manner by infiltration in a later method step.

[0056] Referring now to FIG. 10, an exemplary embodiment a method 10 for producing a bearing body 1 includes the step 11 of producing a plurality of protrusions 3 on the metallic main body 2 of the bearing body 1. In some implementations, the plurality of protrusions 3 are produced by metal removing machining of the main body 2 by introducing intersecting grooves 6 in the surface of the main body 2. The method 10 may further include the step 12 of machining each of the plurality of protrusions 3 to define a through-bore 8. The through-bore 8 may extend transversely through the protrusion 3. In various embodiments, machining each of the plurality of protrusions 3 to define the through-bore 8 provides a form-fitting contour on each of the protrusions 3 for anchoring a sliding coating with the bearing body 1. In some embodiments, the through-bore 8 is produced in each of the plurality of protrusions 3 by laser machining. For example, each protrusion 3 may be laser machined, such that laser radiation is directed at different angles onto each protrusion 3 sequentially, such that the through-bore 8 extends through each protrusion 3 in a non-straight manner. In various implementations, each protrusion 3 includes a plurality of through-bores 8 passing through each protrusion 3. In such implementations, the plurality of through-bores 8 may be generated by laser radiation being directed exclusively at the upper side 4 of each of the plurality of protrusions 3.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0057] 1 Bearing body [0058] 2 Main body [0059] 3 Rod-like protrusion, journal [0060] 4 Upper side [0061] 5 Side surface [0062] 6 Groove [0063] 7 Blind hole [0064] 8 Through-bore [0065] 9 Groove base [0066] 10 Method [0067] 11 Step [0068] 12 Step [0069] ? Angle [0070] BR Machining direction [0071] LR Longitudinal direction [0072] QR Transverse direction [0073] SP Intersection