DEVICE AND METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING A SLIDING BEARING

Abstract

A device for assembling a sliding bearing, in particular a spherical bearing, which has an inner ring and a divided outer ring, the device including a clamping ring provided for receiving the outer ring, the inner diameter of the clamping ring corresponding at most to the outer diameter of the outer ring in the maximally compressed state thereof. To shrink the clamping ring onto the outer ring and to detach the clamping ring from the outer ring, a temperature control device, in particular in the form of an induction-heating device, which heats the clamping ring, is provided.

Claims

1. A device for assembling a sliding bearing having inner and outer sliding bearing rings, said device comprising: a clamping ring configured to receive the outer bearing ring, an inner diameter of said clamping ring corresponding at most to an outer diameter of the outer bearing ring in a maximally compressed state thereof; and a temperature control device that heats clamping ring to enable the clamping ring to be shrunk onto the outer bearing ring and enabling the clamping ring to be detached from the outer bearing ring.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature control device comprises an induction-heating device.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the induction-heating device is configured to generate a current with a frequency of at least 10 kHz.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the sliding bearing is spherical bearing and the clamping ring has a circular-cylindrical inner peripheral surface.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the clamping ring has a higher specific electrical conductivity than the outer bearing ring.

6. A method for assembling a sliding bearing, comprising the following steps: providing an inner bearing ring; providing an outer bearing ring which has at least one split gap; lining the outer bearing ring with a non-hardened sliding lining; inserting the inner bearing ring into the outer bearing ring, including bending the outer bearing ring open and the sliding lining being in an unhardened state; shrinking a clamping ring onto the outer bearing ring; hardening the sliding lining; and heating up and disassembling the clamping ring from the outer bearing ring.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the clamping ring is heated by induction both before the shrinking on step and before the disassembling.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the clamping ring is heated predominantly on a surface thereof.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein a heat input into the outer bearing ring when heating up the clamping ring is at most 20% of the heat input into the clamping ring.

10. A method for assembling a sliding bearing, comprising the following steps: providing an inner bearing ring; providing an outer bearing ring which has at least one split gap; lining the outer bearing ring with a non-hardened sliding lining; inserting the inner bearing ring into the outer bearing ring with the sliding lining being in an unhardened state; heating a clamping ring such that a diameter of the clamping ring expands; placing the clamping ring on the outer bearing ring; shrinking the clamping ring onto the outer ring; hardening the sliding lining; and heating up and disassembling the clamping ring from the outer bearing ring.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the heating of the clamping ring is carried out by induction heating.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising carrying out the induction-heating device with a current having a frequency of at least 10 kHz.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the clamping ring is heated predominantly on a surface thereof.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein a heat input into the outer bearing ring when heating up the clamping ring for the disassembling is at most 20% of the heat input into the clamping ring.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the heating up of the outer bearing ring in the disassembling step creates an air gap between the clamp ring and the outer bearing ring.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein the clamping ring is provided with a higher specific electrical conductivity than the outer bearing ring.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In the following, an exemplary embodiment according to the disclosure is explained in more detail by means of a drawing. In the figures:

[0024] FIG. 1 shows a device comprising a clamping ring for assembling a sliding bearing, and

[0025] FIG. 2 shows the sliding bearing and the clamping ring in a front view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] A sliding bearing identified overall with the reference symbol 1 is designed as a spherical bearing and comprises an inner ring 2 and an outer ring 3 as sliding bearing rings. In contrast to the inner ring 2, the outer ring 3 has a bursting slot 4 and is therefore considered a divided bearing ring. Sealing rings held in the outer ring 3 are designated with 8.

[0027] The outer ring 3 is made up of a metal base body 5 and a sliding lining 6 that contacts the inner ring 2. The sliding lining 6 comprises a sliding fabric. Components of the sliding fabric are fibers, in particular PTFE and/or carbon fibers, contained in a resin matrix. The central axis of the sliding bearing 1 is designated with M. The inner ring 2 can be tilted by an angle α relative to the outer ring 3.

[0028] To insert the inner ring 2 into the outer ring 3 with the sliding lining 6 not yet hardened, the outer ring 3 is slightly bent open. The split gap 4, that is to say the bursting slot, is then closed again with the aid of a clamping ring 7, which is also referred to as a hardening clamp.

[0029] As long as the temperature of the clamping ring 7 corresponds to the temperature of the outer ring 3, the inner diameter of the clamping ring 7 corresponds at most to the outer diameter of the outer ring 3. The clamping ring 7 can therefore not be assembled on the outer ring 3 in this state.

[0030] To enable the clamping ring 7 to be assembled on the outer ring 3, the clamping ring 7 is heated with the aid of a temperature control device 9, which is designed as an induction-heating device and is indicated symbolically in FIG. 1. The induction-heating device 9, which is also referred to as an inductor for short, generates alternating current with a frequency of at least 10 kHz. An annular gap between the inductor 9 and the clamping ring 7 is designated with S.sub.p in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0031] The high frequency of the alternating current, utilizing the skin effect known per se, ensures that the current flow and thus also the heating occurs mainly on the surface of the clamping ring 7. The specific electrical conductivity of the clamping ring 7 is higher than the specific electrical conductivity of the outer ring 3 and the inner ring 2.

[0032] The heated clamping ring 7 is placed on the outer ring 3 of the sliding bearing 1, so that the constellation shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 results. Due to the subsequent cooling of the clamping ring 7, which occurs as soon as the clamping ring 7 is placed on the outer ring 3, the clamping ring 7 generates a significant clamping force acting on the outer ring 3. The split gap 4 is closed in this state, i.e., when the clamping ring 7 is shrunk thereonto. The sliding lining 6 hardens completely when the clamping ring 7 is placed on the sliding bearing 1.

[0033] To remove the clamping ring 7 after the sliding lining 6 has hardened, the clamping ring 7 is heated again with the aid of the induction-heating device 9, with only a small amount of heat being introduced into the outer ring 3. Compared to the amount of heat introduced into the clamping ring, the amount of heat introduced into the outer ring 3 is no more than 10%, so that—also because of the short heating-up time—only a slight heating of the outer ring 3 occurs, which is practically not associated with a change in diameter. In particular, the already mentioned skin effect ensures that the heating rate of the clamping ring 7 is significantly higher than the rate of heat transfer from the clamping ring 7 to the outer ring 3. Due to the heat-related expansion of the clamping ring 7 when it is disassembled, an air gap is also created between the clamping ring 7 and the outer ring 3 that is not visible in the figures. This air gap acts as an insulator, which minimizes the heat transfer between the clamping ring 7 and the outer ring 3.

[0034] Due to the temperature-related expansion of the clamping ring 7, it can be removed from the sliding bearing 1 with practically no effort, and depending on the orientation of the sliding bearing 1, the clamping ring 7 can even fall off due to gravity. The outer ring 3 having the hardened sliding lining 6 then has a stable shape, so that no further stabilization of the outer ring 3, for example with an additional ring, is required. The clamping ring 7 is not subject to any technically significant compromise during the assembly process and can therefore be used for the process-reliable assembly of a large number of sliding bearings 1 of the same type.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0035] 1 Sliding bearing [0036] 2 Inner ring [0037] 3 Outer ring [0038] 4 Split gap, bursting slot [0039] 5 Base body [0040] 6 Sliding lining [0041] 7 Clamping ring [0042] 8 Sealing ring [0043] 9 Temperature control device, inductor [0044] α Angle [0045] M Central axis [0046] S.sub.p Gap