Sliding bearing

Abstract

A sliding bearing includes at least one bearing inner ring and at least one bearing outer ring configured to rotate relative to each other about an axis (a), where the rings each include at least one sliding surface, the sliding surfaces being configured to slide along each other, and where the contact surface formed by the mutually contacting sliding surfaces has a maximum contact diameter (D.sub.K). At least parts of the sliding surfaces in a radial section have a radius of curvature (r.sub.B), the radius of curvature (r.sub.B) has a centerpoint (M) located at an offset (b) from the axis (a), and the offset (b) is at least 5% of the radius of curvature (r.sub.B).

Claims

1. A sliding bearing having a first axial end and a second axial end, the sliding bearing comprising a common one-piece bearing inner ring and a common one-piece bearing outer ring configured to rotate relative to each other about an axis (a), wherein the common one piece bearing inner ring and the common one-piece bearing outer ring each include two sliding surfaces, which sliding surfaces are configured to slide along each other, wherein the sliding surfaces are formed by the mutually contacting sliding surfaces has a maximum contact diameter (DK) at the first and second axial ends, wherein the common one-piece inner ring has a radially inner surface that in cross section is formed by a single axially extending radial surface, wherein at least parts of the sliding surfaces in a radial section have an arcuate shape having a radius of curvature (rB), and wherein the radius of curvature (rB) has a centerpoint (M) located at an offset (b) from the axis (a), the offset (b) being at least 5% of the radius of curvature (rB), wherein the radius of curvature (rB) is from 150% to 600% of the maximum contact diameter (DK), the common one-piece inner ring and the common one-piece outer ring being out of contact along a portion of an axial bearing length that is spaced from the first and second axial ends.

2. The sliding bearing according to claim 1, wherein the offset (b) is at least 50% of the radius of curvature (rB).

3. The sliding bearing according to claim 1, wherein the radius of curvature (rB) is from 200% to 400% of the maximum contact diameter (DK).

4. The sliding bearing according to claim 1, wherein the common one-piece bearing inner ring comprises a shaft.

5. The sliding bearing according to claim 1, wherein the common one-piece bearing outer ring comprises a stationary machine part or housing.

6. The bearing according to claim 5, wherein an elastic material comprising a coating is applied to the common one-piece bearing inner ring and/or the common one-piece bearing outer ring.

7. The sliding bearing according to claim 1, wherein the common one-piece bearing inner ring and/or the common one-piece bearing outer ring is manufactured by 3-D printing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Exemplary embodiments of the disclosure are illustrated in the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a radial section through a sliding bearing according to a first embodiment,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a radial section through a sliding bearing according to a second embodiment,

(4) FIG. 3 shows an alternative design of the sliding bearing according to FIG. 1 in radial section,

(5) FIG. 4 shows a further alternative design of the sliding bearing in radial section,

(6) FIG. 5 shows a design similar to FIG. 4 of the sliding bearing in radial section,

(7) FIG. 6 shows a further alternative design of the sliding bearing in radial section, and

(8) FIG. 7 shows a design of the sliding bearing similar to FIG. 6 in radial section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) FIG. 1 shows a sliding bearing that includes a bearing inner ring 2 and a bearing outer ring 3. The bearing inner ring 2 has a sliding surface 4, and the bearing outer ring a sliding surface 5. The bearing inner ring 2 is configured to rotate about an axis a relative to the bearing outer ring 3, and the two sliding surfaces 4 and 5 slide against each other. It is preferred that the at least one inner ring has a radially inner surface that, when viewed in cross section, is formed by a single axially extending radial surface.

(10) The mutually contacting sliding surfaces 4 and 5 form a contact surface that has a maximum contact diameter D.sub.K. This contact diameter is measured in a radial direction r. From the radial section, it can be seen that the sliding surfaces 4, 5 have a (circular) arcuate shape that is characterized by the radius of curvature r.sub.B.

(11) It is essential to the invention that the radius of curvature r.sub.B has a centerpoint M that is offset by an amount b from the axis of rotation a, where the offset b is at least 5% of the radius of curvature r.sub.B. It is preferred that an offset b of at least 50% of the radius of curvature r.sub.B is provided. In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1 the distance b is at a distance from the rotational axis a of approximately 80% of the radius of curvature r.sub.B (b=0.8*r.sub.B).

(12) Furthermore, in the disclosed bearingas in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1the radius of curvature r.sub.B may be at least 150% of the maximum contact diameter D.sub.K.

(13) In contrast to already-known bearings the centerpoint of the radius of curvature does not lie on the axis a, but (far) below it (in a conventional bearing, the radius of curvature r.sub.B would be 50% of the maximum contact diameter D.sub.K). In the exemplary embodiment the radius of curvature r.sub.B is approximately 200 to 300% the maximum contact diameter D.sub.K.

(14) In FIG. 2 a variant is depicted in which the geometric relationships are defined differently, namely the radius of curvature r.sub.B is very small in relation to the maximum contact diameter D.sub.K. According to FIG. 2 the offset b from the centerpoint M to the axis a is approximately 600% of the radius of curvature r.sub.B. In addition, the radius of curvature r.sub.B is approximately 7 to 8% of the maximum contact diameter D.sub.K.

(15) In the variant according to FIG. 3 the bearing rings 2, 3 have no symmetry-forming center plane.

(16) In FIGS. 4 and 5 two embodiment variants are shown in which an axial bearing function is more important. This is based on the axis a and the radial direction r. Otherwise the above-described principle is also described here.

(17) In FIG. 6 two adjacent sliding bearing sections are realized wherein a common one-piece bearing inner ring 2 and a common one-piece bearing outer ring 3 are used. This is similar to a back-to-back arrangement of the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 3 with a common one-piece inner ring and outer ring.

(18) In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 7, in addition to the solution according to FIG. 6, seals 6 are placed in each axial one-sided region, which seals 6 protect the sliding contact of the bearing rings.

(19) Representative, non-limiting examples of the present invention were described above in detail with reference to the attached drawings. This detailed description is merely intended to teach a person of skill in the art further details for practicing preferred aspects of the present teachings and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Furthermore, each of the additional features and teachings disclosed above may be utilized separately or in conjunction with other features and teachings to provide improved sliding bearings.

(20) Moreover, combinations of features and steps disclosed in the above detailed description may not be necessary to practice the invention in the broadest sense, and are instead taught merely to particularly describe representative examples of the invention. Furthermore, various features of the above-described representative examples, as well as the various independent and dependent claims below, may be combined in ways that are not specifically and explicitly enumerated in order to provide additional useful embodiments of the present teachings.

(21) All features disclosed in the description and/or the claims are intended to be disclosed separately and independently from each other for the purpose of original written disclosure, as well as for the purpose of restricting the claimed subject matter, independent of the compositions of the features in the embodiments and/or the claims. In addition, all value ranges or indications of groups of entities are intended to disclose every possible intermediate value or intermediate entity for the purpose of original written disclosure, as well as for the purpose of restricting the claimed subject matter.

REFERENCE NUMBER LIST

(22) 1 Sliding bearing

(23) 2 Bearing inner ring

(24) 3 Bearing outer ring

(25) 4 Sliding surface

(26) 5 Sliding surface

(27) 6 Seal

(28) r Radial direction

(29) a Axis

(30) b Offset (distance of centerpoint M to axis a)

(31) D.sub.K Maximum contact diameter

(32) r.sub.B Radius of curvature (profile radius)

(33) M Centerpoint of the radius of curvature