Rolling element bearing with cage

Abstract

A rolling element bearing (1) that includes a plurality of balls (4) as rolling elements guided in a cage (5). A lubricant channel (19) is formed in snap-in pockets (8) in a region between a lateral ring section (6) and the central ball (4) track, between the ball (4) and the adjoining web section (7) and/or the adjoining lateral ring section (6), which fluidically connects the radial outer side and the radial inner side of the cage (5). In order for the rolling element bearing (1) lubricant supply to be improved, on the web sections (7), an outer block section (10) is formed on the radial outer side and/or an inner block section (11) is formed on the radial inner side, which project relative to the lateral ring section (6), in the radial direction in relation to the bearing axis L, and reduce the available rolling element space between two adjoining balls (4).

Claims

1. A rolling element bearing comprising a plurality of spherical rolling elements, a cage that guides the spherical rolling elements, the cage including a side ring section and a plurality of web sections that are arranged on the side ring section and form snap-in pockets, one of the spherical rolling elements is arranged in each of the snap-in pockets and is held captively by a positive-fit connection, the cage defines a bearing axis (L), and in each of the snap-in pockets, in an area between the side ring section and a spherical rolling element center track of the spherical rolling elements between the spherical rolling element and at least one of an adjacent web section or an adjacent side ring section, a lubricant channel is formed that fluidly connects a radial outer side and a radial inner side of the cage, an outer block section is formed on the web sections on the radial outer side or an inner block section is formed on the radial inner side, or both the outer block section and the inner block section are formed, and said inner or outer block section, or both, projects relative to the side ring section with respect to the bearing axis (L) in a radial direction and reduces an available rolling element space between two adjacent ones of the spherical rolling elements, the outer block section forms an edge running in an axial direction and facing an adjacent snap-in pocket, to which a retaining surface for lubricant facing the adjacent snap-in pocket connects, and a lubricant collection space that is fluidly connected to the lubricant channel is formed between the retaining surface and the spherical rolling element, the lubricant collection space is limited in the axial direction by the side ring section, in a circumferential direction by the retaining surface, and in the radial direction by a base section, and the base section is offset inward in the radial direction opposite a top side of the side ring section, so that lubricant can flow out via the side ring section and simultaneously via the lubricant channel, wherein a free bottom side of the inner block section has a concave molding with four funnel segments.

2. The rolling element bearing according to claim 1, wherein the cage has, on an edge, a surrounding free ring area that is limited in the axial direction by the outer block sections or by the inner block sections and in the radial direction by the side ring section.

3. The rolling element bearing according to claim 1, wherein the edge is constructed as a straight line.

4. The rolling element bearing according to claim 1, wherein a free limiting edge of the base section is formed in its profile in a middle section with a radius concentric to the spherical rolling element and in an edge area continuing as in the middle section, so that an inlet opening for the lubricant channel is formed.

5. The rolling element bearing according to claim 1, wherein two of the funnel segments are oriented in an opposing sense relative to each other in the circumferential direction and two of the funnel segments are oriented in an opposing sense relative to each other in the axial direction.

6. The rolling element bearing according to claim 1, wherein in the side ring section for each of the snap-in pockets, a lubricant opening running in the axial direction is oriented in the radial direction toward the center of an adjacent spherical rolling element.

7. The rolling element bearing according to claim 1, the cage is formed as a comb-shaped cage.

8. The rolling element bearing according to claim 7, wherein each of the web sections forms a solid block together with the outer block section and the inner block section, and said block extends in the radial direction over a width of at least 25% of a diameter of the spherical rolling element.

9. The rolling element bearing according to claim 1, wherein the retaining surface is flat.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Additional features, advantages, and effects of the invention are given from the description below of a preferred embodiment of the invention. Shown are:

(2) FIG. 1 a schematic top view of a rolling element bearing as an embodiment of the invention,

(3) FIG. 2 the cage of the rolling element bearing in FIG. 1 in a schematic three-dimensional view,

(4) FIG. 3 a detail from the cage in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(5) FIG. 1 shows a rolling element bearing 1 as an embodiment of the invention in a schematic axial top view, wherein only half of the rolling bearing 1 is shown. The rolling element bearing 1 comprises an inner ring 2 and an outer ring 3, wherein a plurality of balls 4 as rolling elements are arranged between the inner ring 2 and outer ring 3, so that these roll on raceways of the rings 2, 3 for relative rotation of the inner ring 2 and outer ring 3 about a bearing axis L.

(6) The rolling element bearing 1 comprises a cage 5 that is made from plastic. The cage 5 comprises a side ring section 6 that is formed as a ring washer extending in a radial plane perpendicular to the bearing axis L, as well as a plurality of web sections 7 that extend in the axial direction and are formed on the side ring section 6. Through the web sections 7, uniformly distributed snap-in pockets 8 are produced in the circumferential direction, wherein each snap-in pocket 8 is defined in the circumferential direction by one of the web sections 7 and in the axial direction by the side ring section 6. The snap-in pockets 8 are defined so that the balls 4 in the snap-in pockets 8 are secured against falling out in the axial or radial direction with a positive fit connection. For this purpose, each of the snap-in pockets 8 has a wrap-around wall, so that dislocation in the radial direction is prevented. From FIG. 3 it can be seen, for example, that the wrap-around wall has a convex design also in the axial direction so that the balls 4 are surrounded as if by brackets and also cannot become dislocated in the axial direction. In particular, the balls 4 are arranged in the cage 5 in a self-retaining manner and, in particular, they are snapped in place. The cage 5 is thus realized as a snap-in cage.

(7) Looking at FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 together, it can be seen that the web sections 7 can each be broken down into a middle section 9, a radial outer block section 10, and a radial inner block section 11. The middle section 9 extends in the axial overlap area toward the side ring section 6. As can be seen especially from FIG. 3, the outer block section 10 is arranged offset in the radial direction relative to the side ring section 6, so that on the edge, a wrap-around free edge area or edge area 12 is produced. The top side of the outer block section 10 is constructed as a uniform surface that can be formed selectively flat or parallel to the hollow cylindrical inner surface of the outer ring 3. Intermediate shapes are also possible here. As can be seen best from FIG. 2, the inner block section 11 also projects in the radial direction over the side ring section 6, so that a wrap-around free ring area 13 is also produced on the radial inner side of the cage 5.

(8) The outer block section 10 is defined on the side facing the snap-in pocket 8 on the top side by a straight edge 14 that is oriented in the axial direction and/or parallel to the bearing axis L and transitions there at a right angle or at an approximately right angle into a retaining surface 15 that extends in the radial direction.

(9) The retaining surface 15 ends by meeting a base section 16 whose surface extent is perpendicular or approximately perpendicular to a radial vector relative to the bearing axis L. On the axial side, the base section 16 is defined by the side ring section 6, so that seen in the radial top view, an approximately triangular lubricant collection space 17 is produced. The free boundary edge 18 of the base section 16 is formed in the area of the ball center track of the balls 4 with a radius concentric to the ball 4, so that the balls 4 can be guided and retained. In the edge area in the direction of the side ring section 6, the boundary edge 18 returns opposite the radius, so that a radial lubricant channel 19 is formed between the ball 4 and the transition area between the side ring section 6 and web section 7.

(10) During the operation of the rolling element bearing 1, lubricant is brought into the lubricant collection space 17 that is selectively transported through the lubricant channel 19 from a radial outer side of the cage 5 to a radial inner side of the cage 5 or flows out via the side ring section 6 and is guided via the ring area 13 past the outer block section 10 and to the next snap-in pocket 8.

(11) One idea of the construction is to reduce the rolling element space between the balls 4 in the area of the web sections 7, in order to prevent unnecessary accumulation of lubricant in these areas. The lubricant supply is also improved. This is achieved in that the lubricant is collected in the lubricant collection space 17 via the retaining surface 15 and transported, on one hand, via the lubricant channel 19 and, on the other hand, via the ring area 13.

(12) For further supporting the improved lubricant supply of the rolling element bearing 1, concave moldings 20 are formed on the bottom side of the inner block sections 11 that are divided into four funnel sections 21a, b, c, d. The funnel sections 21a, b, c, d have inner triangular constructions in the radial top view, wherein their tips meet in the center of the inner block section 11. Two of the four funnel sections 21a, b are oriented in the direction of the snap-in pockets 8. The other two funnel sections 21c, d are oriented in the axial direction. Through the concave molding 20, lubricant can be collected on the bottom side of the web sections 7 and can be distributed in a controlled way, on one hand, in the direction of the snap-in pockets 8 and, on the other hand, in the direction of the side ring section 6, wherein the lubricant can be transported via the ring area 13 to other snap-in pockets 8 in the circumferential direction.

(13) The cage 5 also has axial lubricant openings 22 that are formed as round passage holes in the side ring sections 6. The central axis of the lubricant openings 22 here passes through the center of the balls 4 arranged in each of the snap-in pockets 8, so that the balls 4 are simultaneously guided by the input opening of the lubricant opening 22.

(14) List of Reference Numbers 1 Rolling element bearing 2 Inner ring 3 Outer ring 4 Balls 5 Cage 6 Side ring section 7 Web sections 8 Snap-in pockets 9 Middle section 10 Outer block section 11 Inner block section 12 Edge area 13 Ring area 14 Edge 15 Retaining surface 16 Base section 17 Lubricant collection space 18 Limiting edge 19 Lubricant channel 20 Concave moldings 21a, b, c, d Funnel sections 22 Lubricant openings L Bearing axis