Clamp collar

A method of rotatably supporting a shaft, comprising:

• providing a bearing assembly on the shaft, the bearing assembly including:
• an outer race,
• a plurality of rolling elements associated with the outer race, and
• an inner race rotatably disposed within the outer race such that the plurality of rolling elements is disposed between the inner and outer races, the inner race adapted to receive therein the shaft, the inner race including a cylindrical extension forming a plurality of tabs symmetrically arranged around an entire periphery of the cylindrical extension, the cylindrical extension adapted to engage the shaft;
• providing a clamp collar, the clamp collar having an annular shape defined by a circular wall, the circular wall having a thickness in an axial direction and a height in a radial direction, the clamp collar including:
• a threaded opening extending radially through the height of the circular wall, the threaded opening having inner and outer openings defined on the circular wall;
• sliding a clamp collar key into the gap between two of the plurality of tabs to align the threaded opening with the center of one of the plurality of tabs;
• threadably engaging a threaded member within the threaded opening, the threaded member extending through the threaded opening and abuttably and releasably contacting a tab of the plurality of tabs at a center of the tab;
• and
• installing the clamp collar on and around the cylindrical extension such that the threaded member applies a biasing force on one of the plurality of tabs in the radial direction towards the shaft to secure the inner race on the shaft in both the radial and axial directions.

A method of rotatably supporting a shaft, comprising:

• providing a bearing assembly on the shaft, the bearing assembly including:
• an outer race,
• a plurality of rolling elements associated with the outer race, and
• an inner race rotatably disposed within the outer race such that the plurality of rolling elements is disposed between the inner and outer races, the inner race adapted to receive therein the shaft, the inner race including a cylindrical extension forming a plurality of tabs symmetrically arranged around an entire periphery of the cylindrical extension, the cylindrical extension adapted to engage the shaft;
• providing a clamp collar, the clamp collar having an annular shape defined by a circular wall, the circular wall having a thickness in an axial direction and a height in a radial direction, the clamp collar including:
• a threaded opening extending radially through the height of the circular wall, the threaded opening having inner and outer openings defined on the circular wall;
• threadably engaging a threaded member within the threaded opening, the threaded member extending through the threaded opening and abuttably and releasably contacting a tab of the plurality of tabs at a center of the tab;
• and
• installing the clamp collar on and around the cylindrical extension such that the threaded member applies a biasing force on one of the plurality of tabs in the radial direction towards the shaft to secure the inner race on the shaft in both the radial and axial directions,
• wherein the providing of the clamp collar further includes a clamp collar gap extending radially through the circular wall, the clamp collar gap having a clamp collar gap thickness that is tangential to the circular wall, and a clamp collar bolt threaded opening extending tangentially through an inner opening of the clamp collar through the circular wall on both sides of the clamp collar gap, the method further comprising threadably engaging a clamp collar bolt within the clamp collar bolt threaded opening to decrease the clamp collar gap thickness.

A bearing assembly, comprising:

• an outer race and an inner race;
• a plurality of rolling elements disposed between the inner and outer races, the inner race including a cylindrical extension having a plurality of axial spaces that form a plurality tabs symmetrically arranged around an entire periphery of the cylindrical extension;
• a clamp collar on the cylindrical extension, the clamp collar having a circular wall, a clamp collar gap extending radially through the circular wall, and two threaded openings extending radially through the height of the circular wall;
• a shaft having the inner race disposed thereon so that the clamp collar gap is aligned with a first of the plurality of axial spaces and the two threaded openings are positioned on opposite sides of a second of the plurality of axial spaces, the first and second of the plurality of axial spaces being 180 degrees from one another;
• a threaded member threadably engaged with each of the two threaded openings, respectively;
• and
• a clamp collar bolt extending tangentially through the clamp collar across the clamp collar gap, wherein the inner race is secured to the shaft in both the radial and axial directions by the two threaded members being threaded into contact with a different tab from the plurality of tabs and the clamp collar bolt being threaded across the clamp collar gap so as to decrease a thickness of the clamp collar gap.