US 2003/0188951 A1Published application

Heavy unit load conveyor wheel

AssigneeL.B. International, Inc.

InventorJohn Veitch

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Abstract

As simplified construction for a conveyor wheel wherein the outer shell of the wheel is formed from two identical shell members which can be identical stampings, with these stampings being hardened and then fixed together to define the assembled shell. The stampings when fixed together are disposed in opposed relationship, and the stampings have inner arcuate raceways which directly define an outer raceway for an annular array of bearing balls. The stampings have outer transversely oriented channel parts which, when the raceways are fixed together, have the open channel parts aligned and abutted to define a generally closed tubular cross section which defines the rim of the wheel. The channel parts have outer flanges which effectively abut and define the outer annular tread of the wheel, the latter being substantially cylindrical to provide a smooth and flat cylindrical surface having a substantial contact area for a load. The edges of the tread are rounded to prevent load damage or hang-up.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A roller track for a storage rack or roller conveyor, comprising a wall arrangement, and a longitudinally-extending array of freely rotatable roller units supported on the wall for supportive engagement with a load, the roller units being disposed for rotation about generally parallel horizontal axes which are horizontally spaced along a longitudinally-extending conveying direction, each roller unit including an annular roller housing rolling rotatably supported through an annular array of antifriction bearing elements on a support spindle for rotation about the respective horizontal axis, the improvement wherein said roller housing comprises two identical annular shaped platelike members which are shaped so that each includes inner and outer annular rim parts rigidly and integrally joined by an intermediate annular web which extends generally radially between the inner and outer rim parts, the inner rim part being defined with an arcuate configuration deformed axially in one direction away from the web so as to define one-half of a raceway for supportedly confining and engaging the plurality of bearing elements, the outer rim part being defined by a generally U-shaped channel structure which includes an inner annular wall which projects axially away from a radially outer edge of said web in the same axial direction as said inner rim part, said inner annular wall at an axially outer end being joined to an annular rim wall which projects radially outwardly and which joins through a rounded corner to an outer annular wall which projects axially in a direction toward the web and which terminates in a free end disposed substantially at a transverse plane which defines one side of the respective platelike member, said members being disposed in opposed face-to-face contacting relationship so that the free ends of the outer walls directly abuttingly engage, said pair of members being fixedly secured together in said opposed face-to-face relationship whereby the inner rim parts cooperate to define a radially inwardly opening annular raceway for direct confinement and engagement with the plurality of rolling bearing elements, and said abutting outer walls defining thereon an outer annular tread surface which is of generally cylindrical configuration and of generally uniform diameter as the tread surface extends axially between the rounded corners defined adjacent opposite edges thereof, the abutting free ends of the outer annular flanges defining a contact plane disposed axially midway between the side edges of the annular tread.

A roller-type conveying arrangement including a frame, and a generally horizontally elongated rollerway provided on the frame for supporting loads thereon, the rollerway including a plurality of roller units each having a conveyor wheel supported for rotation about a generally horizontal axis which extends transverse to the longitudinal direction of the rollerway, the roller units being disposed in spaced relationship longitudinally along the rollerway so that the axes thereof are disposed in generally parallel but horizontally spaced relationship, the improvement wherein said conveyor wheel comprises a spindle supported generally concentric with the respective axis, a single annular array of rolling bearing balls disposed in rolling and surrounding engagement with the spindle, and a wheel housing disposed in surrounding and confining relationship with the annular array of bearing balls so that the wheel housing is freely rotatable about said axis, said wheel housing being defined by two identical stamped annular disks which are of hardened steel, said two disks being disposed in axially opposed and abutting engagement and being axially rigidly fixed together, said disks having radially inner annular rim parts which are arcuately shaped in cross section and cooperate to define a radially inwardly opening outer bearing race for directly confining and rollingly engaging the annular array of bearing balls, said disks having outer rim parts which are of axially-opening channel-like cross sections which are disposed in directly opposed and abutting engagement to define an annular tread which surrounds the wheel housing and is of a generally closed but hollow tubular cross section, said tread having a radially outer annular wall which is defined by opposed and axially abutting annular outer flanges associated with the respective outer rim parts, the annular tread defining thereon an axially-elongated outer cylindrical surface which is of substantially uniform diameter throughout the length thereof as generated about said axis, and said annular tread adjacent opposite axial sides thereof being joined to rounded corners which bend radially inwardly toward said axis.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.