Cage for a toroidal roller bearing

2:

• The cage of claim 1,
• wherein the radially inwardly extending portion extends at least one of:
• one third of the circumference of the annular ring,
• half the circumference of the annular ring,
• two thirds of the circumference of the annular ring, and
• the whole circumference of the annular ring.

9:

• A method for assembling or disassembling a toroidal roller bearing, the method comprising the steps of:
• providing the toroidal roller bearing comprising an inner ring, an outer ring, a plurality of roller elements and a cage having;
• a first and second annular ring displaced axially from each other,
• a plurality of elongated axial members interposed between the first and second annular ring and thereby forming a number of roller pockets, each roller pocket meant to receive at least one roller element,
• a portion extending radially inwardly on at least one of the first and second annular ring,
• wherein the portion is at least partly located at a radius being smaller than the radial location of the elongated axial members, the portion further extending in at least a part of the circumference of the at least one first and second annular ring,
• wherein the radially outer peripheral surface of the annular ring presenting the portion presents axial grooves at least at the circumference having the portion,
• wherein each axial groove is located at the axial end face of each roller pocket in such a way that a roller can be inserted and pulled out via the axial groove into and out of each roller pocket without deforming the cage.
• inserting or pulling out roller elements into or out of the roller pockets of the cage at the location where the portion is located axially outside the inner ring without deforming the cage.

12:

• A toroidal roller bearing having an outer and an inner ring, the toroidal roller bearing allowing for axial and angular displacement between the outer and inner ring, the cage comprising,
• a first and second annular ring displaced axially from each other,
• a plurality of elongated axial members interposed between the first and second annular ring and thereby forming a number of roller pockets, each roller pocket meant to receive at least one roller element,
• a portion extending radially inwardly on at least one of the first and second annular ring, the portion is at least partly located at a radius being smaller than the radial location of the elongated axial members, the portion further extending in at least a part of the circumference of the at least one first and second annular ring,
• wherein a radially outer peripheral surface of the at least one of the first and second annular ring presents axial grooves at least at the circumference having the portion, each of the axial grooves is located at the axial end face of each roller pocket in such a way that a roller can be inserted and pulled out via the axial groove into and out of each roller pocket, the cage being rigid and configured such that the each at least one roller elements can be inserted and/or removed from one of the number of pockets without deforming the cage and without removing the cage from the toroidal roller bearing.