Flexible cage for rolling bearing
AssigneeAktiebolaget Skf
InventorMaurizio Bertola
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A flexible cage of a rolling bearing belonging to a wheel hub assembly for motor vehicles, having a substantially circular rib and a plurality of fingers which extend from a side of the rib and have a base portion, the rib and the fingers having partially spherical concave surfaces defining together a plurality of partially spherical cavities for retaining respective rolling bodies. The rib has substantially straight portions, each of them integrally connected to a base portion of a finger, substantially oblique portions and protrusion portions.
Claims9
A flexible cage of a rolling bearing belonging to a wheel hub assembly for motor vehicles, the flexible cage comprising:
- a substantially circular rib;
- and
- a plurality of fingers extending from a side of the rib and have a base portion, the rib and the plurality of fingers have partially spherical concave surfaces defining together a plurality of partially spherical cavities, each partially spherical cavity of a size and shape to retain a respective rolling body,
- wherein the substantially circular rib includes substantially straight portions, each substantially circular rib is steadily connected to a base portion of a respective finger of the plurality of fingers, substantially oblique portions and protrusion portions.
A wheel hub group for motor vehicles, comprising a hub and a rolling bearing in turn comprising:
- a radially outer ring provided with respective radially outer raceways;
- a radially inner ring provided with respective radially internal raceways;
- and
- two rows of rolling bodies positioned between the corresponding internal and external raceways, the group being characterized in that the two rows of rolling bodies are held in position by corresponding flexible cages,
- wherein each flexible cage comprises:
- a substantially circular rib;
- and
- a plurality of fingers extending from a side of the rib and have a base portion, the rib and the plurality of fingers have partially spherical concave surfaces defining together a plurality of partially spherical cavities, each partially spherical cavity of a size and shape to retain a respective rolling body,
- wherein the substantially circular rib includes substantially straight portions, each substantially circular rib is steadily connected to a base portion of a respective finger of the plurality of fingers, substantially oblique portions and protrusion portions.
A method for assembling a flexible cage inside a rolling bearing belonging to a wheel hub group for motor vehicles,
- the flexible cage comprising:
- a substantially circular rib;
- and
- a plurality of fingers extending from a side of the rib and have a base portion, the rib and the plurality of fingers have partially spherical concave surfaces defining together a plurality of partially spherical cavities, each partially spherical cavity of a size and shape to retain a respective rolling body, and
- wherein the substantially circular rib includes substantially straight portions, each substantially circular rib is steadily connected to a base portion of a respective finger of the plurality of fingers, substantially oblique portions and protrusion portions,
- the wheel hub group comprising:
- a hub and a rolling bearing in turn comprising:
- a radially outer ring provided with respective radially outer raceways,
- a radially inner ring provided with respective radially internal raceways,
- two rows of rolling bodies positioned between the corresponding internal and external raceways, wherein the two rows of rolling bodies are held in position by corresponding flexible cages,
- the method for assembling the flexible cage inside the rolling bearing comprising steps of:
- positioning the flexible cage from the axially internal side of the radially outer ring of the rolling bearing;
- applying a circumferentially external force to the flexible cage to reduce the diameter (Φ) of the circumference (C) that circumscribes the flexible cage;
- inserting the flexible cage inside the radially outer ring through the minimum diameter (DK) of the radially outer ring;
- positioning the flexible cage in a respective seat inside the radially outer ring;
- removing the circumferentially external force so that the flexible cage returns to an original shape.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.