Rolling bearing having a sealing assembly and water pump having same

A rolling bearing for water pumps, wherein the rolling bearing comprises a sealing arrangement and is configured for radial and axial mounting as well as sealing of a shaft of a water pump in a housing between a wet side, which is in contact with a liquid medium which flows through the water pump, and a dry side, which constitutes a drive side, the rolling bearing comprising:

• an outer ring and a shaft bearing section at which raceways for at least two axially adjacent rolling-element rows are formed;
• a plurality of rolling elements that are accommodated in at least one rolling-element cage and guided in the rolling-element rows;
• the sealing arrangement having a wet-side shaft seal arranged between the wet side and a rolling-element row;
• and a dry-side shaft seal arranged between a rolling-element row and the dry side;
• and
• a lubricant reservoir which is arranged circumferentially in a radial contact to the shaft section and the outer ring;
• wherein
• the lubricant reservoir comprises a substrate that is porous in at least some sections which, in its pores, includes a lubricant insoluble in water, wherein a volume of the lubricant reservoir and a volume of a lubricant filling which is delimited with respect to the lubricant reservoir and is a liquid cushion filled with the same lubricant, take up a total volume of spaces between the wet-side shaft seal and the dry-side shaft seal,
• a sealing function of the sealing arrangement is effected by an interaction of the lubricant reservoir with the shaft seals under an externally acting pressure of the liquid medium on the wet side.

A water pump for a coolant circuit in a vehicle, the water pump having a rolling bearing wherein the rolling bearing comprises a sealing arrangement and is configured for radial and axial mounting as well as sealing of a shaft of a water pump in a housing between a wet side, which is in contact with a liquid medium which flows through the water pump, and a dry side, which constitutes a drive side, the rolling bearing comprising:

• an outer ring and a shaft bearing section at which raceways for at least two axially adjacent rolling-element rows are formed;
• a plurality of rolling elements that are accommodated in at least one rolling-element cage and guided in the rolling-element rows;
• the sealing arrangement having a wet-side shaft seal arranged between the wet side and a rolling-element row;
• and a dry-side shaft seal arranged between a rolling-element row and the dry side;
• and
• a lubricant reservoir which is arranged circumferentially in a radial contact to the shaft section and the outer ring;
• wherein the lubricant reservoir comprises a substrate that is porous in at least some sections which, in its pores, includes a lubricant insoluble in water, wherein a volume of the lubricant reservoir and a volume of a lubricant filling which is delimited with respect to the lubricant reservoir and is a liquid cushion filled with the same lubricant, take up a total volume of spaces between the wet-side shaft seal and the dry-side shaft seal,
• a sealing function of the sealing arrangement is effected by an interaction of the lubricant reservoir with the shaft seals under an externally acting pressure of the liquid medium on the wet side;
• and
• the rolling bearing having the sealing arrangement being arranged inside a pump housing between a pump chamber in which a pump shaft is connected with a pump impeller and a drive side of the pump housing on which the pump shaft is driven.