Mechanism for pre-loading bearings
AssigneeThe Cross Company
InventorFrank R. Mottershead
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus is provided for mounting a rotatable member such as a machine tool spindle within a bore provided in a housing, the rotatable member being journaled in a number of bearings. A bearing support sleeve disposed within the bore to support the bearings includes a first portion tightly fitted in the bore, a second portion slip-fitted in the bore and positioned to apply a pre-load force to the bearings, and a yieldable member joining the first and second portions. The pressure in a fluid system associated with the yieldable member is increased to deform the yieldable member and to thereby urge the second portion axially to apply a pre-load force to the bearings which corresponds to the pressure increase.
Claims10
A mechanism of a type comprising a bearing (18) for rotatably mounting a first machine tool member (14) and means (22,28) for pre-loading the bearing (18) and supporting the bearing (18) and first machine tool member (14) with respect to a second machine tool member (10), said means characterized by:
- a sleeve (22) having a first portion (22a) held in immovable relationship by said second member (10), a second portion (22b) carrying said bearing (18) and displaceable along the axis of said sleeve, and a portion (22c) interconnecting said first and second sleeve portions and displaceable along the axis of said sleeve;
- and
- means (28) for controllably urging said interconnecting portion (22c), said second portion (22b) and said bearing (18) away from said first portion (22a) to selectively increase the pre-load applied to said bearing (18).
Apparatus for mounting a machine tool spindle in a bore provided in a housing, said apparatus comprising:
- a bearing support sleeve disposed within said housing which comprises a first portion tightly fitted within said bore, second and third portions disposed for axial displacement within said bore, and first and second yieldable members respectively joining said first portion and said second portion, and said first portion and said third portion;
- sensing means abutting said third portion for taking up an axial force urging said third portion toward said sensing means, and for generating a signal representing said axial force;
- first and second bearings having their inner races locked to said spindle for axial displacement therewith, the outer race of said first bearing positioned to be urged axially by said second portion and the outer race of said second bearing positioned to urge said third portion axially against said sensing means, said first and second bearings each being of a type wherein an axial force applied to one of the bearing races is transmitted to the other;
- and
- a system of fluid under pressure for selectively deforming said first yieldable member to urge said second portion and the outer race of said first bearing axially, and thus pre-load said first and second bearings against said sensing means and through said spindle and said third portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.