Method of assembling high-performance low-torque anti-friction bearing assembly

That method of assembling a heavy-duty anti-friction bearing assembly in preloaded contact with each of two rows of balls for supporting a stabilized platform or the like with minimal torque losses under loads capable to causing distortion of said assembly including simultaneously occuring axial, radial and moment loads and including first and second concentric rings one of which has an annular radial nose formed with an arcuate annular raceway on the opposite lateral sides thereof and the other of which is provided with a pair of arcuate annular raceways each diagonally opposite a respective one of said nose ring raceways and wherein each of said raceways has the same radius and an arcuate width of substantially 90 degrees and wherein bisectors through said diagonally opposite pairs of said substantially 90 degree wide raceways lie on the opposite sides of a plane between and normal to the axis of said bearing assembly, said method comprising:

• providing one of said rings with a ball charging passage opening radially through one of said raceways with the axis thereof lying generally in the midwidth of said one raceway;
• supporting said first and second rings in partially overlapped concentric relation with the nose of said nose ring generally opposite the adjacent end of said ball charging passage;
• charging a first row of balls into a plurality of ball separators located between the pair of raceways spaced farthest apart;
• shifting said first and second rings substantially into fully assembled concentric relation;
• inserting a second row of indtical balls through said ball charging passage which balls are sized to place all balls both rows thereof under a desired preload with minimal torque losses under simultaneously occuring axial, radial and moment loading conditions;
• and
• closing said charging passage with plug means having substantially the entire inner end thereof shape to merge smoothly with and form a part of all contiguous portion of the adjacent one of said raceways.