US 5,399,026 A · Bearing with lubricating ring for providing supplemental lubrication

Abstract

A bearing, such as a tapered roller bearing, has races provided with opposed raceways and rollers which lie in a circular row between the races and have side faces along which they contact the raceways. In addition, the bearing has a rib provided with an abutment face located at the end of one of its raceways. The ends of the rollers contact this face, and here the bearing experiences its greatest friction. Even though the bearing loses its normal supply of lubrication, it still will not be damaged by the friction between the end faces of the rollers and the abutment face of the rib, since it contains a supplemental source of lubrication. To this end, the bearing includes a lubricating ring having a band which extends across the end faces of the rollers and tabs which project from the band into the spaces between the rollers so as to be presented opposite the abutment face on the thrust rib. The band carries a substance which holds a lubricant, and this substance contacts the end faces of the rollers to release its lubricant to the roller end faces should the bearing lose its normal supply of lubrication. Likewise, the tabs carry a substance which holds a lubricant, and this substance contacts the abutment face of the thrust rib, releasing its lubricant to the abutment face when the bearing loses its normal supply of lubrication. Thus, the critical surfaces of the bearing remain lubricated even when the normal supply of lubrication for the bearing is interrupted or fails.

Claims18

Dependent claims

An antifriction bearing comprising:

first and second races having opposed raceways, at least one of the races also having a rib located at an end of its raceway, with the rib having an abutment face adjacent to the end of the raceway;
rollers arranged in a circular row between the races and having side faces which contact the raceways so that the rollers roll along the raceways when one race rotates relative to the other race, the rollers also having end faces which are positioned opposite the rib and contact the abutment face of the rib as the rollers roll along the raceways;
and lubricating means presented opposite the abutment face of the rib for holding a lubricant and releasing it to the abutment face when the abutment face becomes starved for traditional lubrication, the lubricating means including a band which is located generally between the races and extends along those end faces of the rollers which contact the abutment face and tabs which project from the band into spaces between the rollers where the tabs contact the abutment face of the rib, the lubricating means holding the lubricant at the tabs so that the lubricant can be released to the abutment face of the rib.

An antifriction bearing comprising:

first and second races having opposed raceways;
a rib located along one of the races and having an abutment face located adjacent to an end of the raceway on that race;
rollers arranged in a circular row between the races and having side faces which contact the raceways so that the rollers roll along the raceways when one race rotates relative to the other race, the rollers also having first and second end faces with the first end faces being positioned opposite the rib and contacting the abutment face of the rib as the rollers roll along the raceways;
a cage having end rings extending past the first and second end faces of the rollers and bridges extending between the end rings and along the rollers such that they maintain generally uniform spacing between the rollers;
and a lubricating ring separate and detached from the cage and being rotatable relative to the rib as the rollers roll along the raceways, the lubricating ring including a band that is located between the rib and one of the end rings on the cage and extends past the first end faces of the rollers that bear against the abutment face, the band having a lubricating substance that is presented opposite the first end faces of the rollers such that the substance wipes the first end faces as the lubricating ring rotates, the lubricating substance holding a lubricant and being capable of releasing that lubricant to the first end faces of the rollers when the first end faces become starved for traditional lubrication, the lubricating ring also including tabs which project from the band into the spaces between the rollers and have a lubricating substance that is presented opposite and wipes the abutment face of the rib, the lubricating substance of the tabs holding a lubricant which it will release to the abutment face when the abutment face becomes starved for traditional lubrication.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Bearing with lubricating ring for providing supplemental lubrication

Life of this patent

Bearing with lubricating ring for providing supplemental lubrication

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18