Self-aligning roller bearing with retainer and manufacturing method for self-aligning roller bearing retainer

A self-aligning roller bearing with retainer comprising:

• an outer ring formed with a spherically concave surfaced outer raceway on an inner peripheral surface thereof;
• an inner ring formed with a pair of inner raceways so as to oppose the outer raceway on an outer peripheral surface thereof, a plurality of spherical rollers provided so as to be freely rotatable in two rows between the outer raceway and the inner raceways, and a retainer having a plurality of pockets for holding the respective spherical rollers so that they may rotate freely,
• wherein the retainer is manufactured integrally by carrying out turning or grinding processing on a material of a copper based alloy or an iron based alloy and provided with an annular rim section disposed between the both rows of spherical rollers, and a plurality of column sections disposed in the axial direction of the outer ring and inner ring with their base end sections joined to a plurality of positions around the circumferential direction of the side surface in the axial direction of the rim section, and their respective end sections not joined to another section, being free ends, and portions between the column sections that are co-adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction are made the pockets,
• wherein a length of the column sections is greater than a half of the length in the axial direction of the spherical rollers,
• an end portion of the side surface in the circumferential direction of the respective column sections projects further in the circumferential direction than an intermediate portion thereof, and
• a distance between the side surfaces in the circumferential direction of the end sections of the column sections that are co-adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction is smaller than a maximum diameter of the spherical rollers
• wherein the position of the retainer in the radial direction is controlled based on engagement of the surfaces on both sides in the circumferential direction of the column sections, with the rolling surface of the spherical rollers.

A self-aligning roller bearing with retainer comprising:

• an outer ring formed with a spherically concave surfaced outer raceway on an inner peripheral surface thereof;
• an inner ring formed with a pair of inner raceways so as to oppose the outer raceway on an outer peripheral surface thereof, a plurality of spherical rollers provided so as to be freely rotatable in two rows between the outer raceway and the inner raceways, and a retainer having a plurality of pockets for holding the respective spherical rollers so that they may rotate freely,
• wherein the retainer is manufactured integrally by carrying out cutting or grinding processing on a material of a copper based alloy or an iron based alloy and provided with an annular rim section disposed between the both rows of spherical rollers, and a plurality of column sections disposed in the axial direction of the spherical rollers with their base end sections joined to a plurality of positions around the circumferential direction of the side surface in the axial direction of the rim section, and end sections not joined to another section, being free ends, and portions between the column sections that are co-adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction are made the pockets,
• wherein surfaces on both sides in the circumferential direction of the respective column sections are concave curved surfaces that oppose a rolling surface of the spherical rollers across a pocket clearance into which lubricant oil can be fed, and in the case where a sectional shape of the concave curved surface is expressed in terms of the axial direction and the radial direction of the retainer, a radius of curvature of the sectional shape in the axial direction is greater than or equal to the radius of curvature of the rolling surface of the spherical rollers in the axial direction, and the radius of curvature of the sectional shape in the radial direction is greater than the radius of curvature of the rolling surface about the circumferential direction by just the size of the pocket clearance, and
• wherein the surfaces on both sides in the circumferential direction of the column sections and the surface on one side in the axial direction of the rim section are made continuous at a corner section of each pocket, via undercut concave sections which respectively consist of a concave curved surface having a sectional arc shape of a radius of curvature greater than or equal to 1 mm,
• wherein the position of the retainer in the radial direction is controlled based on engagement of the surfaces on both sides in the circumferential direction of the column sections, with the rolling surface of the spherical rollers.