Saint-gobain Performance Plastics Rencol Limited

Niki Samuel Woodhead

Andrew Robert Slayne

A tolerance ring having a first axial end, a second axial end, and a central axis, the tolerance ring including an annular band; a plurality of protrusions, all of the plurality of protrusions extending from the annular band; and a guide portion extending from the annular band towards the first axial end of the tolerance ring, where the guide portion includes a guide surface that is curved in an axial section.

Tolerance ring assembly

A tolerance ring has a hollow band with outwardly extending corrugated protrusions forming waves that engage an inner surface of a bore of a housing. At one end of the tolerance ring is an inwardly flared guide surface extending axially and radially from the band. The guide surface acts as a tapered entrance to assist the insertion of a shaft into the hollow band during assembly of the ring into the bore of the housing.

Method of using a tolerance ring

A tolerance ring has a band with outwardly extending corrugated protrusions forming waves that engage an outer surface of a shaft. At one end of the tolerance ring is an inwardly flared guide surface extending axially and radially from the band. The guide surface acts as a tapered entrance to a bore of a housing to assist during assembly.

A tolerance ring has a band () with outwardly extending corrugated protrusions forming waves () which engage a surface () of the bore () in a housing (). At one end of the tolerance ring is an outwardly flared guide surface () extending axially from the band (). The guide surface () acts as an enlarged entrance to the band () from a shaft () to be mounted in the bore () by insertion into the tolerance ring. The use of the guide surface () assists assembly and reduces or eliminates particle production. It is also possible for the corrugated portions to extend inwardly, for the guide surface to be inwardly flared, and for the tolerance ring to be mounted on the shaft prior to insertion in the bore.

A tolerance ring has a band () with outwardly extending corrugated protrusions forming waves () which engage a surface () of the bore () in a housing (). At one end of the tolerance ring is an outwardly flared guide surface () extending axially from the band (). The guide surface () acts as an enlarged entrance to the band () for a shaft () to be mounted in the bore () by insertion into the tolerance ring. The use of the guide surface () assists assembly and reduces or eliminates particle production. It is also possible for the corrugated portions to extend inwardly, for the guide surface to be inwardly flared, and for the tolerance ring to be mounted on the shaft prior to insertion in the bore.

Tolerance ring assembly for supporting a disk drive actuator bearing

A thin component such as the actuator arm () of a hard disk drive, is mounted on a pivot or pin (), such as the pivot assembly of the hard disk drive, using a ring (), e.g. a tolerance ring, having one or more projections (), wherein the engagement of the component () and the ring () is such as to apply a force to the component () in a direction which is inclined to both the radial and axial directions of the pivot or pin (). The pivot or pin () has a flange onto which the component () is pressed by the axial component of the force generated by the ring on the component. The edge of the ring () remote from the component () is engaged with a stop element, e.g. another flange () of the pivot or pin ().

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Bristol, United Kingdom

Niki Samuel Woodhead