The Torrington Company

Richard L Alling

Richard W Shepard

Stephen T Podhajecki

Chander Prakash Bhateja

Dean E Johnston

Carl R Christenson

Richard John Woiten

Robert H Tofield

Clyde L Landrum

Daniel R McLarty

Gunter J Zinken

Curtis H Perkins

Jeffrey P Benson

First and second raceways are positioned against a needle roller and cage subassembly, having needle rollers arranged in a plane along a pitch circle and retained within a cage, such that the rollers facilitate free rotation of the second raceway relative to the first raceway when a thrust load is applied through the first and second raceways. At least one of the first and second raceways has a recessed portion such that diametrically opposite rollers are loaded when the thrust load is applied while other rollers are unloaded, thereby facilitating linear translation of the second raceway relative to the first raceway.

Translating rotating thrust bearing

A roller cage for an axial-thrust bearing in a rotating machine has a substantially flat annular body with a first face, a second face, a radially inner surface, a radially outer surface, and a plurality of radially-arrayed substantially rectangular roller pockets with axially oriented sidewalls and endwalls. The cage also has features which provide enhanced flow of lubricant, present within the rotating machine, through the radially arrayed roller pockets during operation of the rotating machine. Rollers are retained within the pockets by a single projection on the sidewall of each pocket at the first face and another single projection on the other sidewall at the second face. Cage design in conjunction with inner and outer race design assures direction of lubricant flow to locations with greatest lubrication and cooling requirements. Because of its simple straight-surface design the cage of the invention is relatively simple to fabricate from polymers by polymer molding processes or from metals by fine flow blanking or ribbon forming and coining techniques.

Axial-thrust bearing with improved lubricant flow

A shield has an outer periphery portion engaging a grooved outer bearing ring, an inner periphery portion adjacent an inner bearing ring, and a mid portion joining the outer periphery portion and the inner periphery portion. The outer periphery portion has an annular reverse bend and terminates in an annular flat surface having radially outer and radially inner edge portions. The radially outer edge portion and the radially inner edge portion and the reverse bend each contact the grooved outer bearing ring to retain the shield axially and radially.

Shield for rolling element bearings

A flat, thin ring is formed into a modified ring having bridge material between adjacent, initial ball pockets. Movable anvils having a rounded surface are positioned within the initial ball pockets and the bridge material is flattened such that a flat bridge is formed between adjacent final ball pockets enclosing more than a 180 degree circumference of the rounded surface. The movable anvils are then moved such that the final ball pockets do not enclose more than a 180 degree circumference of the rounded surface to facilitate removal of the movable anvils from the final ball pockets. A method of assembling a ball bearing assembly is also described.

Method of forming one-piece metallic ball bearing cage

A flat strip of metal is formed to provide a depressed center relief portion between two edge portions. Depressions are formed in the two edge portions and center slots are pierced across the center relief portion such that roller receiving slots are formed with slot end depressions at both ends of the roller receiving slots. The partially formed bearing cage is then formed into a circular hoop such that the edge portions form rings at the axial ends of the circular hoop. The resulting roller bearing cage of the present invention may also be formed by other methods.

Method of making a bearing cage with depressed slot end

A flat, thin ring is formed into a modified ring having bridge material between adjacent, initial ball pockets. Movable anvils having a rounded surface are positioned within the initial ball pockets and the bridge material is reformed such that a substantially flat bridge is formed between adjacent final ball pockets conforming to more than a 180 degree circumference of the rounded surface. The movable anvils are then moved such that the final ball pockets do not conform to more than a 180 degree circumference of the rounded surface to facilitate removal of the movable anvils from the final ball pockets. A method of assembling a ball bearing assembly is also described.

Method of assembling a bearing

Bearing cage with depressed slot end

A strip of metal is pierced intermediate the edges thereof to form slots for rollers and is bent adjacent the edges to form flanges. Each bend intersects the slots such that the slots wrap around the bends into the flanges. The strip of metal is then formed into a circular hoop such that the flanges form axially spaced end rims to retain the rollers axially. Crossbars between the slots are offset radially in a sigma configuration to retain the rollers radially. Edges of the slots may be specially formed to facilitate flow of lubricant through a roller bearing.

Roller bearing sigma cage

Material is first formed into a flat ring. Ball receiving pockets are formed in the flat ring leaving bridge material between adjacent pockets. Bridge material between adjacent pockets is flattened such that the bridge material spreads to meet the adjacent bearing balls, thereby locking the retainer within a ball bearing assembly. The resulting substantially flat bridge between adjacent reconfigured ball pockets is then crimped such that ends of the bridge are moved slightly toward each other and pressure of the reconfigured ball pockets against the bearing balls is reduced.

Method of making a one-piece ball bearing retainer

A retainer for use with a needle roller bearing having crossbars with an inverted trapezoidal shape such that the cross bars shape increases roller retention. A method for manufacturing the enhanced retention retainer is described which also eliminates the need for post piercing burr removal.

Method for making a retainer having enhanced roller retention

A method of welding bearing retainer rings comprising the steps of: assembling two annular metal retainer rings and a plurality of bearing balls, each retainer ring having a plurality of ball pockets spaced about the ring, the ball pockets of one retainer ring being aligned with the ball pockets of the other retainer ring, a bearing ball being located within each ball pocket; applying pressure to the retainer rings; and then exposing at least a portion of the area of the retainer rings between adjacent ball pockets to a coherent high-energy beam of radiation thereby fusing the retainer rings together at a plurality of locations.

Method of welding retainer rings

A method for manufacturing ball bearing retainers by forming material into a helical coil consisting of a plurality of coils, then severing a coil of the helical coil to form a split ring, the severed ends overlapping one another. The split ring is then pressed to form a ball pocket opposite the overlapping severed ends. The remaining ball pockets are formed by successively pressing the split ring forming a pair of ball pockets, each ball pocket being adjacent a previously formed ball pocket.

Method of manufacturing ball bearing retainers

A split ring antifriction bearing retainer assembled from two mating annular split rings. Each split ring has a plurality of ball pockets. When the two split rings are assembled, the ball pockets of one split ring are aligned with the ball pockets of the other split ring. The ends of one split ring are angularly offset from the ends of the other split ring.

Split ring antifriction bearing retainer

A cage and roller assembly in a hardened thrust bearing race is restrained within the race by heating a plurality of circumferentially widely separated parts of the race lip to soften the lip parts and bending the softened parts over the cage of the cage and roller assembly. An apparatus for assembling the thrust bearing includes a pair of electrodes located to apply a current through the lip to soften the lip and a form punch which is constructed to bend the softened part of the lip over a cage and roller assembly to an acute angle with respect to the rest of the lip.

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Torrington, CT, United States of America

Richard L Alling