The Torrington Company

Stephen T Podhajecki

Richard L Alling

Richard W Shepard

Robert H Tofield

Clyde L Landrum

Walter P Waskiewicz

A John Santos

Daniel R McLarty

Mark E LaCroix

John H Rhodes

John H Hubbard

Curtis H Perkins

A plurality of rollers is positioned between side members of a longitudinally-split, two-piece bearing race and a backup member that supports the two-piece bearing race along the length of side members. The backup member has angled surfaces such that ends of the rollers are closer to the angled surfaces than are intermediate portions of the roller. The two side members of the two-piece bearing race may be spread apart such that the angled surfaces of the backup member direct the side members of the two-piece bearing race toward the rollers to decrease the roller clearance and to create a preload.

Adjustable, self-aligning, linear roller bearing

A drawn cup wheel bearing is mounted within an axle tube and supports an axle shaft mounted in the drawn cup wheel bearing with a vehicle mounting flange of the axle shaft positioned axially outwardly of the axle tube. An annular target is supported from the vehicle mounting flange of the axle shaft such that the target is positioned axially inwardly of the vehicle mounting flange and is positioned over the axle tube. A sensor is supported from the axle tube over the annular target for sensing rotation of the annular target.

Sensor system for sensing axle speed

Two axially spaced retailer end rings have axially inwardly extending blades forming circumferentially spaced roller pockets. No rigid connection of the end rings is provided. Circumferentially spaced rollers are aligned parallel to the bearing axis between the end rings such that ends of the rollers are received within the roller pockets. Abutment means limits axially outward movement of the end rings. The blades of the end rings have retention surfaces retaining the rollers radially and extend axially inwardly, parallel to the bearing axis, such that skew of the rollers is limited.

High capacity roller 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 plurality of wedge-shaped separator elements are pivotably mounted on a retainer ring such that the separator elements may space rollers of a roller bearing circumferentially. The separator elements include a narrow portion for engagement with a thrust flange of one of the inner and outer bearing rings to restrain the bearing retainer in the axially outward direction and include a wide portion for engagement with the rollers to retain the rollers in one of the radially outward and radially inward directions. The retainer ring engages the rollers to retain the bearing retainer in the axially inward direction.

Modular retainer assembly

The cage portion of a cage and roller assembly has two annular end rims joined by cross-bars around the periphery of each rim. The rims and cross-bars define multiple pockets which hold the rollers. The cross-bars are configured to contain the rollers within these pockets; in addition, coined ramp surfaces and land surfaces on the cross-bar outer surfaces extend radially outward farther than the outer surfaces of the end rims and are configured to provide improved lubrication between the outer surface of the cage and an outer raceway.

Cage outer diameter profile

A single retainer retains two sets of circumferentially separated rollers. The retainer is made from flat metal stock. A method for making a double row retainer bearing from strip stock is disclosed.

Method for making a double row roller bearing retainer

A single retainer retains two sets of circumferentially separated rollers. The retainer is made from flat metal stock. The retainer includes a pair of axially separated end rings interconnected by circumferentially separated axially extending cross-bars, and an axially centered ring. The axially centered ring may be an integral center ring or a separate metal band which has been attached to the cross-bars by methods such as welding.

Growing community of inventors

Norfolk, CT, United States of America

Stephen T Podhajecki