GB2057592A - Mounting Rolling Bearings - Google Patents

Abstract

A rolling bearing has one of its races formed integrally, preferably as a one-piece plastics material moulding, with a mounting formation 20,58 enabling the mounting of the bearing relative to a fixture in a simple manner. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Integral Mounting and Bearing Arrangement This invention relates to roller element bearings, that is to say bearings of the type comprising two races between which are located roller elements, (balls or rollers) and which rotate relative to one another in a substantially frictionless manner in view of the presence of the said roller elements.

Such roller element bearings are extremely well known and are used in many instances in engineering. The most common type of roller element bearing comprises an inner race and an outer race between which the roller elements, most commonly balls, are arranged. The roller elements are sometimes held in spaced position by means of a cage, but bearings without roller element cages are also very common.

The majority of roller element bearings have their races made of metal, usually steel and the roller elements are also normally of steel, but for lighter loading applications, bearings in which the races are made of plastics material, and sometimes the roller bearing elements, are being used more extensively. The present invention derives from the use of plastics material for the races of roller bearings.

Conventionally, roller bearings are used for supporting rotary members, especially shafts, and where the bearing is of a type having an inner race and outer race, it is usual for the rotary shaft to be located in a bore in the inner race and for the outer race to be located in a bore in a fixed mounting. Dismounting of the bearing can therefore be difficult.

The present invention is concerned with a novel form of bearing and mounting arrangement not heretofore envisaged, and in accordance with the invention there is provided a roller bearing having two races with roller elements therebetween, one of the races being of plastics material and being integrally formed with a mounting part adapted for the mounting of the bearing relative to another coupling part or a fixture. The mounting part may take any convenient form. For example, the mounting part may be a flange with fixing apertures, and an outer race of the bearing may be integral with the said part, the inner race comprising a cylindrical sleeve. Again the mounting part may be a plastic moulded bracket with grooves enabling it to be fitted to a machine or apparatus by engagement of said grooves by ribs of the said machine or apparatus.

In a particular example, the mounting part may be adapted to be removably mounted on a coupling part, the coupling part being adapted to be mounted on a fixture.

Preferably, the said mounting and coupling parts may conveniently be adapted to be connected by means of a readily releasable dovetail connection, so that the parts can be connected or disconnected by a simple relative sliding movement.

The coupling part may be provided with fixing holes whereby it can be secured to a fixture simply by screws or bolts.

Preferably also, bearing races are of plastics material, and the bearing is of a type having an inner race and an outer race, between which are arranged one or more rows of roller elements in the form of steel balls.

There may also be a ball cage for each row of balls, which cage or cages conveniently can be in plastics material.

By forming the mounting and one of the races integrally in plastics material (for example by injection moulding) production of the combined mounting part and bearing is simplified.

A particular use for the preferred form of the invention is the supporting of control instruments in small boats. The coupling part can be screwed to the inside of the boat hull so that the mounting part can be connected thereto by being slid downwards into a dove tail groove also in the fixed part, and so that the bearing lies with its axis horizontal to enable the inner race to receive a horizontal rotatable shaft of the particular instrument (for example a gyroscopic compass) to be supported. It is to be mentioned however that the invention is not to be considered as being limited to this particular use, as it has many other uses in engineering as will be explained hereinafter.

The said mounting part of the bearing and the other races can be formed in any suitable plastics material such as nylon or acetyl copolymer.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is an exploded persepctive view of a bearing/mounting combination according to the invention; Figs. 2 and 3 respectively are a front view and a plan of the bearing/mounting combination shown in Fig. 1, but when in assembled condition; Fig. 4 is a sectional plan of the bearing/mounting combination shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the section being taken on line IV-IV of Fig.

2; Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively a perspective view and a sectional view of a bearing/mounting combination according to another embodiment of the invention; Fig. 7 is a persepctive view, to a reduced scale, illustrating one use of the mounting/bearing combination shown in Figs. 5 and 6; and Figs. 8, 9 and 10 respectively are a perspective view, a side view and a sectional view on line X X of Fig. 8 of a bearing/mounting combination according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the bearing/mounting combination shown therein is for the support of a horizontal rotatable shaft of an instrument such as a gyroscopic compass of a small boat, and the arrangement comprises a coupling part and a mounting part in the form respectively of two plates 10 and 12 formed in plastics material. As shown the plate 10 has, opening to one face thereof, a dove-tail slot 14, the slot 14 decreasing in cross-section, in tapered fashion, from the top edge 16 of the plate 10 to the bottom edge 1 8. Similarly, the plate 1 2 is of dove-tail cross-section and tapers in width from the top edge 20 to the bottom edge 22 so that the plate 12 can fit snugly in the slot 14 by sliding same downwards in the direction of arrow 24.

Plate 12 is removed from the slot 14 by sliding same upwards in a direction opposite to the direction of arrow 24.

The bearing of the combination is indicated by numeral 26, and as best shown in Fig. 4 comprises an outer race 28 and an inner race 30.

The bearing axis 32 lies at right angles to the plane of plate 12, and formed concentrically with the said axis 32 is a bore 34 in the inner race 30 for the reception of the horizontal rotatable shaft of the boat instrument.

The bearing 26 has two rows of balls 36 located between the races as shown, and ball cages 38 serve to keep the balls in regular, spaced disposition.

The outer race 28 of the bearing and the plate 12 of the mounting are formed integrally in plastics material and in actual fact plate 16, inner race 30 and cage 38 are also formed in similar plastics material. The balls 36 are in this example of steel.

Fixing holes 40, which are countersunk as shown, are formed in the plate 10 in order that said plate can be screwed to the inside of the boat hull.

By the arrangement provided, the bearing 26 and the plate 12 are removable from the plate 16 in a simple manner, and if the bearing 26 carries the entire boat instrument, then the instrument can be removed with the bearing and plate 26 for replacement, repair or stowage, and an extremely convenient arrangement is provided.

It is to be appreciated that the parts of the mounting may be connectible and disconnectible in a fashion other than by providing the dove-tail connection shown, and it is also possible to provide the inner race and the mounting part as the integrally connected components.

Referring now to Figs. 5, 6 and 7, in these Figs.

another embodiment of the invention is shown. In this embodiment a roller bearing is provided with an inner race 50 and an outer race 52. Between the races is a single row or balls 54 enabling the races to rotate relatively and frictionlessly. A plastics material cage 56 serves to hold the balls in spaced circumferential position.

The races 52 and 50 are injection moulded in suitable plastics material, and race 52 is formed integrally with a mounting flange formation 58 in the form of a pair of lugs provided with apertures 60 for the anchoring of the flange formations to a suitable fixture by means of screws or bolts 62 as illustrated in Fig. 7. Fig. 7 shows also a shaft rotatably carried by the inner race 50, the shaft being referenced 64. The principle of the invention is evident also in this embodiment in that a race and mounting formation are formed integrally as a one-piece plastic component, preferably injection moulded.

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 show yet another embodiment of the invention, and in these figures, there is shown a mounting bracket 70 for the pivotal mounting of a camera. The bracket has a stub shaft 72 by which the bracket 70 can be pivotally mounted on a mounting plate, and a formation 74 of square configuration which has a bore 76 for receiving a shaft attached to the camera. The formation 74 defines with the main body 78 of the bracket, a retention groove 80 of the shape shown in Fig. 9, so that said groove can be engaged by a retention plate of the fixture on which the bracket is adapted to be pivotally mounted by means of stub shaft 72. When the retention plate is engaged in the groove 80, the bracket 70 is held firmly. In actual fact there will be two such brackets for holding a camera.

If reference is made to Fig. 10, it will be seen that the bore 76 is co-axial with the bore of an inner circular bearing race 82, which race is rotatable relative to an outer race 84 by means of a row of balls 86 interposed between the races.

The race 84 is formed integrally with the bracket 70, in accordance with the embodiment of the invention. When the camera shaft is engaged in the bore 76, it will be supported by the race 82 for rotation relative to the bracket 70.

Claims (8)

Claims

1. A roller bearing having two races with rolling elements therebetween, one of the races being of plastics material and being integrally formed with a mounting part adapted for the mounting of the bearing relative to another coupling part or a fixture.

2. A roller bearing according to Claim 1, wherein the mounting part is in the form of a flange with fixing apertures.

3. A roller bearing according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the bearing has inner and outer races, and the outer race is integral with said mounting part, the inner race comprising a cyiindrical sleeve.

4. A roller bearing according to Claim 1,2 or 3, wherein the mounting part is a plastics material bracket with grooves enabling it to be fitted to a machine or apparatus by engagement of said grooves by ribs of said machine or apparatus.

4. A roller bearing according to Claim 1, wherein the mounting part is adapted to be removably mounted on a coupling part, the coupling part being adapted to be mounted on a fixture.

5. A roller bearing according to Claim 4, wherein the mounting and coupling parts are adapted to be connected by means of a readily releasable dove-tail connection, so that the parts can be connected or disconnected by a simple relative sliding movement.

6. A roller bearing according to any preceding claim wherein both races of the bearing are of plastics material.

7. A roller bearing according to any preceding claim wherein the races are relatively rotatable by having one or more rows of balls located therebetween, the balls of the or each row being held in spaced relation by means of plastics material cages.

8. A roller bearing substantially as any of the embodiments as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.