CN116964343A

CN116964343A - Bearing protector

Info

Publication number: CN116964343A
Application number: CN202280016463.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: D·J·瓦迪尔
Original assignee: Evapco Inc
Current assignee: Evapco Inc
Priority date: 2021-03-02
Filing date: 2022-03-02
Publication date: 2023-10-27
Also published as: BR112023016186A2; JP2024508892A; EP4301995A1; CA3208259A1; WO2022187293A1; KR20230153433A; AU2022230387A1; MX2023010015A; ZA202308338B; IL305620A

Abstract

A split bearing protector with flexible design that increases improved moisture protection for the bearing and that can be installed without removing the bearing from the machine in which it is installed.

Description

Bearing protector

Technical Field

The present invention relates to bearing seals.

Background

Ball bearings are commonly used to support the vertical axis of an air moving fan in cooling equipment such as cooling towers. When these bearings are used outdoors, particularly in saturated cooling tower environments, they are subject to water condensation and subsequent penetration through seals, leading to premature lubrication failure, corrosion of the bearings, and ultimately mechanical failure. Bearings "flinger" and "flinger" are commonly used in these applications to reduce water penetration into bearings.

But these prior art bearing protectors have had limited success. None of the prior art bearing protectors are easy to install or replace on existing equipment and many designs do not adequately protect the bearing from water condensation but only serve to reduce the ingress of rain water. Other designs are compatible with only one type or particular type of bearing.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention solves the problems of the prior art by providing a second protective grease seal for a closely fitting through shaft and can be mounted on a variety of common brands of bearings without the need to disassemble the shaft from the bearings.

According to various embodiments of the present invention, a bearing protector is provided having a generally radial or annular housing configured to fit snugly around the shaft and bearing assembly (i.e., around the lock ring of the bearing and on the outer race of the bearing), but when the housing is secured to the bearing assembly and shaft, a space is created between the bearing assembly and the bearing protector, which may be filled with a protective grease. The annular housing is not continuous but is characterized by the first and second ends abutting each other when secured to the shaft and bearing assembly. The annular housing is flexible enough so that its annular shape can be opened, for example by being unfolded or twisted, separating the first and second ends so that it can be placed around the shaft and bearing without removing the shaft from the bearing. Once the protector has been mounted around the bearing and shaft and allowed to relax, the first and second ends of the protector will abut or nearly abut each other and may be tightly secured to each other by snap-fit, screws, nuts and bolts or any other securing method and/or device.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the bearing protector is formed of a radial cup structure having an inner diameter closely matching the bearing lock ring or inner ring extension and fitting and being connected to the bearing lock ring, the extended inner ring, the shaft or a combination thereof. This cup-like structure radiates downwardly and outwardly and is adjacent the bearing cup. A cavity is formed between the primary bearing seal and the structure or bearing protector. The cavity receives grease through a bearing primary seal located at the bearing surface. The cavity is filled with grease that drains from the primary bearing seal and discharges water and/or contaminants that would normally come into contact with the primary bearing seal. The bearing protector is "cut" down on one side to enable it to be deformed into an open position for placement laterally on the shaft without touching the end of the shaft. The protector may be secured to the bearing lock ring or the extended inner race by friction, screws, bolts and nuts, snap fit, or any known fastening means.

According to various embodiments of the present invention, the bearing protector may be made of acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate ("ASA") such that the product is suitable for 3D printing in addition to other manufacturing methods including injection molding. The foregoing is not intended to limit the invention to any particular material or method of manufacture, so long as the product is flexible enough to open about an axis for installation and strong enough to retain shape and performance after installation.

Drawings

Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which:

fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a bearing protector according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 shows a first step of a method of installing a bearing protector by deforming and opening a slit structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 shows a second step of the method of installing a bearing protector according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4 shows a grease chamber formed between a primary bearing seal and a bearing protector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 shows a close-up of a secondary grease seal formed between a primary bearing outer race and a bearing protector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Features in the drawings are numbered with the following reference numerals:

1 bearing protector 3 front 5 shaft facing surface (Shaft Facing Surface) 7 side

9 the surface of the locking ring portion 11 conical flange portion 12 cavity 13 facing the outer race (outer race facing surface)

14 bearing outer race 15 slit/opening 16 primary bearing seal 17 first end

18 secondary grease seal 19 second end

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1, the bearing protector 1 may be formed of an annular cup-shaped structure having a front face 3 and a side face 7, the front face 3 defining an annular shaft facing surface 5, the side face 7 having a lock ring portion 9, a tapered flange portion 11 and an outer race facing surface 13. The inner diameter of the collar portion 9 may be configured to closely match the shape and outer diameter of the bearing collar, inner ring extension or shaft to snugly fit thereon during installation and use. The tapered flange portion 11 extends downwardly and away from the lock ring portion 9 and terminates in an outer race facing surface 13. The annular shape of the bearing protector 1 is interrupted by a slit or opening 15 defined by a first end 17 and a second end 19 of the annular bearing protector 1.

The bearing protector 1 of the present invention is flexible enough so that it can twist so that the first end 17 and the second end 19 can be separated by a distance sufficient to allow the shaft to pass therebetween, thereby allowing the bearing protector to be installed and removed without separating the bearing from the shaft. Referring to fig. 2, once protector 1 has been placed around the shaft with shaft facing surface 5 snugly fitting around the shaft, it may be pressed down on the surfaces of the lock ring and outer ring, as shown in fig. 3. Fig. 4 shows a tapered (triangular in cross-section) cavity 12 defined by the inner surface of the tapered flange portion 11 and the bearing main seal 16. When lubricating the bearing, the cavity is filled with grease discharged from the main seal of the bearing. This cavity is shown in close-up in fig. 5. The primary bearing seal 16 contacts the inner and outer race surfaces of the adjoining bearing. When the cavity 12 is filled with grease, the outer race facing surface 13 and the bearing outer race 14 form a secondary grease seal 18. The secondary grease seal reduces exposure of contaminants to the primary bearing seal 16. The secondary seal 18 is a close tolerance, non-contact, grease filled gap of 0.0005 "to 0.010".

The first and second ends 17, 19 may be securely fastened to one another by bolts and nuts, screws, snap-fit or other known fastening methods or structures. When installed around the shaft and bearing assembly, a cavity is formed between the bearing surface and the inner surface of the tapered flange portion 11. The cavity receives grease through a bearing primary seal located at the bearing surface. The cavity is filled with grease that drains from the primary bearing seal and discharges water and/or contaminants that would normally come into contact with the primary bearing seal.

Claims

1. A bearing protector comprising:

an annular structure having a front face defining an annular shaft contact surface and a side face including a lock ring portion and a tapered flange portion;

wherein the inner diameter of the lock ring portion is configured to surround the outer diameter of the bearing lock ring;

wherein the tapered portion extends axially away from the lock ring portion and terminates in a surface facing the outer race; and is also provided with

Wherein the annular shape of the bearing protector is interrupted by slits defining a first end and a second end of the annular cup-shaped structure;

and wherein the inner surface of the tapered flange portion and the bearing define a tapered cavity configured to receive grease discharged from the bearing, and wherein the outer race facing surface and the race surface form a non-contact grease-filled gap.

2. The bearing protector of claim 1, configured to twist such that the first end and the second end are displaceable relative to one another to allow a shaft to pass therebetween.

3. The bearing protector of claim 1, further comprising means for fixedly securing the first end to the second end.

4. A method of protecting a bearing, comprising:

providing an open annular flexible bearing protector;

deforming the split annular flexible bearing protector to separate the first and second ends of the split annular flexible bearing protector to allow the shaft to pass;

the split annular flexible bearing protector is mounted about the shaft and the bearing, the first end and the second end are abutted against each other and secured to each other to prevent movement of the split annular flexible bearing protector and form a cavity between the split annular flexible bearing protector and the bearing, the cavity configured to receive grease from the bearing and prevent leakage of the grease from the interior thereof.