GB2282192A

GB2282192A - Linear rolling bearing component

Info

Publication number: GB2282192A
Application number: GB9416314A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ludwig Winkelmann; Jean Marie Eder; Ralf Moseberg; Heinz Greiner; Richard Negele
Original assignee: INA Waelzlager Schaeffler OHG
Current assignee: INA Waelzlager Schaeffler OHG
Priority date: 1993-08-12
Filing date: 1994-08-12
Publication date: 1995-03-29
Anticipated expiration: 2014-08-12
Also published as: ITMI941701A0; DE4331014A1; IT1274581B; GB2282192B; DE4331014C2; GB9416314D0; CH688386A5; ITMI941701A1

Description

2282192 Linear rollinq_ bearinq component The invention concerns a linear

rolling bearing component for mounting an the running face of a guide rail and having a carrier body which comprises, for each rolling element circuit, a load bearing zone and a return canal connected with each other by two deflecting canals arranged contiguous to the carrier body at the ends thereof, guiding means made of a polymeric material for-guiding rolling elements being arranged in the. load bearing zone, the return canal and the deflecting canals.

Such a linear rolling bearing component is known from DE.GM 87 13 4L33. The guiding means for the rolling elements in this case ace separately fabricated parts of complicated shape made of a plastics material which have to inserted in additional operations into the carrier body and form parting lines with one another which, as discontinuities, can have an adverse effect on the circulation of the rolling elements.

A bearing component with balls as rolling elements, known from DE-CS 110 05 582, has a coating of a polymeric material which also extends into the entire deflecting region. However, far the Fabrication of this bearing with the-coating, a mould core surrounding the carrier body has to be, used into which a thermosetting plastic material is cast which. subsequently Formis the coating. After curing, the mould care has to be removed by a thermal or chemical treatment so that this method of fabrication is uneconomical for the- manufacturing of the bearing component on an industrial scale.

The object of the invention is to provide a linear guide system which permits an optimum economic series production and at the same time offers a high reliability of operation.

This object is achieved according to the, invention by the fact that the guiding means in the lpad bearing zone and the return canal are rnade in the form of a coating which is applied to the carrier body in a single operation by injection moulding, and that the. deflecting canals are formed at least partially by deflector bodies which -ate releasably Fixed to the. two ends of the carrier body. This results in a particularly favourable possibility for the assembly of the bearing because the deflector- bodies can be detached for filling in the rolling elements.

Each deflector body can be arranged in a head piece screwed to the carrier body. This embodiment permits a particularly simple assembly of the linear bearing component. If the deflector bodies for all the deflecting regions are of identical design, they can be produced in larger economical quantities. Additional injection moulding tools are not required. It is also possible to make the head piece and the deflector body together in the form of a one-piece component which results in a i3articularly simple construction of the bearing component.

In the region of the load bearing zone, the coating can be configured in the- form of guide webs For the railing elements which are made as rotlers, the guide webs having contact surfaces intersecting with the axes of the- rollers. Retaining lugs for the radial retention of the railing elements can be arranged on the guide webs of the- coating. The guide webs can project out of the carrier body at the ends thereof and form deflecting segments having on both their side walls parallel to the direction of movement, protruding gulde rims lor the rolling elements. In this way, a reflable guidance. of the roller-shaped rolling elements in the bearing cornponent during operation is guaranteed.

The guide. webs can at the same time comprise longitudinal grooves for lodging sealing strips. By the use of such sealing strips, lubricant losses from the rolling bearing component during operation are effectively avoided.

Examples of embodiment of the invention are represented in the drawings and will be described more closely in the following. The re taining plates 8 and 9 arranged in the head piece 2 are retained in position by a carrier plate 12 which is placed on the front end of each heed piece 2 of the bearing component 1 and fixed by means of screws 13. One of these screws 1.3 serves at the same time to fix a lubricant nipple support 14 with a lubricant nipple on the carrier plate 12.

Lubricant fed through the lubricant nipple passes through the lubricant. canals 11 and transfer bores 15 of the inner retaining plate 8 and further through transfer canals 16 of the deflector body 3, to reach the rolling elements 4. Inside the head piece 2, the sealing of the transfer bore 15 and the transfer canal 16 between the inner retaining plate 8 and thedeflector body 3 is effected by a sealing ring 40 which surrounds a nozzle in which the transfer canal 16 is arranged.

The load bearing and return regions for the rolling elements 4 are made in the form of a rectilinear load bearing zone 18 and a parallel return canal 19 in the carrier body 17 of the bearing component 1. They are delimited by a coherent coating 20 of polymeric material surrounding the metallic material of the carrier body 17. The coating 20 forms radial - guide surfaces 21 and 22 as well as axialquide surfaces for the roiling elements 4. Lubricant canals 23 and 24 in the form of grooves open towards the rotting elements 4 are made in the coating 20. The lubricant canals 23 and 24 are located in the. return canal 19 of thic- carrier body 17 and in a deflecting canal 25 of the deflector body 3 for the. rolling elements 4 and are formed in a deflecting track of the deflector body 3.

The coating 20 of the carrier body 17, which engages with its U-shape around the gu ide rail 5, covers not only the return canals 19 but also theload bearing zone 18 in which it is configured so as to form guide webs for the rolling elements 4. In the example of embodiment, an upper guide web. 26, a central guide web 27 and a lower guide web 28 are. provided for the rolling bearing circuits. In the deflecting region, the upper guide web 26 is connected to the part of the coating 20 located in the upper return canal 19, and the lower guide web 28 with the part of the coating 2G located in the. lower return canal 1.9 by deflecting segments 41 which surround the carrier body 17 in the deflecting regiens. The central guide drawings show:

Fig. 1, a top view of a bearing component according to the invention arranged for longitudinal displacement on a guide rail; Fig. 2, a larger-scale top view as compared to Fig. 1, of a front end region of the carrier body of the bearing component; Fig. 3, a front view of the bearing component with a partial section through the bearing cmnponent and the guide rail; Fig. 4, a slightly modified bearing component in a sectional view corresponding to the iecticn NAV of Fig. 3; Fig. 5, an enlarged front vieW with a partial section through the carrier body of the bearing component of Fig. 3.

A bearing component 1 in accordance with the invention comprises two head pieces 2 fixed at ends of a carrier body. Each head piece 2 comprises..a deflector body 3 for deflecting rolling elements 4 out of a load bearing region into a return region of the bearing component 1 or vice versa. The bearing component 1 with its two head pieces 2 is rectilinearly displaceable along a guide- rail 5. Each head piece 2 is provided with a wiper 6 which is accessible From the end face and intended to wipe off impurities, for example metal chips. from the running face 7 of the guide call 5 on-which the rolling elements 4 made in the form of rollers roll. The wiper 6 additionally serves to seal the lubricant-containing interior of the bearing component 1 from the outside and comprises an inner retaining plate 8, an outer retaining plate 9 and a sealing strip 10. In the example of embodiment, these parts are made of a polymeric materiai"but it is also passible to make the retaining plates of a metallic material.

Between the two retaining plates, 8 and 9, there are located in the wiper 6, lubricant canals 11 through which lubricant is transported into the region of the rolling elements A of the bearing component 1. The two p respecting of -a deflecting canal width for obtaining a close guidance of th e calling elements in the deflecting region. - Interlocking is efF6cted by means of fixing lugs arranged on the deflector body 3 and recesses of complementary shape arranged on end faces of the guide rims 34. They prevent the gaping-open of the guide rims 34 and thus a too large guide play therebetween.

The influence of variations in the roller reference circle due to manufacturing tolerances and the fluctuating numbers of rollers located in the deflecting region during circulation an the displacing forces can be reduced by giving the deflector body 3 an elastic configuration. The clastic. displacement of the deflector bodies 3 is limited in a defined manner by appropriately signed abutment and support regions-35.

A fixing lug 36 formed an the deflector body 3 engages into a recess of complementary shape made in the grant end of the return canal 19. A runin bevel 37 of the fixing lug 36 reduces bumping of the circulating rolling elements when a misalignment occurs between the running face and the deflecting track due to manufacturing tolerances.

The lubricant transfer canal 16 is arranged in a cylinder 38 formed on the deflector body 3 and merges into a canal which is the extension of the lubricant canal 23 and is farmed in the deflector body 3 in the rolling element deflecting track 39. Sealing of the transfer canal L6 can be effected by-means of a separate seal or by a seal formed integrally on the deflector bodg 3..In the.example of embodiment, the sealing ring 40 is provided for 'this purpose.

An improvement of the retention of the guide webs 28 an the carrier body 17 can also be obtained if the return canal 19 communicates with the outside through one or more cross-bores 42 in the carrier body 17. During injection moulding, these cross-bores 42 are likewise filled with the polymeric material of the coating 20 so that the guide webs 28 are firmly connected to the part of the coating 20 located in the return canal 19. Advantageously, the cross-boreS 42 reduce the effect of the shrinking of the coating material in the direction of movement of the web 27 is thus connected to " parts of the coatings 20 located in the two return canals 19 situated one above the other as shown an the right-hand side of Fig. 5.

The guide webs 26, 27 and 28 comprise abutment surfaces 30 and 31 which delimit the space for the rolling elements 4 in the axial direction thereof. To prevent the rolling elements 4 in the form of rollers from falling out of the carrier body 17 when this is not in a mounted position on a guide rail 5, the guide webs 26, 27 and 28 are provided with retaining lugs 29 which retain the rollers in the radial direction.

To effect a simple scaling of the carrier body 17 with respect to the guide rail 5 in the longitudinal direction, there are provided in the upper and lower guide webs, 26 and 28, longitudinal groovies 32 which are open towards the guide rail 5 and into which, as shown in Fig. 3, sealing strips 33 are inserted.

As can be seen in Fig. 2, the guide webs extend out of the- carrier body 17 at front ends thereof and form, together with the deflecting segments 41, guide rir_nS 34 which are arranged an both sides of the deflecting segments 41 and protrude therefrom in.the direction of movement. The delecting segments 41 and the guide- rims 34. t.0gether effect the exact guidance of the rolling elements 4. in the deflecting canal 25.

The parts of the plastic coating 20 which are located in the return canals 19 are formed in bares of the carrier body 17. By reason of being Made together with the deflecting segments 41 and the guide rirns 34 in a single injection Moulding operation without undercutting, they guarantee a jerkiess transition of the rolling elements 4 in the deflecting region.

The deflector bodies 3 permit a simple removal of the thus coated carrier body 17 from the mould in the axial direction without the need of undercutting. To reduce the influence or tolerances on the axial play allowed for the guidance of the rollers, the deflector bodies interlock between the guide rims 34 formed an the front ends and thus assure. the o' c 8

Claims

Claims - 1. A linear roiling bearing component for mounting on the running

face of a guide rail and having a carrier body which comprises, for each rolling element circuit, a load bearing zone and a return canal connected with each other by two deflecting canals arranged contiguous to the carrier body at ends thereof, guiding means made of a polymeric material for guiding rolling elements being arranged in the load bearing zone, the return canal and the deflecting canals, wherein the guiding means in the load bearing zone (18) and the return canal (19) are made in the form of a coating (20) which is applied to the carrier body (17) in a single operation by injection moulding, and the deflecting canals (23) are formed at least partially by deflector bodies (3) which are releasably fixed to the two ends of the carrier body (17).

2. A bearing component according to claim 1, wherein in the region of the load bearing zone (18), the coating (20) is configured in the form of guide webs (26, 27, 28) for the railing elements (4) which are made as roflers, the guide webs (26, 27, 28) having contact surfaces (30, 31) intersecting with the axes of the callers.

3. A bearing component according to claim 1, wherein each deflector body (3) is arranged in a head piece (2) which is screwed to the carrier body (17).

4. A bearing component according to claim 3, wherein the head piece and the deflector body are made. together in, the form of a one-piece component.

3. A bearing component according to claim 2, wherein retaining lugs (29) for the radial retention of the rolling elements (4) are arranged an the guide webs (26, 27, 28) of the coating (20).

carrier body 17.

In a further development of the invention, a more secure retention of the lower guide webs on the carrier body 17 can be obtained by making them interlock with the carrier body. Por this, the carrier body 17 is provided with retaining grooves 43 into which the coating material flows, and retaining ribs 44 which get covered with the coating. In this way, a positional fixing is obtained which is required for the exact positioning of the sealing strip 33.

9 6. A bearing component according to claim 2, wherein the guide webs (26, 28) comprise longitudinal grooves (32) forreceiving sealing strips (33).

7. A bearing component according to claim 2, wherein the guide webs (26, 27, 28) project out of the carrier body (17) at ends thereof and form deflecting segments (41) having on both their side waLls parallel to the direction of movement, protruding guide rims (34) for the rolling elements (A).

8. A bearing component according to claim 1, wherein'the deflector body (3) comprises a fixing lug (36) which engages into a recess of complementary shape. made in a front end a f the coating (20) of the return canal (19).

9. A bearing component according to claim 2, wherein in the region of the guide webs (28), the carrier body (17) is provided with retaining grooves (43) extending in the direction of movement or with retaining ribs (44) far making contact with the polymeric material of the coating (20).

113. A bearing component according to claim 1, wherein the return canal (19) communicates with the outside through at least onecross-bore (42) far receiving coating material.

11. A bearing component substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying figures.