JP2004156715A - Needle bearing cage and needle bearing - Google Patents

Abstract

A needle bearing retainer and a needle bearing are provided which are lightweight and relatively inexpensive, but which can suppress wear of an end face.
The needle bearing is made of resin, so that the weight of the needle bearing can be reduced as a whole and the cost can be reduced. Even if the axial end face of the above interferes with other parts, the wear can be suppressed.
[Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a needle bearing retainer and a needle bearing used for an automatic transmission, an electrical component, and other industrial machines of an automobile.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Needle bearings used in automobiles, automatic transmissions, electrical components, and other industrial machines can be installed even if the space between the housing and the shaft is narrow, so there is an advantage that the entire device can be made more compact. is there.
[0003]
By the way, a general needle bearing has an annular retainer in order to retain a plurality of needles that can roll between an inner ring and an outer ring. Such a cage usually has a pair of annular portions extending in the circumferential direction, and a plurality of pillar portions extending from the annular portion in the axial direction of the needle bearing. The needle is placed between adjacent pillars to hold the needle.
[0004]
Metals and resins can be considered as materials for such a cage. However, while metal cages have the advantage of high strength and excellent wear resistance, they have the problem of being expensive and heavy.Resin cages are inexpensive and light, but they are more resistant to metal than metal cages. Due to poor abrasion, there is a problem that it is difficult to use under severe use conditions. In particular, needle bearings are often used under high-speed operating conditions, but under such conditions, the problem that the lubricating oil passage property deteriorates due to the structurally small roller diameter is remarkable. Therefore, some means for suppressing wear of the cage is required. In a so-called cage-and-roller type needle bearing in which the outer ring and inner ring of the needle bearing also serve as machine-side components (shafts, housings, etc.), the retainer is provided with a guide for the rotation direction of the rollers and an axial direction. Since both functions of the guide are required, if the shaft or the housing is inclined, an axial force is generated, and there is a problem that the end face of the retainer easily interferes with other parts and is worn.
[0005]
To cope with such a problem, Patent Document 1 below discloses a needle bearing in which a metal cage is coated with a resin.
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-227851
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
According to the needle bearing disclosed in the prior art described above, by coating the metal cage with resin, the metal contact between the rollers and the cage is prevented, and the effect of suppressing the generation of abnormal noise is exhibited. Is done. However, in the prior art, even though the cage is formed using both metal and resin, the cage itself is made of metal and merely covered with resin, so that it is expensive and heavy. Still have a point.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and has as its object to provide a needle bearing retainer and a needle bearing which are lightweight and relatively inexpensive and can suppress end surface wear. .
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The retainer of the needle bearing of the present invention is a retainer of the needle bearing that holds the needle,
An annular portion extending in the circumferential direction;
A plurality of resin pillars extending in the axial direction of the needle bearing from the annular portion,
A metal material is provided on at least a part of the annular portion.
[0009]
[Action]
A retainer for a needle bearing according to the present invention is a retainer for a needle bearing that retains a needle. The retainer is a resin-made resin extending in the axial direction of the needle bearing from the annular portion. Since it has a plurality of pillar portions and a metal material is provided on at least a part of the annular portion (for example, outside the annular portion), the pillar portion is made of resin, so that a low-cost and lightweight cage is provided. On the other hand, the metal material provided on the annular portion can suppress, for example, wear of the end face. The “annular portion” may be continuous all around, or may be partially discontinuous.
[0010]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a cage-and-roller type needle bearing according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, a needle bearing 10 includes a plurality of rollers 11 (only one is shown in the figure) and a retainer 12. The retainer 12 is integrally formed from a resin having a pair of rings 12a and pillars 12b extending along the axial direction so as to connect the rings 12a to each other and arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. It has a resin portion 12A. The rollers 11 are arranged between the pillar portions 12b. A thin ring-shaped metal material 12c is bonded to both ends (outside) in the axial direction of each ring portion 12a with an adhesive to form a part of the retainer 12. The ring portion 12a and the metal material 12c form an annular portion.
[0011]
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an annular portion in the needle bearing of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the ring portion 12a has, at the center of its end face, a convex portion 12d that is continuous in the circumferential direction and has a rectangular cross section, and the metal material 12c forms a concave portion 12e corresponding to the convex portion 12d. ing. As described above, it is preferable to form the projection 12d and the recess 12e to engage with each other, because the bonding surface between the ring portion 12a and the metal material 12c increases, and the bonding strength further increases. Note that the ring portion 12a and the metal material 12c are not limited to bonding. For example, when the resin portion 12A is injection-molded, by placing the metal material 12c at the position where the ring portion 12a is formed, the molten resin solidifies into the shape of the ring portion 12a and welds the metal material 12c. The cage 12 can be manufactured by using.
[0012]
According to the present embodiment, since the resin portion 12A is made of a resin (for example, a phenol resin, a tetrafluoroethylene resin, a polyimide (nylon) resin, or the like), the overall weight of the needle bearing 10 is reduced, and The cost can be reduced, and on the other hand, the metal material 12c provided on the annular portion can suppress wear of the needle bearing 10 even when the axial end face interferes with other parts.
[0013]
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an annular portion of a needle bearing according to a modification. In FIG. 3, the convex portion 12d 'of the ring portion 12a has a so-called dovetail-shaped cross section, and the concave portion 12e' of the metal material 12c has a corresponding cross-sectional shape. The convex portion 12d 'and the concave portion 12e' can be combined so as to be engaged with each other by utilizing the elastic deformation of the convex portion 12d '. However, after being engaged once, the separation is suppressed, and the adhesive strength is reduced. It is preferable because it is higher.
[0014]
As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments. However, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be changed and improved within the scope of the present invention. For example, in order to increase the bonding strength between the ring portion 12a and the metal member 12c, for example, a round hole or a square hole can be formed in the metal member 12c. The annular portion does not need to be continuous in the circumferential direction, and may be discontinuous by cutting out a part. The present invention is of course also applicable to needle bearings other than the cage and roller type.
[0015]
【The invention's effect】
A retainer for a needle bearing according to the present invention is a retainer for a needle bearing that retains a needle. The retainer is a resin-made resin extending in the axial direction of the needle bearing from the annular portion. Since it has a plurality of pillars and a metal material is provided on at least a part of the annular portion, by making the pillars made of resin, a low-cost and lightweight retainer can be obtained. By the metal material provided on the annular portion, for example, abrasion of the end face can be suppressed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a cage-and-roller type needle bearing according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an annular portion in the needle bearing of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an annular portion of a needle bearing according to a modification.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Needle bearing 11 Roller 12 Cage 12a Column part 12b Ring part 12c Metal material

Claims (2)

A needle bearing retainer for retaining a needle,
An annular portion extending in the circumferential direction;
A plurality of resin pillars extending in the axial direction of the needle bearing from the annular portion,
A needle bearing retainer, wherein a metal material is provided on at least a part of the annular portion. A needle bearing comprising a needle bearing retainer according to claim 1.

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