Expandable annular locking device for a shaft

The expandable annular locking device is particularly applicable for use on mill roll necks, shafts and the like. The annular locking device is adapted to be disposed in an annular groove of a mill roll neck or shaft for retaining one or more sleeve-like members, anti-friction bearings, seals, spacers or the like together as a unit against a fixed abutment of the shaft for maintaining the member or plurality of members in proper working or spaced relationship on the shaft. The annular locking device comprises a pair of arcuate members, each having a pair of flat surfaces. When the arcuate members are disposed about a shaft within an annular recess and a preselected spacer sleeve is snugly interposed between the annular locking device and the sleeve-like elements, bearings or the like, and the locking devices are tightly secured to the shaft, the sleeve-like elements are retained against the abutment so as to locate and maintain the various elements on the shaft in the required working relationship.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates generally to the bearing retainer art and 
more particularly, to an expandable bearing retainer or locking device 
construction which is particularly applicable for use on mill roll necks, 
shafts and the like. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
In one prior art device, the bearings on mill roll necks are maintained in 
position adjustably spaced from an outer shoulder by a plurality of 
members which are accurately machined and then accurately positioned on 
the mill roll neck. Among these members is included an adjustable nut 
which is threadedly mounted on an externally threaded split thrust ring, 
the adjustment of the spacing between the bearing and the shoulder being 
varied by rotating the nut relative to the threaded split ring. Such a 
construction is not completely satisfactory because the various parts have 
to be accurately machined. In addition, when the threaded thrust ring is 
cut in half, the metal removed by the cutter leaves spaces between the 
ends of the ring segments so that when the ring is mounted on the roll 
neck, such spaces have to be compensated for by positioning the ring 
segments in the same relative positions they occupied prior to the cutting 
operation. Thus, it is very difficult and often impossible to start the 
adjusting nut on the externally threaded split ring. 
Various solutions have been suggested to the problem of the prior art just 
described. As an example, the Chievitz U.S. Pat. No. 2,678,856 of May 18, 
1954 entitled "Step-Wise Adjustable Bearing Retainer" suggests the use of 
one or more annular members which are adapted to be mounted on a shaft 
between a shoulder provided thereon and an anti-friction bearing mounted 
on the shaft for limited axial movement relative to the shoulder. The 
annular members contain opposed side faces having different configurations 
whereby the spacing between the shoulder and the bearing can be varied in 
what is referred to as a step-wise fashion by reversing and/or 
interchanging the annular members. Such annular members are preferably 
formed in segments and an adjustable annular band-like member is removably 
disposed about them to maintain the segments in a position on the shaft. 
The Gray U.S. Pat. No. 1,294,792 of Feb. 18, 1919 entitled "Device For 
Securing Parts To Their Supports" discloses a device for firmly and 
rigidly clamping the inner casing member of an anti-friction bearing 
against a shoulder or abutment on the shaft. One purpose of that invention 
is to avoid the use of screw threads on or in connection with the clamping 
devices or parts thereof and to bind the casing member fixedly against the 
abutment with a great force so as to prevent it from loosening or becoming 
displaced. 
Other patents located during a preliminary novelty investigation in the 
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are as follows: 
______________________________________ 
Name U.S. Pat. No. 
Date 
______________________________________ 
Hughes 270,672 January 16, 1883 
Buchanan 1,978,186 October 23, 1934 
Reynolds 2,584,740 February 5, 1952 
Waddell 3,413,022 November 26, 1968 
Warda 3,920,342 November 18, 1975 
Koch 3,953,141 April 27, 1976. 
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RELATED APPLICATION 
The present application represents an improvement in my copending patent 
application, Ser. No. 798,077 filed May 15, 1977, entitled "Expandable 
Annular Cam-Type Locking Device For A Shaft." 
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
It is a feature of the present invention to provide a novel expandable 
annular locking device for a shaft for maintaining the spacing between one 
or more sleeve-like members, bearings, spacers, seals and/or the like 
located on the shaft and a shaft abutment. 
A further feature is to provide a locking device which is simple in 
construction; contains relatively fewer parts than prior art devices; is 
easy to manufacture; is efficient in operation; and is economical to 
maintain. 
A still further feature is to provide a novel locking device of the 
aforementioned type wherein, the locking device comprises a pair of 
arcuate members. Threaded fasteners may be carried by the arcuate members 
in operative engagement with a spacer sleeve engageable with said 
sleeve-like element for moving the spacer sleeve axially against one or 
more sleeve-like elements mounted on the shaft.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to the drawings, the expandable locking device is designated by 
the numeral 10 and is shown in FIG. 3 mounted on a mill roll neck or shaft 
12, fragmentarily shown. 
The mill roll neck or shaft, hereafter referred to as shaft, is elongated 
and of generally cylindrical configuration and has a longitudinally 
extending axis, not shown, which is coincidental to the center axis of the 
locking device. 
The shaft is of varying diameter, FIG. 3, and has a first cylindrical 
portion 14 providing a first abutment 16 and a second cylindrical portion 
18 having a diameter smaller than the first cylindrical portion. An 
annular groove 20 is provided in the second cylindrical portion 18, the 
ends of the groove 20 being defined by oppositely facing second and third 
abutments 22 and 24. The abutments 16, 22 and 24 are axially aligned, 
parallel and spaced apart. The cylindrical portion 18 is divided by groove 
20 into portions 18' and 18". 
The elongated shaft 12 is provided with conventional anti-friction type 
bearings, cone-type bearings, spacers, seals, etc. For purposes of 
illustration, only a single bearing, spacer or seal is shown and is 
referred to herein as the sleeve-like member 26. Any number of sleeve-like 
members may be mounted on shaft 12, as is now utilized in the prior art 
and such sleeve-like members may include various anti-friction bearings, 
spacers, seals, etc., which are axially spaced on the shaft in abutting 
relationship and clamped together as a unit against the first abutment 16 
by locking device 10. 
The sleeve-like member 26 has a keyway 28 for receiving the elongated key 
30 secured to the cylindrical portion 18' for aligning member 26 on the 
shaft and preventing rotation of same relative to the shaft. The 
sleeve-like member has a pair of flat and parallel faces 32,34. Face 32 
engages the first abutment 16 when the locking device 10 is in secured 
position, FIG. 3. The sleeve-like member is mounted on the second 
cylindrical portion 18 of the shaft at the side of the groove closest to 
the first abutment 16. 
Referring now to FIGS. 1-2, the expandable locking device 10 comprises a 
pair of split arcuate members, rings, or segments 40,42 hereafter referred 
to as arcuate members, each having an angular extent of more than 180 
degrees, and which are disposed in the annular groove 20 in shaft 12. The 
split members 40,42 are cast from aluminum or other metal. Members 40,42 
are provided with overlapping end portions 44,46 respectively of reduced 
thickness than the remaining portions thereof. End portions 44,46 have 
abutting flat surfaces, 48, FIG. 2, and are provided with openings 50 
extending therethrough. A pivot pin 52 is received in openings 50 and is 
secured therein by means not shown. Pin 52 forms a pivot for members 40,42 
to permit them to be mounted on shaft 12. 
The annular members 40,42 have a second pair of end portions 56,58 which 
have opposing flat faces 60. The inner arcuate surface 64 of members 40,42 
adjacent the end portions 56,58 has a keyway 66, FIG. 4, formed partly in 
each member 40,42, which engages a key, not shown, carried by shaft 
portion 18 defining the groove 20 to prevent the locking device 10 from 
rotating on the shaft 12. 
The end portion 56 of member 40 has a threaded opening to receive the 
threaded end of shoulder bolt 68 which extends through an opening in end 
portion 58 of member 42. 
The split members 40,42 each have a pair of first and second flat surfaces 
70,72 respectively. The first surface faces the second abutment 22 while 
the second surface faces the third abutment 24. 
A spacer sleeve 62, preselected as to width, is mounted on shaft portion 
18' and is snugly interposed between bearing member 26 and walls 70 of 
members 40,42. 
Spacer sleeve 62 operatively and retainingly engages bearing member 26, 
holding it against shoulder 16 when arcuate members 40,42 are clamped onto 
shaft 12. 
MODIFICATION 
For increased anchoring of sleeve 62 axially relative to bearing member 26, 
a series of set screws 74 are adjustably threaded through members 40,42 
with their free ends in operative engagement with sleeve 62. 
In the modified locking device 76, FIG. 4, the arcuate members 40' and 42' 
are pivotally interconnected at 52, the same as shown in FIG. 1. The 
opposite ends of members 40' and 42' have opposed lugs 78,80 with opposed 
spaced end faces 82. End portion 78 has a slot to receive eye bolt 84 
having a closed loop 86 on one end and a threaded portion 88 which extends 
through lug 80. Loop 86 is held in lug 78 by pin 90 which extends through 
openings in said lug on opposite sides of the slot in which said loop is 
nested. A jamb nut 92 is threaded over the threaded portion 88 of said eye 
bolt into operative engagement with lug 80. Said eye bolt secures the 
split arcuate members 40' and 42' together, on shaft 12 within groove 20. 
It is to be understood that the foregoing description and the accompanying 
drawings have been given only by way of illustration and example, and that 
changes and alterations in the present disclosure, which will be readily 
apparent to one skilled in the art, are contemplated as within the scope 
of the present invention, which is limited only by the claims which 
follow.