Bearing assembly with stamped races

A two-piece pressed race bearing assembly of the type having stampable raceway halves further includes alternating, interfitted attachment flanges disposed to either side of a plane through the ball circle. A retention member is slide fitted between the flanges to force them apart and consequently retain the raceway halves together in a complete assembly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to bearings and specifically to bearings of the type 
having a raceway formed of two raceway halves or elements which terminate 
and mate with one another on the ball circle of a ball complement to allow 
the raceways to be made from stampings rather than ground members. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,749,460, to Hogan, assigned to the assignee of the present 
invention, discloses a radial ball bearing having an inner race fitted on 
a shaft with a 2 point contact or arch type outer raceway with a 
complement of bearing balls therebetween. The outer race is formed of a 
pair of raceway halves, each providing a symmetrical half of the raceway, 
and terminating on the ball circle so as to not change direction of 
curvature measured in the axial direction. Beyond the ball circle, each 
raceway half has integral, axially extending flanges which are designed to 
matingly interfit and snap past one another, retaining the halves together 
and forming a cylindrical surface fittable within an axial bore. In such 
an application, it is not necessary that the raceway halves be held 
together with any great force, and a separate snap ring retention may be 
used to retain the bearing within the bore. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The subject invention provides an improved bearing assembly having at least 
one arch type angular contact race formed of two symmetrical raceway 
halves which terminate on the ball circle and may be easily stamped, but 
having a different retention means by which the halves are maintained 
rigidly together as an assembly, and also allowing for structural 
attachment to another member to be rotatably supported by the bearing. 
In the bearing assembly of the invention, at least the outer race is formed 
of a pair of symmetrical raceway halves, each comprising one half of an 
arch type angular contact raceway for a complement of bearing balls, the 
curved portion of each raceway half terminating on the ball circle whereby 
it may be easily stamped, as described above. Integral with and disposed 
circumferentially about the ball circle terminus of each raceway half is a 
series of flanges, the flanges of each half being disposed in a plane 
parallel to and on opposite sides of a plane including the ball circle. 
The attachment flanges of each half interfit and alternate with one 
another when the two halves are mated with one another to form the arch 
type raceway for the bearing balls. Sealing material may also be molded 
directly to the raceway halves. A pair of biasing members, each comprising 
approximately half of an annulus, have a thickness slightly greater than 
the spacing between the planes of the interfitted flanges. These are then 
fitted between the interfitted flanges, biasing them apart to maintain the 
raceway halves rigidly together and in a cooperative relationshp with each 
other and the sealing material to effect a sealing of the raceways. 
The attachment flanges, in addition to providing the means for retaining 
the halves together, provide a convenient means for attaching and sealing 
the completed bearing assembly to any rotatable member desired, e.g. a 
wheel in the embodiment disclosed. 
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide an easily and 
inexpensively constructed angular contact type bearing assembly. It is a 
more specific object of the invention to provide such an assembly in which 
the two halves of the arch type angular contact raceway may be easily 
stamped and rigidly held together to form the assembly which may be 
attached to a rotatable member. 
It is a still more specific object of the invention to provide such a 
bearing assembly in which stamped raceway halves terminating on the plane 
of the ball circle of a complement of bearing balls are integral with 
interfitted flanges parallel to and spaced to either side of the plane of 
the ball circle and biased apart by an annular biasing member to maintain 
the raceway halves together as a rigid assembly and to provide a 
convenient means for attaching the assembly to a rotatable member, such as 
a wheel. 
Another specific object of the invention is to provide such a bearing 
assembly to support a wheel on a shaft in which each stamped raceway half 
of each race has a layer or bead of sealant material molded thereto near 
the terminii of the raceway halves integral, and biased by the biasing 
members into the other raceway half to seal the bearing assembly in 
combination with a hub on one race and a shaft seal on the other race.

Referring first to FIG. 1, the bearing assembly of the invention designated 
generally at 10, is shown mounting a wheel 12 to a shaft 14. Wheel 12 is 
attached conventionally to bearing 10 by attachment bolt 16 and a 
conventional inner race 18 is ground into the end of shaft 14 providing 
half of the rolling path for a complement of bearing balls 20, which may 
be a full complement or caged as desired. Details of the assembly of 
bearing 10 to shaft 14 of the wheel 12 will be further described below. 
The other half of the rolling path for bearing balls 20 is provided by 
angular contact raceway of the 2 point contact or "arch" type provided by 
two symmetrical raceway halves 22 and 24, best visible in FIG. 4, each of 
which is an integral part of a larger stamped race 26 and 28, 
respectively, best visible in FIG. 5. As can be seen in FIG. 4, each 
raceway half 22 and 24 has a radially outer terminus just short of the 
plane of the ball circle of the bearing balls 20, indicated by the dot and 
dash line. As may be seen in FIG. 4, this allows each raceway half 22 and 
24 to be easily stamped, as it does not reverse curvature in the axial 
direction. 
Still referring to FIGS. 5 and 4, race 26 also includes a series of four 
flanges 30, which are generally circular in the embodiment disclosed and 
which are disposed circumferentially about and integral with the periphery 
of raceway half 22. As can best be seen in FIG. 4, the transition between 
each flange 30 and raceway half 22 is also designed not to change 
curvature in the axial direction, again to allow ease of stamping. Race 26 
also includes a closed center cap 32 and a hole 34 through each flange 30, 
for purpose described below. Race 28 is similar to race 26, the main 
difference being that it is stamped with a radially inner terminus 
defining a central opening 36, rather than cap 32, and each of its flanges 
38 has a perpendicular tab 40 lanced therein, for a purpose to be 
described below. Layers or beads of sealant 50, 52 are molded directly to 
the outside of raceway halves 22, 24, respectively, near the terminii 
thereof. The essentially symmetrical nature of races 26 and 28 allows the 
respective flanges 30 and 38 thereof to be alternatingly interfitted, as 
best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. The assembly of the components will be next 
described. 
Initially, race 28 would be placed over the end of shaft 14 with a suitable 
two lip seal 42 interposed between the surface of shaft 14 and the central 
opening 36 in race 28. Seal 42 may be molded directly to the edge of 
opening 36. Next, the complement of bearing balls 20 would be laid in 
place in inner race 18 and against the inside of raceway half 24, and 
caged, if desired. Next, race 26 would be matingly engaged with race 28, 
bringing raceway half 22 against bearing ball 20 with flanges 30 overlying 
raceway half 24 and flanges 38 overlying raceway 22, spaced to either side 
of the ball circle, in this case lying to either side of a plane through 
the ball circle, as shown by the dot and dash line in FIG. 4. Next, a pair 
of biasing members 44 and 46 are added. Each member 44 and 46 comprises 
generally half an annulus, as best seen in FIG. 5, and has attachment 
holes 48 therein matching holes 34 through flanges 30. Each biasing member 
44 and 46 is of a thickness sufficient to tightly fit in the space between 
the alternating flanges 30 and 38, and is tightly slide fitted 
therebetween, being tapped in place if necessary, until the two elements 
44 and 46 come together to form a complete annulus, as best seen in FIG. 
2. In addition, interfitting dovetails 54 and slots 56 are snapped 
together to help maintain biasing members 44 and 46 in place. The tight 
fit serves to bias flanges 38 and 30 apart, and to consequently retain 
races 26 and 28 together in a very rigid assembly, despite the relatively 
thin gage of the stampings comprising it. It also forces one raceway half 
22 into external sealing engagement with bead of sealant 52 and the other 
raceway half 24 into external sealing engagement with bead of sealant 50 
at the juncture between raceway halves 22 and 24 to completely seal 
bearing balls 20, as best seen in FIG. 4. The fit of biasing members 44 
and 46 also maintains the radially inner terminus of raceway half 24 
radially spaced from and surrounding shaft 14. 
As a final step, wheel 12 is added with bolts 16 passing through aligned 
attachment holes 34 and 48. It will be appreciated that holes 48 could be 
added as a final step, if desired. As an added feature, the edge 52 of the 
central hole through wheel 12 engages tabs 40 on race 28 to help position 
the wheel on the bearing assembly. It will be understood that the races 26 
and 28 and biasing elements 44 and 46 make up a complete, separately 
handled and rigid assembly, bolts 16 and wheel 12 being merely added to 
illustrate a possible use for bearing assembly 10. Therefore, either of 
the flanges 30 or 38 could be used as attachment flanges equally as well, 
although they need not be used as attachment flanges at all, if the 
bearing is mounted in some other fashion. What is important is that the 
flanges lie to either side of the ball circle, so that the biasing members 
may force them apart, whatever their shape. 
Any conventional inner raceway 18 could be used instead of that 
illustrated, such as a conventional ring, making bearing assembly 10 
useful in a flange bearing application, for example. In addition, it will 
be understood that in large diameter applications, races 26 and 28 could 
be stamped with the flanges on the inside periphery with a conventional 
outer race ground into some other member. Both inner and outer raceways 
could be made up of stamped races biased and retained together in the same 
fashion, if desired. All the possible embodiments would provide a bearing 
assembly with easily stamped races in which the races are rigidly but 
simply held together in a separately handled assembly, with readily 
available means for attaching the bearing to any rotatable member.