Patent ID: 8596877

Claim:
A tapered roller bearing comprising: an inner race having a conical inner raceway with a large-diameter axial end and a small-diameter axial end; an outer race having a conical outer raceway with a large-diameter axial end and a small-diameter axial end; tapered rollers, each having a large-diameter axial end and a small-diameter axial end, disposed between the inner and outer races; and a conical tubular retainer having pockets in which the tapered rollers are retained, respectively, the conical tubular retainer having a large-diameter axial end and a small-diameter axial end; wherein said inner race has a flange for guiding the tapered rollers only at the large-diameter axial end of the inner raceway, the flange having a radially outer surface and an axial outer end surface; wherein said retainer has, on the large-diameter axial end thereof, a protrusion radially inwardly extending and axially engaging the flange of the inner race; wherein the flange of the inner race is formed with a circumferentially continuous cutout groove having a curved concave surface through which the radially outer surface and the axially outer end surface of the flange are connected to each other; wherein the curved concave surface of the cutout groove is a continuously curved surface that is continuously curved from the radially outer surface to the axially outer end surface of the flange; wherein the protrusion of the retainer has, at a radially inner end portion thereof, an axially inner side in engagement with the curved concave surface of the cutout groove; wherein the curved surface of the cutout groove is a continuously concave-curved surface that is continuously concave-curved from the radially outer surface to the axially outer end surface of the flange; and wherein the continuously concave-curved surface is continuously concave-curved at a single radius of curvature.