1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an assembly including a shaft or a portion of shaft mounted rotatably around its axis and of a roller bearing by which it is supported. The present invention applies in particular to the installation of a bearing for a turbine shaft in a gas turbine engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
In current engines, the internal ring is interconnected with the shaft or journal by sintering. By this operation the ring is clamped on the shaft or journal. The coupling may then resist the rotational torques to which the ring is subjected during the operation of the engine as well as to the axial loads. A downstream nut 9, screwed on the journal and blocked in rotation, locks the ring 8 in position and ensures cohesion of the assembly should the ring become loose on the journal because of, for example, worn contact surfaces or excessive heating of the components. To cover all the faulty cases and avoid any incident the nut may be oversized to be able to impart high tightening torque to the assembly.
This solution exhibits therefore the shortcoming of high mechanical load of the parts. The size of the nut depends in particular on the load requested. It is hence necessary to design and to implement heavy and complex tools with force division means.
Besides, it would be desirable, for certain applications, in particular in the case of new more compact engines, to reduce the axial space requirements of the shaft supporting the turbine, with its bearing. The position of the bearing being itself perfectly defined in its environment relative to the other components of the engine such as the fixed structure, only the section including the nut could be modified. However, taking into account the loads reminded of above, it is not possible to reduce the size of the nut without reducing the mechanical strength of the assembly.
To solve this problem, it has been suggested in a first step to do away with the nut and to weld the ring directly to the shaft. This solution, however, may not be acceptable, at least for certain engines, because of the different materials forming both these components, corrosion problems which might derive therefrom, and of the complex operations when, at a later stage, it would be necessary to intervene on the part itself.
The applicant has therefore set as a first target to provide an assembly mode of a roller bearing ring, to the shaft whereon it is mounted, enabling to solve these shortcomings while offering the same mechanical features as those provided by a nut.
The applicant has also set as another target the realisation of an assembly mode of a roller bearing ring on a shaft, which can be mounted and dismantled easily.
The invention solves this problem with an assembly composed of a rotary shaft and of a roller bearing, the bearing including a ring interconnected with the shaft and forming a raceway for the running gear of the bearing, characterised in that the ring is immobilized in rotation on the shaft by a coupling formed by a plurality of teeth on the shaft cooperating with lugs interconnected with the ring, the lugs being received between said teeth, and in axial direction by a transversal snap ring in the form of a ring portion.
The term shaft designates a shaft, a portion of shaft, a journal or more generally any part whereon a roller bearing is mounted. Whereas, in the case of a bearing assembly at the end of a journal on its free end side, the nut, because of the assembly loads, must abut against the ring on its edge close to the free end of the journal, a claw coupling may be provided on the opposite side relative to the free end. The corresponding portion of journal may then be shortened. Besides, advantageously, the axial retaining means may be associated with the claw coupling.
Advantageously, the coupling is made of a plurality of teeth, respectively lugs, spaced apart from one another along the circumference of the shaft. The number of teeth and of associated lugs, as well as the dimension thereof, is determined by the circumferential loads that the coupling is supposed to sustain during the operation of the engine. To avoid unbalances, the elements are advantageously arranged symmetrically around the axis of the shaft.
It should be understood that the solution applies to the installation of an internal bearing ring on the outer surface thereof, as well as to the installation of an external bearing ring on a shaft inside thereof when it is hollow.
The roller bearing may be any bearing, ball bearing, roll bearing or other. In a simplified manner, a bearing comprises at least two concentric rings: an internal ring and an external ring, between which a plurality of running gears is arranged, rolls for example, held spaced from one another by a stand. The rings define each a raceway for the running gear.
According to another feature, the axial retaining means is formed of a snap ring added transversally relative to the axis of the shaft. In particular, the snap ring is in the form of a ring portion and is made of a plastic material. It takes on a first radially extended shape and where it makes said axial retainer between the shaft and the ring, and a radially retracted shape where it enables the axial displacement of the ring relative to the shaft. According to the preferred embodiment, in retention position, the snap ring is arranged so as to be in contact both with one tooth and at least one lug.
According to another feature, the shaft comprises a cylindrical portion forming an external radial stop of the free end of the lug(s).
Other features and advantages will appear in the following description of an invention embodiment, in conjunction with the appended drawings whereon:
The ring 18 abuts by the surface 172, oriented transversally relative to the axis, against an axial stop 167 provided on the cylindrical portion 162. The surface 172 appears clearly on
The teeth are aligned transversally to the axis of the shaft and provide a transversal groove 166, open radially, on the side opposite to that of the faces 165. When the ring rests against the axial stop 167, the groove 166 faces grooves 171 provided on the lugs 17. In the assembly of
As it appears on
When installing the ring 18 on the journal 16, the snap ring is placed first of all by sliding behind the teeth 164, as represented on
For disassembly purposes, an annular notch 20 is provided through which the ring may be extracted by means of an appropriate tool. It may also be observed that a tool may be inserted easily between the teeth 164 to retract the snap ring 19.
The installation of an internal roller ring of a roller bearing has been described. The invention also applies, mutatis mutandis, to the installation of the external ring of a roller bearing on the internal surface of a shaft or of a casing structure. Besides, the claw coupling may be realised by reversing the teeth and the lugs, the former on the ring and the latter interconnected with the shaft. Other variations understandable to the man of the art are included within the framework of the present invention. In particular the invention is not limited to the installation of a ring on a turbine shaft, with a wider scope.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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04 07854 | Jul 2004 | FR | national |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20060291955 A1 | Dec 2006 | US |