Linear movement ball bearing provided with ball track plates and method for designing ball track plates for such ball bearing

US6109788A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• SKF Linearsystems GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Ludwig Edelmann · Premich, DE
• Hermann Glockner · Schweinfurt, DE
• Zoltan Laszlofalvi · Schweinfurt, DE
• Uwe Mayer · Schweinfurt, DE
• Henryk Velde · Werneck, DE
• Lothar Walter · Schweinfurt, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 6, 1998
• Grant date: Aug 29, 2000
• Expiry date: Feb 6, 2018

Classification

• Technology area (CPC F): Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
• CPC primary: F16C29/069
• WIPO field: Mechanical elements
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A ball bearing for permitting linear movements includes a cage having an inside surface that is adapted to surround a shaft. The cage also has ball tracks each defined by an axial guide track, an axial return track and two turn-around tracks which connect the ends of the guide track and the return track. The guide and return tracks have a radially inwardly open slit that extends along the lengths of the tracks. The guide tracks are covered by respective ball track plates provided with projections that project into grooves in the cage. To reduce tool and manufacturing costs, ball track plates having the same profile (i.e., identical outside diameters, ball track diameters, plate widths and plate thicknesses) are used for several ball bearing sizes with different bore and outside diameters.