阅读说明：本技术 圆锥滚子轴承以及风力设备 (Tapered roller bearing and wind power plant ) 是由 伯恩弗里德·波尔卡 西蒙·安赫洛·桑托罗 于 2018-04-06 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种圆锥滚子轴承,其具有内圈(1),外圈(2)以及两行在内圈(1)与外圈(2)之间以O形排布布置的圆锥滚子(3),其中,内圈(1)沿着轴向(X)延伸经过比外圈(2)更大的长度,并且其中,内圈(1)与外圈(2)之间的间隙在圆锥滚子轴承的至少一侧处通过密封装置密封。根据本发明,密封装置包含旋转固定地连接在内圈(1)上的主密封件(4)以及旋转固定地连接在外圈(2)上的密封滚圈(5),其中,密封滚圈(5)构成用于主密封件(4)的密封作用面(6)。(The invention relates to a tapered roller bearing having an inner ring (1), an outer ring (2) and two rows of tapered rollers (3) arranged in an O-shaped arrangement between the inner ring (1) and the outer ring (2), wherein the inner ring (1) extends in an axial direction (X) over a greater length than the outer ring (2), and wherein a gap between the inner ring (1) and the outer ring (2) is sealed at least one side of the tapered roller bearing by a sealing device. According to the invention, the sealing arrangement comprises a main seal (4) which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the inner ring (1) and a sealing roller ring (5) which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the outer ring (2), wherein the sealing roller ring (5) forms a sealing contact surface (6) for the main seal (4).)

1. Tapered roller bearing having an inner ring (1), an outer ring (2) and two rows of tapered rollers (3) arranged in an O-arrangement between the inner ring (1) and the outer ring (2), wherein the inner ring (1) extends over a greater length in the axial direction (X) than the outer ring (2) and wherein a gap between the inner ring (1) and the outer ring (2) is sealed on at least one side by a sealing device, characterized in that the sealing device comprises a main seal (4) connected rotationally fixedly to the inner ring (1) and a sealing roller ring (5) connected rotationally fixedly to the outer ring (2), wherein the sealing roller ring (5) forms a sealing active surface (6') for the main seal (4).

2. Tapered roller bearing according to claim 1, characterized in that the main seal (4) is embedded in a groove (11) at the end side of the inner ring (1).

3. Tapered roller bearing according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the main seal (4) is held on the respective end side of the inner ring (1) by a clamping ring (12) or by clamping segments distributed around the circumference.

4. Tapered roller bearing according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the sealing rolling ring (5) is bolted to the outer ring (2).

5. Tapered roller bearing according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the labyrinth barrier (14) is formed by a complementary profile at the inner ring (1) on the one hand and the sealing ring (5) on the other hand.

6. Tapered roller bearing according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the sealing arrangement has additionally at least one separate secondary seal in addition to the primary seal (4).

7. Tapered roller bearing according to claim 6, characterized in that the primary seal (4) and the at least one separate secondary seal are fixed by a common press connection.

8. Tapered roller bearing according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the main seal (4) is constructed from a resilient plastic material and has a sealing foot (7) and a sealing arm (8) connected to the sealing foot (7), wherein the sealing arm (8) bears against the sealing effective surface (6).

9. The tapered roller bearing of claim 8, wherein the seal arm is supported by a spring.

10. Tapered roller bearing according to any of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the sealing active surface (6) is hardened.

11. Tapered roller bearing according to any of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the sealing active surface (6) is provided with a coating.

12. Tapered roller bearing according to any of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the primary seal (4) is mounted by means of at least one spacer ring (15).

13. Wind power installation with a machine housing arranged on a tower and a rotor carrying rotor blades, wherein the rotor is rotatably supported relative to the machine housing by means of a tapered roller bearing according to any of claims 1 to 12.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a tapered roller bearing, in particular a large tapered roller bearing, having an inner ring, an outer ring and two rows of tapered rollers which are arranged in an O-arrangement between the inner ring and the outer ring, wherein the inner ring extends in the axial direction over a greater length than the outer ring, and wherein a gap between the inner ring and the outer ring is sealed on at least one side by a sealing device.

The subject matter of the invention is also a wind power installation having a machine housing which is placed on a tower and a rotor which carries rotor blades, wherein the rotor is rotatably supported relative to the machine housing by means of tapered roller bearings. The tapered roller bearing thus forms a rotor bearing, which is also referred to as the main bearing in wind power installations.

Background

The tapered roller bearing is preferably embodied as a large tapered roller bearing. Within the scope of the invention, large rolling bearings are used to describe rolling bearings whose raceway diameter is greater than 500mm and usually also greater than 1000 mm.

Special requirements are present in the design of large rolling bearings. Due to their size and the loads to be absorbed, they result in a large material requirement and a high weight which must be carried by the corresponding support structure in the installed state. In the production of large rolling bearings, the material and production costs are also considerable, in particular because the inner ring and the outer ring are usually formed from rings that are rolled in a circumferentially seamless manner and the running surfaces for the rolling bodies are additionally hardened.

While small rolling bearings are usually designed as wear parts which are easy to replace, in large rolling bearings, a long service life with incomplete disassembly and simple maintenance and repair are advantageous, since large rolling bearings can only be operated and replaced with considerable effort on account of their weight and size. This is particularly true for large rolling bearings which support the rotor carrying the rotor blades as the main bearing in a wind power installation.

When used in wind power installations, tapered roller bearings must withstand radial forces, axial forces and in particular also considerable tilting moments. In the case of a substantially horizontal rotor direction, the tilting moment can be caused on the one hand by the weight of the connected components and on the other hand by wind loads that differ in height.

In order to be able to withstand corresponding loads, double row tapered roller bearings with two rows of tapered rollers arranged in an O-shape have been verified in practice. In the O-arrangement, the point of intersection of the longitudinal axes of the tapered rollers in the two rows is shifted toward the inner ring. The O-shaped arrangement is so named because the pressure lines corresponding to the two rows essentially form an O-shape in cross section.

In order to be able to arrange the tapered rollers between the inner ring and the outer ring, the inner ring is usually divided into at least two parts in the axial direction, while the outer ring, which has a nose shape in cross section, may be constructed in one piece. However, it is also conceivable, depending on requirements, to design the outer ring as a multi-part ring in the axial direction, wherein the inner ring and the outer ring can also be formed from a plurality of segments in the circumferential direction.

Such tapered roller bearings used as main bearings for wind power installations are known from DE 102009014923C 5 and WO 2007/119953 a1 (fig. 3).

In the known tapered roller bearing of this type, sealing devices are provided on both sides of the tapered roller bearing, respectively, which seal the gap between the inner ring and the outer ring. The sealing elements in the form of sealing rings are each connected in a rotationally fixed manner in the two sealing devices to the outer ring of the tapered roller bearing via a retaining ring. The seal connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the outer ring can be embodied, for example, in the form of a shaft seal with elastic sealing arms or sealing lips. The seal active surface for the seal is formed by the radially outer surface of the inner ring divided in the axial direction.

According to DE 102009014923C 5, the sealing contact surface can be hardened as a sliding surface for the seal and produced with high precision, for which purpose the sealing contact surface can be ground, for example, in a non-helical manner. By corresponding measures, a low coefficient of friction and low wear should be achieved.

The corresponding machining of the radially outer surface of the inner ring is complicated. In the case where the seal-acting surfaces are damaged by wear or are mechanically damaged during assembly, if sufficient sealability is no longer ensured, the entire tapered roller bearing must be replaced.

Disclosure of Invention

Against this background, the object of the invention is to improve such a tapered roller bearing in order to provide an extended service option in addition to a long service life. Furthermore, a wind power installation with such a tapered roller bearing is to be provided, wherein the bearing replacement in the wind power installation entails considerable expenditure.

The subject of the invention and the solution of the above object are a tapered roller bearing according to claim 1 and a wind power installation according to claim 13.

In addition to such a tapered roller bearing, it is therefore provided according to the invention that the sealing arrangement comprises a main seal connected rotationally fixed to the inner ring and a sealing ring connected rotationally fixed to the outer ring, wherein the sealing ring forms a sealing contact surface for the main seal.

Within the scope of the invention, the sealing roller ring integrates several functions. On the one hand, the sealing rolling ring realizes bridging of the axial distance, thereby compensating different lengths of the outer ring and the inner ring. In this case, the outer ring can be designed as narrow as possible, the width of the inner ring being determined by the position of the active surfaces of the two rows of tapered rollers.

Furthermore, the sealing ring also forms a sealing surface for the main seal. The sealing ring, which is produced separately and is connected to the outer ring, can also be removed afterwards and replaced or machined if necessary without removing the entire tapered roller bearing. The advantage is therefore that the sealing ring on which the sealing contact surface is formed can be replaced or subsequently machined when worn. In the case of maintenance, the sealing device must only be at least partially disassembled, wherein, however, the inner ring, which is usually divided into at least two parts in the axial direction, as well as the outer ring can remain in their assembled position.

There is also the advantage that the sealing roller ring can be handled more simply due to its smaller cross-sectional area compared to the inner ring and the outer ring. The finishing, coating or hardening of the sealing effect surface is thus considerably simplified, wherein the coating can also be easily renewed after removal.

Finally, the material of the sealing ring can also be selected taking into account the specific requirements, and can in particular be different from the material of the inner ring and the outer ring. A material can be selected which is suitable, for example, for forming a particularly smooth sealing action surface and which has a particularly low coefficient of friction in cooperation with the material of the main seal.

The sealing ring is usually made of metal, however, other materials are also conceivable depending on the occurring loads, including plastics and composite materials.

Since the sealing ring is designed as a separate part, the geometry can also be easily adapted to the respective requirements. In the simplest case, the sealing ring has a cylindrical shape. However, variants based on this basic shape are also possible. The sealing ring can also have a flare if, for example, it is necessary to bridge not only the axial spacing but also the radial spacing between the outer ring and the main seal arranged on the inner ring. The sealing runner may for example have an L-shape. Furthermore, a step can also be provided in the region of the sealing surface, so that a matching of the dimensions of the main seal is achieved.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the radially inner surface of the sealing ring forms the sealing contact surface.

Finally, other variants than cylindrical are also possible.

According to a further development of the invention, it is provided that the labyrinth is formed by complementary contours at the inner ring on the one hand and the sealing ring on the other hand. Projections can be provided on the inner ring and the sealing ring, for example, offset axially, which overlap in the radial direction and thus form a labyrinth. Such labyrinth barriers may be provided to further protect the seal gap and reduce the rate of lubricant leakage.

Within the scope of the invention, the gap between the inner ring and the outer ring is sealed on at least one side of the tapered roller bearing by the sealing device. However, such sealing arrangements are usually present on both sides of the tapered roller bearing, wherein the tapered roller bearing according to the conventional design can also be embodied mirror-symmetrically or substantially mirror-symmetrically with respect to the center plane.

Within the scope of the invention, the sealing means are located on at least one side, i.e. the end side, of the tapered roller bearing, wherein preferably both end sides are provided with a respective sealing means. As an end side of the bearing, an axial end region connected in the axial direction on both sides of the outer ring is referred to within the scope of the invention.

The primary seal is preferably made of a resilient plastic. The main seal can be made entirely of elastic plastic or can be combined with other materials. For example, elastic spring rings, springs or other attachments made of metal may also be provided, in order to improve the sealing properties. Additionally or alternatively, additives and in particular reinforcing fibers can also be added to the elastomeric plastic.

Elastic plastics suitable for use as the primary seal are, for example, nitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR), hydrogenated nitrile-butadiene rubber (HNBR), Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) and polyurethane-based elastomers. The listed resilient plastics are only exemplary. Materials which crosslink by vulcanization are particularly contemplated. In addition, however, thermoplastic elastomers are also contemplated.

The main seal can in particular have a sealing foot and a spring-elastic sealing arm connected to the sealing foot, wherein the sealing arm bears against the sealing effective surface. The primary seal may, for example, have the configuration of a conventional shaft seal ring, which may also optionally have a spring or metal attachment.

In addition to the primary seal, the sealing device also contains at least one separate secondary seal. For example, the main seal, viewed from the end face of the tapered roller bearing, can be arranged behind a simple dust seal, so that the main seal can be kept away from contamination and in particular particles.

Additionally or alternatively, a secondary seal may also be provided in the gap between the primary seal and the tapered roller.

If the tapered roller bearing is lubricated by means of oil or grease, a seal in the form of a stuffing box can be provided, for example, between the tapered rollers on the one hand and the main seal on the other hand, wherein felt seals are particularly suitable. Other seals and wiping elements may also be provided to minimize the amount of grease or oil present on the seal.

The sealing ring is connected to the outer ring in a rotationally fixed manner by means of a connecting device. Preferably, a screw is provided as the connecting element, which screw is inserted into a blind hole of the outer ring. Within the scope of such a configuration, the sealing ring can be removed after the removal of the screw, wherein the other components of the tapered roller bearing, in particular the outer ring and the inner ring, can be held in the assembled state. In principle, however, other types of fastening are also conceivable. If the sealing device is provided, for example, on both end faces of the tapered roller bearing, two sealing rings which are opposite one another on the outer ring can be fixed by a common screw connection. For this purpose, for example, long screws can be provided which extend through the two sealing rings and are tightened by means of nuts. In principle, the sealing ring can also be clamped in the housing without separate screws. Furthermore, at least one of the sealing rings can also be fixed to the outer ring by a common screw connection. Centering pins or other guiding and positioning means may also be provided to achieve simple and accurate positioning of the sealing roller ring.

A static seal is preferably provided between the outer ring and the sealing ring which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner on at least one end side, in order to prevent lubricant from flowing out at the contact surface between the outer ring and the sealing ring. However, the requirements for such static seals are relatively low. For example, a simple O-ring can be provided as a static seal, wherein such an O-ring is then arranged in a groove machined into the outer ring or into a corresponding contact surface of the sealing roller ring.

According to the invention, the main seal is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the inner ring. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the inner ring has a recess at the end face, so that the main seal can be accommodated. However, other designs for the fastening are also conceivable, so that the main seal can also be connected rotationally fixedly to the inner ring, for example by a separate connecting ring.

The main seal can be fixed to the inner ring, for example, by a pressure ring or by pressure segments that follow one another around the circumference. Such a pressing device is fastened to the inner ring by means of a connecting element, in particular a screw, wherein the inner ring has a blind hole for receiving the screw. In the case of the use of pressure segments for applying force to the main seal, a distance or gap can also be left between pressure segments that follow one another around the circumference, as a result of which clamping between the segments can be reliably avoided during assembly.

If the primary seal is fixed by means of a clamping ring or in some other way by a press connection, a separate secondary seal can also be fixed in a clamping manner together with the primary seal. It is thus possible to arrange identical or structurally and functionally different seals in the longitudinal direction of the tapered roller bearing and to clamp them together if necessary.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sealing contact surface, which is preferably formed on the radially inner surface of the sealing ring, is hardened.

In large rolling bearings, a case hardening, which can be achieved inductively, for example, is usually provided, taking into account the manufacturing effort and bearing stability. If the hardening is effected inductively during the advancing process, the surface layer is continuously formed as a ring. Special protective measures can then be implemented at the interface between the start and the end of the hardening. Depending on the material, a softer region must be left to avoid cracking. The corresponding unhardened region is also referred to as the glide region (Schlupf). However, steels with a high nickel content, which can also be inductively hardened, are also known, wherein even in the case of an overlap no cracks occur during the hardening process.

In addition to the hardening of the sealing surface, a coating may alternatively or additionally be provided there. In particular, it is possible within the scope of the invention to provide coatings which promote a particularly low coefficient of friction. It should be noted here that the force exerted by the main seal is generally much smaller than the force acting on the guide rails of the tapered rollers, so that other surface treatments or surface refinements are also possible.

Within the scope of the invention, the tapered roller bearing can be assembled in different ways. Depending on the integration into the machine or device, the inner ring or the outer ring may be selectively fixedly mounted.

If the outer ring is fixedly mounted and the axis of rotation of the tapered roller bearing is horizontal or approximately horizontal, the sealing ring can also have discharge slots or outflow openings for lubricant at suitable, deep-lying positions.

Such an outflow opening is advantageously arranged downstream of the main seal from the tapered roller, so that the lubricant is prevented from flowing out into the end face region and can thus be conducted away in a controlled manner. In particular, within the scope of such a design, the bearing gap can also be supplemented with a lubricant in the form of grease or oil via a suitable feed.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the main seal is equipped with at least one spacer ring. The spacer ring may be provided to enable main seals of different widths to be installed into a predetermined accommodation space. Furthermore, the position of the main seal can also be varied by means of at least one spacer ring, for example in front of or behind the main seal, as viewed in the axial direction. Accordingly, the contact position of the main seal on the corresponding sealing contact surface of the sealing ring can also be varied. The life of the tapered roller bearing can be further increased with respect to wear by such a change. If the sealing contact surface locally reaches its wear limit, the contact point or contact surface of the main seal can be displaced into the not yet worn region by a further arrangement of the spacer ring.

The subject of the invention is also a wind power installation with a machine housing arranged on a tower and a rotor carrying rotor blades, wherein the rotor is rotatably supported relative to the machine housing by means of the aforementioned tapered roller bearing. The machine housing, also called the nacelle, is usually rotatably arranged on the tower so that the longitudinal axis of the rotor follows the respective wind direction.

In principle, the tapered roller bearing according to the invention can also be used for an arrangement in which the machine housing is rotatable on the tower. The tower can be realized in different structural forms. The tower may for example be constructed from prefabricated struts or steel pipe sections which are screwed to one another at the flange connection. Additionally, hybrid towers are also known, which are composed of steel and concrete. Further, a grid structure may also be used, for example.

As mentioned at the outset, in the O-shaped arrangement of the double row of tapered rollers according to the present invention, the inner ring is divided into at least two parts in the axial direction, so that the rolling elements can be mounted between the outer ring and the inner ring at a predetermined inclination angle.

The other ring, i.e. the outer ring, the sealing rolling ring arranged on at least one side and the optionally provided pressure ring may be undivided in the axial direction as well as in the circumferential direction. However, rings which are segmented in the axial direction and/or in the circumferential direction are of course also conceivable.

Drawings

The invention is elucidated hereinafter on the basis of the accompanying drawings, which show only one embodiment.

In which is shown:

fig. 1 to 3 show sectional views of different embodiments of a tapered roller bearing according to the invention

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 to 3 show a tapered roller bearing according to the invention, which is designed as a large tapered roller bearing with a raceway diameter of more than 500mm, in particular more than 1000 mm.

The tapered roller bearing includes an inner ring 1 divided along an axial direction X, an outer ring 2, and two rows of tapered rollers 3 arranged in an O-shape between the inner ring 1 and the outer ring 2. According to the O-shaped arrangement, the center axes M of the two rows of tapered rollers 3 are arranged in a V-shape, wherein the center axes M intersect the direction of the inner ring 1 with an offset.

For better visibility, only the upper section of the tapered roller bearing is shown in the drawings. The lower section of the tapered roller bearing is obtained by mirroring the axis of rotation of the illustrated section with respect to the tapered roller bearing in a horizontal arrangement. The pressure lines D shown in fig. 1 form a generalized O-shape for the entire tapered roller bearing, from which the name O-shaped arrangement is derived.

By the oblique arrangement of the tapered rollers 3 in the O-arrangement, the rolling surfaces on the outer ring 1 are offset in the axial direction X with respect to the rolling surfaces of the outer ring 2 towards the central region. Only this results in that, in order to form the rolling surfaces, a greater length in the X direction is required on the inner ring 1 than on the outer ring 2. In order to save material and weight, the outer ring 2 is made as narrow as possible.

The gap between the inner ring 1 and the outer ring 2 is sealed by a sealing device on both end faces of the tapered roller bearing. According to the invention, each sealing arrangement comprises a main seal 4 which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the inner ring 1 and a sealing ring 5 which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the outer ring 2 and which forms a sealing effective surface 6 for the main seal 4.

According to the invention, the sealing contact surface 6 is therefore formed on a separate element in the form of a sealing ring 5, so that replacement or repair can be carried out in the event of damage to the sealing contact surface 6. The sealing active surface 6 may be affected by wear, for example. Furthermore, the sealing contact surface 6 can also be damaged during assembly, for example by scratching, wherein such damage can be eliminated relatively easily within the scope of the invention.

Even in the case of the conical roller bearing after assembly, the sealing device with the sealing ring 5 and the main seal 4 can be removed directly, at least in the embodiment shown, without the need to disassemble or disassemble the entire conical roller bearing.

This achieves the advantage that the sealing ring 5 can be constructed as a separate element made of a suitable material. Unlike the rolling surfaces of the inner ring 1 and of the outer ring 2, high point-like mechanical loads do not occur, wherein, however, in the long term, a low sliding friction between the sealing effective surface 6 and the corresponding main seal 4 is desirable.

As can also be seen from fig. 1, the sealing ring 5 is relatively small and light compared to the inner ring 1 and the outer ring 2 and can therefore also be handled more easily during manufacture, assembly and maintenance. The sealing action surface 6 can be surface treated or surface coated, in particular with a low input. The sealing-action face 6 can be hardened, in particular case hardened, and/or provided with a suitable sliding layer, for example.

The main seal 4 is embodied in the illustrated embodiment in the form of a shaft seal. Accordingly, the main seal 4 has a sealing foot 7 and a sealing arm 8 connected to the sealing foot 7, which rests with its end against the sealing effective surface 6. The sealing roller ring 5 is connected to the outer ring 2 in a rotationally fixed but detachable manner by means of screws 9a, wherein a static seal 10, for example an O-ring in a corresponding recess, is provided between the outer ring 2 and the sealing roller ring 5. This groove for the static seal 10 can optionally be configured in the outer ring 2 or in the corresponding contact surface of the sealing roller ring 5.

The inner ring 1 has an end-side recess 11 for receiving the main seal 4, wherein the main seal 4 is fixed in the end-side recess 11 by means of a clamping ring 12 or a clamping section. The pressure ring 12 is fixed to the inner ring 1 by means of bolts 9b, wherein the bolts 9b are inserted into corresponding blind holes.

The pressure ring 12 also carries a dust seal 13, which protects the main seal 4 from external contamination.

The above-described features are implemented correspondingly in the embodiments of fig. 1 to 3, wherein the different embodiments differ by the specific design of the sealing device.

According to fig. 1, the sealing contact surface 6 is located on a stepped region of the sealing ring 5, so that a geometric adaptation to the main seal 4 is achieved.

According to fig. 2, the labyrinth barrier 14 is formed by complementary shaping of the inner ring 1 on the one hand and the sealing ring 5 on the other hand. In order to form this labyrinth seal 14, an outwardly directed projection is provided on the inner ring 1 and an inwardly directed projection is provided on the sealing ring 5, the two projections being axially offset from one another.

Furthermore, fig. 2 shows, as a variant, that a spacer ring 15 can also be provided for adjusting the length in order to clamp the main seal 4 in the axial direction X by means of the pressure ring 12.

According to the embodiment in fig. 1 and 2, the sealing means provided on both end faces of the tapered roller bearing have a primary seal 4 and a secondary seal in the form of a dust seal 13, respectively. Such combinations of seals are merely exemplary. In principle, it is also possible to arrange two main seals 4 axially behind one another.

Fig. 3 shows another possible variant, in which a felt 16 is provided for improved sealing. The felt collar 16 is inserted into a recess 17 of the sealing roller 5 adjacent to the sealing action surface 6, wherein the felt collar 16 is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the inner ring 1. Specifically, the felt ring 16 is held and fixed in the axial direction X by the pressing ring 12 together with the main seal 4 via the intermediate ring 18.