阅读说明：本技术 滚动元件轴承组件 (Rolling element bearing assembly ) 是由 扬·克勒格尔 彼得·兰帕尔 汉斯·尤尔根·利泽冈 克劳斯·迪特尔·舒尔茨 于 2020-11-09 设计创作，主要内容包括：公开了一种滚动元件轴承组件(100),特别是双列圆锥滚子轴承,包括第一轴承圈(2；6)和第二轴承圈(2；6),它们之间形成轴承内部(8),滚动元件被布置在轴承内部中以允许第一和第二轴承圈的相对旋转,滚动元件轴承组件还包括用于密封轴承内部的密封组件,密封组件包括密封架(12)和密封元件(16),密封架连接到第一轴承圈使得它们一起旋转,密封元件包括用于密封轴承内部的至少一个主密封唇(24)和用于密封抵抗外部污染的副密封唇(26),密封元件连接到密封架,主密封唇和副密封唇在轴向上密封地抵接第二轴承圈的端表面(30)。(A rolling element bearing assembly (100), in particular a double row tapered roller bearing, is disclosed, comprising a first bearing ring (2; 6) and a second bearing ring (2; 6) forming a bearing interior (8) therebetween, rolling elements being arranged in the bearing interior to allow relative rotation of the first and second bearing rings, the rolling element bearing assembly further comprising a seal assembly for sealing the bearing interior, the seal assembly comprising a seal carrier (12) and a seal element (16), the seal carrier being connected to the first bearing ring such that they rotate together, the seal element comprising at least one primary seal lip (24) for sealing the bearing interior and a secondary seal lip (26) for sealing against external contamination, the seal element being connected to the seal carrier, the primary and secondary seal lips being sealingly abutted in an axial direction against an end surface (30) of the second bearing ring.)

1. Rolling element bearing assembly (100), in particular double row tapered roller bearing, comprising a first bearing ring (2; 6) and a second bearing ring (2; 6), the first bearing ring (2; 6) and the second bearing ring (2; 6) forming a bearing interior (8) between them, rolling elements being arranged in the bearing interior (8) to allow relative rotation of the first bearing ring (2; 6) and the second bearing ring (2; 6), wherein the rolling element bearing assembly (100) further comprises a seal assembly for sealing the bearing interior (8), wherein the seal assembly comprises a seal carrier (12) and a seal element (16), the seal carrier (12) being connected to the first bearing ring (2; 6) such that the seal carrier (12) rotates together with the first bearing ring (2; 6), the seal element (16) comprising at least one main seal lip for sealing the bearing interior (8) (24) And a secondary sealing lip (26) for sealing against external contamination, wherein the sealing element (16) is connected to the seal carrier (12) such that the primary sealing lip (24) and the secondary sealing lip (26) sealingly abut an end surface (30) of the second bearing ring (2; 6) in an axial direction.

2. Rolling element bearing assembly (100) according to claim 1, characterised in that the first bearing ring (2; 6) is configured to be stationary and the second bearing ring (6; 2) is configured to be rotating.

3. The rolling element bearing assembly (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sealing element (16) further comprises a sealing body (22) carrying the primary sealing lip (24) and the secondary sealing lip (26), wherein the sealing body (22), the primary sealing lip (24) and the secondary sealing lip (26) form a one-piece element.

4. Rolling element bearing assembly (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the primary sealing lip (24) abuts the end surface (30) of the second bearing ring (2; 6) with a predetermined contact force.

5. Rolling element bearing assembly (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the contact force of the primary sealing lip (24) is determined by the length (L) of the sealing lip (24), the angle of incidence (a) of the sealing lip (24) with respect to the end surface (30), the material of the sealing lip (24), the geometric design of the sealing lip (24) and/or a defined distance (D) of the seal carrier (12) to the end surface (30) of the second bearing ring (2; 6).

6. The rolling element bearing assembly (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the primary sealing lip (24) is directed towards the bearing interior (8) and the secondary sealing lip (26) is directed in an opposite direction such that a lip spread angle (β) is formed between the primary sealing lip (24) and the secondary sealing lip (26), the lip spread angle (β) falling in the range of 100 ° to 140 °, preferably the lip spread angle (β) being 120 °.

7. The rolling element bearing assembly (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the sealing element is made of Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) or Hydrogenated Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (HNBR).

8. Rolling element bearing assembly (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the seal carrier (12) is made of a fibre reinforced plastic material, in particular the seal carrier (12) is made of a glass Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) material.

9. The rolling element bearing assembly (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the sealing element (16) abuts a radial surface of the seal carrier (12) with the seal body (22) and the sealing element (16) is attached to the seal carrier (12) by a circumferentially extending clamping ring (18).

10. Rolling element bearing assembly (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the clamping ring (18) is attached to the seal carrier (12) by means of screws.

11. Rolling element bearing assembly (100) according to any of the preceding claims,

the sealing element (16) is clamped between the sealing frame (12) and the clamping ring (18) and/or

The sealing element (16) is attached to the clamping ring (18) by a friction fit, in particular the sealing element (16) is attached to the clamping ring (18) using an attachment element, and/or

The sealing element (16) and the clamping ring (18) comprise structures (52; 54; 56; 58) which interact with one another in an interference-fit manner, so that the sealing element (16) and the clamping ring (18) are connected to one another in an interference-fit manner and/or

The sealing element (16) is attached to the clamping ring (18) in a material-bonding manner, in particular the sealing element (16) is attached to the clamping ring (18) by adhesion.

12. Rolling element bearing assembly (100) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the sealing element (16) and/or the sealing carrier (12) comprises a structure (28; 32) for attaching the sealing element (16) to the sealing carrier (12) such that the sealing element (16) rotates together with the sealing carrier (12), wherein in particular the sealing carrier (12) comprises an undercut (32) and the sealing element (16), in particular the sealing body (22) of the sealing element (16), engages into the undercut (32) with a lug (28) formed thereon to secure the sealing element (16) to the sealing carrier (12).

Technical Field

The invention relates to a rolling-element bearing assembly, in particular a double-row tapered roller bearing, according to the preamble of claim 1, wherein the rolling-element bearing assembly has a diameter of more than one meter.

Background

Hereinafter, bearings comprising an outer ring having a diameter larger than one meter are referred to as large rolling element bearings. Other criteria, in particular other diameter values, may also be used to define a large rolling-element bearing. In any case it is crucial that large rolling element bearings are much larger bearings than those typically used in everyday applications (e.g. automotive) and having an outer diameter of a few centimeters.

Large rolling element bearings are often used in heavy industries, such as in wind turbines, tunnel boring machines, rolling element bearing assemblies, etc., and often have to work in particularly difficult environments.

Therefore, in the construction of large rolling element bearings, it is often not possible to make a pure enlargement of the bearing geometry from the known small bearings, since large rolling element bearings have other requirements on weight, installation and maintenance in addition to extreme environmental conditions.

Another problem with such large rolling element bearings is the sealing of the interior of the bearing. Due to the large dimensions, even very slight imbalances of the components rotating relative to each other can generate large vibrations, which can result in the seal not always being guaranteed to be in contact against the respective other component, and thus not always being able to guarantee a sufficient seal. In the prior art, therefore, radially acting seals are used, which are also referred to as radial shaft seals, wherein an additional spring presses the radially abutting sealing lip against the sliding surface. The spring element ensures that the sealing lip reliably slides against the corresponding sliding surface even in the event of an unbalanced assembly or manufacturing inaccuracies, and the interior of the bearing can be reliably sealed in all operating states.

However, such radial shaft seal rings have the disadvantage that they only ensure contact and cannot compensate for excessive contact pressures, as a result of which such radial shaft seal rings often wear out and have to be replaced.

In order to keep the wear of the radial shaft seal ring as low as possible, it is also known in the prior art to provide a slip ring (slip ring) on which the radial shaft seal ring can slide. This is designed to compensate for the unbalance, but must be manufactured in addition, which makes the production and manufacturing of the bearing ring considerably longer and more costly. Furthermore, for such additional sleeves it must be ensured that they have additionally produced sliding surfaces, which also makes the production more expensive.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a rolling element bearing assembly, in particular for a wind turbine, which makes possible a sealing inside the bearing, wherein the sealing can be used throughout the service life of the bearing or wherein the wear of the sealing lips can be reduced and at the same time the costs are reduced.

This object is achieved by a rolling element bearing assembly according to claim 1.

In the following, a rolling element bearing assembly is proposed, which comprises a first bearing ring and a second bearing ring, which (between them) form a bearing interior in which rolling elements are arranged such that the first bearing ring and the second bearing ring can rotate relative to each other. In particular, such a rolling element bearing assembly may be a double row tapered roller bearing. Furthermore, in particular such a rolling element bearing assembly can be used in heavy industry, wherein the first bearing ring and/or the second bearing ring has a diameter of more than one meter. The rolling element bearing further comprises a seal assembly for sealing the interior of the bearing, wherein the seal assembly comprises a seal carrier and a seal element, the seal carrier being connected to the first bearing ring such that the seal carrier rotates with the first bearing ring, the seal element being connected to the seal carrier such that the seal element rotates with the seal carrier. Such a seal carrier is typically used when the outer ring is constructed relatively narrower than the inner ring to save weight. For this purpose, however, it is necessary to redesign the bearing ring or the sealing location inside the bearing, wherein, however, the sealing assembly must have a sufficient distance from the rolling bearing accommodated in the bearing interior and the cage holding the rolling elements.

In order to provide a reliable, cost-effective and low-wear seal for a rolling element bearing, the sealing element further comprises at least one primary sealing lip for sealing the interior of the bearing and a secondary sealing lip (secondary seal lip) for sealing against the external environment, wherein the sealing element is connected to the seal carrier such that the sealing element and the seal carrier rotate together. Furthermore, the primary and secondary sealing lips abut (abut) in an axially sealing manner against the end surface of the second bearing ring, so that on the one hand a reliable sealing is ensured and on the other hand the sealing lips do not wear excessively even in the event of axial and radial imbalance.

Surprisingly, it has been shown that such a (large) rolling element bearing can achieve an axial sealing, since on the one hand the distance between the seal carrier and the end side of the inner ring can be set with high accuracy and thus the contact force of the sealing ring or sealing lip against the axial end surface of the bearing ring can be defined accurately, and on the other hand additional elements (such as for example elastic elements) can be omitted. On the one hand, this facilitates the manufacture of the seal, and on the other hand, the additional contact force acting on the sealing lip and causing it to wear can be omitted.

Axial sealing is contrary to conventional teachings of those skilled in the art, who assume that a sealing lip sliding in the axial direction does not seal adequately. The reason for this is that, especially in large rolling-element bearings, imbalances or manufacturing errors (it is not possible to manufacture a mathematically circular ring) always occur, resulting in large vibrations in the distance between the components rotating relative to each other. The spring element of the radial shaft seal is therefore considered to be indispensable, since otherwise it cannot be ensured that a seal is formed in all operating states, i.e. the sealing lip abuts the bearing ring or the sleeve.

It has been found, however, that even sealing lips sliding in the axial direction are able to adequately seal the bearing interior in all operating conditions, in particular their contact force over the service life of the rolling element bearing assembly can be precisely determined, and the sealing lips are designed accordingly. Thus, according to a preferred exemplary embodiment, the primary seal lip abuts the end surface of the second bearing ring with a predetermined contact force.

In this case, it is particularly preferred that the contact force of the primary sealing lip is determined by the length of the sealing lip, the angle of incidence of the sealing lip with respect to the end surface, the material of the sealing lip, the geometric design (/ geometric design) of the sealing lip and/or the defined distance of the sealing shelf from the end surface of the second bearing ring. Individually or in combination, the above-mentioned factors play a crucial role for the contact force of the seal on the end surface of the bearing ring and can be determined more accurately by means of simulations.

According to a further advantageous exemplary embodiment, not only the above-mentioned factors are of importance for determining the contact force, but also a lip-spread angle (lip-spread angle) between the primary sealing lip, which points towards the interior of the bearing, and the secondary sealing lip, which points in the opposite direction. A lip spread angle preferably falling in the range of 100 ° to 140 °, preferably in the order of 120 °, ensures that the sealing lips are aligned with each other so that they in principle abut the end surfaces of the bearing ring.

According to a further advantageous exemplary embodiment, the sealing element is made of nitrile rubber or hydrogenated nitrile rubber. On the one hand, these materials are highly elastic, and on the other hand, they are sufficiently rigid to establish the characteristics for the sealing lip as an optimal contact force. In addition, they exhibit high ozone resistance and can also be used at low temperatures.

According to a further advantageous exemplary embodiment, the sealing element further comprises a sealing body which carries the primary sealing lip and the secondary sealing lip, wherein the sealing body, the primary sealing lip and the secondary sealing lip form a one-piece element. Due to this one-piece construction, the interaction between the seal lip body, the seal carrier and the end sliding surface on the bearing inner ring can ensure a constant contact of the seal lip.

According to another advantageous exemplary embodiment, the sealing frame is made of a fiber-reinforced plastic material, in particular of an FRP material. This makes it possible to further reduce the weight and thus the overall weight of the bearing as a whole. In addition, such a seal carrier is very dimensionally stable and easy to manufacture and can be easily attached to the bearing ring. Of course, however, the seal carrier may also be made of sheet metal material as usual.

However, in order to be able to obtain the necessary stability and dimensional stability even in the case of large rolling element bearings, it is preferred that the sealing frame is not manufactured as a multilayer as is usual, but is compression molded from a fibre matrix composite plate (SMC method). No post-processing of the seal carrier is necessary. On the one hand, this makes it possible to speed up the production process and, on the other hand, to avoid errors due to incorrect lamination of the fiber-reinforced plastic. In addition, with compression moulded fibre matrix composite plates, a high dimensional accuracy can be achieved, so that even in large rolling element bearings pure axial sealing can be carried out without problems without the use of radial shaft sealing rings.

To attach the seal carrier and the sealing element to the seal body, the seal body is usually arranged on a radial surface of the seal carrier and is attached to the seal carrier by means of a circumferentially extending clamping ring. Such a circumferentially extending clamping ring ensures that the sealing element is held in a predetermined position in the radial direction and in the axial direction in order to slide the sealing lip with a defined contact force against the end side of the bearing ring.

Here, the clamping ring may be attached to the seal holder by screws.

Furthermore, the sealing element may be clamped between the seal carrier and the clamping ring. Alternatively or additionally, the sealing element may be attached to the clamping ring by a friction fit (in particular using an attachment element). In addition, alternatively or additionally, the sealing element and the seal carrier/clamping ring may also comprise structures which interact with one another in an interference fit (interference-fit), which structures may also attach the sealing element to the clamping ring and/or the seal carrier in the radial and axial direction. Of course, it is also possible additionally or alternatively to attach the sealing element fixedly to the clamping ring or the sealing carrier only in a material-bonded manner (in particular, an adhesive (/ adhesive) can be used).

In order to additionally produce a rotational locking or a radial, axial and circumferential position fixing of the seal carrier and the sealing element, the sealing element and/or the seal carrier may comprise a structure for attaching the sealing element to the seal carrier such that they rotate together. It is particularly preferred here that the sealing frame comprises an undercut and that the sealing element is engaged in the undercut by means of a lug formed on the sealing body, whereby the sealing element can be fixed to the sealing frame.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a wind turbine comprising a rotor shaft main bearing assembly comprising a roller assembly as described above.

Further advantages and advantageous embodiments are indicated in the description, the drawing and the claims. In particular, the combinations of features specified in the description and the figures are merely exemplary here, so that the features can also be present individually or in other combinations.

In the following, the invention is described in more detail using exemplary embodiments depicted in the drawings. Here, the exemplary embodiments and combinations shown in the exemplary embodiments are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The scope is only limited by the pending claims.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective partial view of a rolling element bearing assembly according to a first exemplary embodiment;

figure 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the rolling element bearing assembly of figure 1;

fig. 3 shows a schematic perspective detail view of the sealing element used in fig. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic detail view of a seal carrier for use in a rolling element bearing assembly;

fig. 5 shows a schematic detail view of an alternatively used sealing element;

fig. 6 shows a schematic detail view of an alternatively used sealing element; and

fig. 7 shows a schematic detail view of an alternatively used sealing element;

in the following, identical or functionally equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals.

List of reference numerals

100 rolling element bearing assembly

2 outer ring

4-shaft

6 inner ring

8 inside the bearing

10 rolling element

12 sealing rack

14 screw

16 sealing element

18 clamping ring

20 screw

22 sealing body

24 primary seal lip

26 auxiliary sealing lips

28 structure

30 end surface

32 undercut

34. 36 sealing projection

38. 40 complementary structure

42. 44 Flange element

46. 48 abutment surface

50 attachment element

52 projection

54 barb

56 thickened part

58 groove

60 projection

Distance D

Length of L

Angle of incidence of alpha

Beta lip spread angle

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 schematically shows a perspective partial view of a rolling element bearing assembly 100, the rolling element bearing assembly 100 comprising an outer ring 2 and an inner ring 6, the outer ring 2 being connected to a shaft 4 such that the outer ring 2 rotates with the shaft 4, wherein the outer ring 2 and the inner ring 6 form a bearing interior 8 therebetween, the rolling elements 10 being arranged in the bearing interior 8.

In order to protect the bearing interior 8 as a whole from dirt, water or particles, and to keep the lubricant, which is optionally located in the bearing interior 8, the bearing interior 8 must be sealed off from the outside. For this purpose, it is usual to attach a seal carrier 12 to the outer ring 2 or the shaft 4, the seal carrier 12 being attached by means of screws 14 and at least partially covering the bearing interior 8 in the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 1. Here, the seal carrier 12 extends from the bearing outer ring 2 or the shaft 4 to the bearing ring 6 and carries the sealing element 16. This design is also shown enlarged in the sectional view of fig. 2, wherein, however, fig. 2 shows only the bearing inner ring 6, the rolling elements 10, and not the outer ring 2. Furthermore, a seal carrier 12 is depicted in fig. 2, the seal carrier 12 carrying a sealing element 16.

In the exemplary embodiment depicted in the figures, the sealing element 16 is configured as an axial sealing element. However, the sealing element may also be formed as a radial shaft sealing ring.

In order to attach the sealing element 16 to the seal carrier 12 such that they rotate together, a clamping ring (clamping ring)18 is additionally provided, which in turn is attached to the seal carrier 12 in the circumferential direction by means of screws 20, such that the sealing element 16 is clamped between the seal carrier 12 and the clamping ring 18. The sealing element itself is also attached to the clamping ring 18 in the circumferential direction by means of screws 20, so that the sealing element rotates together with the clamping ring 18 and is attached to the bearing inner ring 6 at a distance defined in the axial direction. Various attachment possibilities are discussed in more detail below.

As can be seen from fig. 2 and 3, the sealing element 16 comprises a sealing body 22 carrying a primary sealing lip 24 and a secondary sealing lip 26. In the depicted exemplary embodiment, the seal body 22 and the seal lips 24, 26 are integrally formed (/ formed as a single piece), but the sealing element 16 may also be made from multiple components. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the seal body 22 has a structure 28 in the form of a lug (lug), which structure 28 interacts with the seal carrier 12 to fix the seal body 22, and thus the seal body 16, on the seal carrier 12 in the axial direction and in the radial direction.

Furthermore, fig. 2 shows that the primary seal lip 24 and the secondary seal lip 26 are not oriented radially as usual, but are able to slide in the axial direction against the end surface of the inner ring 6. This is unusual, since until now it has been assumed by the person skilled in the art that the axial seal or the main seal 24 extending in the axial direction cannot exert a sufficient contact force against the end surface 30 or other axial surface to safely and reliably protect the bearing interior 8 from external contamination and to retain lubricant, which is optionally located in the bearing interior 8, in the bearing interior 8.

However, it has surprisingly been found that the sealing lip can be formed such that it can also exert a sufficient contact force in the axial direction. In addition to the distance D between the sealing frame 12 and the end face 30, the material of the sealing element, in particular the material of the main sealing lip, the length L of the main sealing lip, the angle of incidence α of the main sealing lip with respect to the end face 30, the geometric design of the main sealing lip, and the angle of spread β of the main sealing lip with respect to the secondary sealing lip 26 also play a crucial role. In order to obtain a particularly good contact force, the contact force and its behavior achieved over the entire service life of the bearing are simulated for the sealing element and the parameters are adjusted accordingly.

Thus, for example, the primary seal lip 24 depicted in FIG. 2 and enlarged in FIG. 3 shows a geometric design having a shape that is slightly curved outwardly and is centrally thickened, and the primary seal lip 24 has a lip-spread angle (β) of about 120 relative to the secondary seal lip 26. Further, the distance D between the seal holder 12 and the end surface 30 of the bearing inner race 6 is set so that the seal lip 24 is always in contact with the end surface 30 even under high load and long service life. Further, it is preferable that the incident angle α of the primary seal lip 24 with respect to the end surface 30 of the bearing inner race 6 falls within a range of about 20 ° to 60 °. Furthermore, it has been found preferable to manufacture the sealing element, in particular the main sealing lip 24, from an elastomeric material, preferably nitrile butadiene rubber (nitrile butadiene rubber) or hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber). These materials have sufficient strength, high elasticity and high smoothness (smoothness) to allow the sealing lip to sealingly abut the end surface 30 over its lifetime without being damaged by high friction torque or impeding rotation of the bearing assembly. In addition, these materials exhibit high ozone resistance (high resistance to ozone) and can also be used at low temperatures.

To attach the seal element 16 to the seal carrier 12, in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2, it is also depicted that the seal carrier 12 includes undercuts (undercuts) 32, the undercuts 32 interacting with the structure 28 (i.e., lugs) of the seal body 22 to secure the seal element 16 radially and axially. Furthermore, the undercut together with the lugs 28 forms a kind of labyrinth seal which further seals the bearing interior 8. For additional sealing of the bearing interior 8, as can be seen in particular also from the enlarged view of the sealing lip in fig. 3, a projection 34 extending in the radial direction is formed on the sealing element 16 in the region of the structure 28 and a projection 36 extending in the axial direction is formed in this region of the sealing body 22, in order to ensure an additional sealing between the sealing element 16 and the clamping ring 18 or the seal carrier 12. Furthermore, the seal body 22 may also be bonded (/ adhered) to the clamp ring 18 and/or the seal carrier.

As already mentioned above, the distance D between the seal carrier 12 and the end surface 30 of the bearing inner ring is particularly important, among other parameters, in order to establish the contact force of the main seal lip 24. In bearings known in the prior art, the seal carrier 12 is made of sheet metal, however, especially in large rolling element bearings, the sheet metal is slightly bent so that in conventional bearings the distance D varies greatly over the circumference. In the case of an axially extending seal, this variation prevents the primary seal lip 24 from abutting the end surface 30 of the bearing inner race 6 at all times, but rather being spaced therefrom. Accordingly, axial seal assemblies have never been considered by those skilled in the art.

In order to reduce axial imbalances as far as possible, it is therefore further proposed that the seal carrier 12 is not produced from sheet metal material, as is known from the prior art, but that the seal carrier 12 is produced from fiber-reinforced plastic, in particular glass fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP). FRP has the following properties: on the one hand, FRP is light, whereby the total weight of the large rolling-element bearing can be reduced, and on the other hand, FRP is very stable and non-deformable, so that the distance D between the seal carrier 12 and the end surface 30 can be accurately set and kept constant over the entire circumference even in the case of a large rolling-element bearing. It has been found to be advantageous here that the FRP material is not laminated as usual, but is compression-moulded from a fibre matrix composite plate, which in particular increases dimensional stability and manufacturing accuracy.

Further, the seal carrier 12 may be formed in one or more pieces, and other structures may be formed directly during the manufacturing process, such as, for example, vent holes, lubricant supply holes, endoscopic holes (endoscopic holes), and the like.

In the multi-piece embodiment, as depicted in fig. 4, it is furthermore advantageous that two mutually abutting adjacent seal carrier sections 12a, 12b comprise mutually complementary structures 38, 40. In the exemplary embodiment depicted in fig. 4, the mutually complementary structures are realized by a projection 38 and a correspondingly configured groove 40, which projection 38 and correspondingly configured groove 40 engage each other during assembly and align the seal carrier sections 12a, 12b with each other in radial and axial direction. Further, a flange element (/ flange element) 42, 44 may be attached to each of the seal carrier sections 12a, 12b, the flange elements 42, 44 may be screwed to each other to connect the seal carrier sections 12a, 12b to each other. In addition, the engagement surfaces 46, 48 (particularly flange surfaces) of the seal carrier segments may be coated with a sealing material (particularly a liquid seal) to ensure the tightness of the seal carrier 12 in the circumferential direction. The sealing frame segments 12a, 12b can also be bonded to each other only, wherein the adhesive (adhesive) can then assume both the attachment function and the sealing function.

Instead of the tongue-and-groove connection (tongue-and-groove connection) depicted, it is of course also possible to form other suitable complementary structures, so that the sealing carrier sections can be fixed and oriented radially, axially and/or circumferentially relative to one another. However, it is particularly advantageous here for the complementary structures to comprise at least one radial stop and one axial stop, so as to simplify the orientation of the seal carrier section.

Fig. 5, 6 and 7 show further alternative attachment possibilities of the sealing element 16 to the sealing frame 12 or the clamping element 18. In other embodiments shown, the sealing element 16 is connected only to the clamping element 18 and is not directly attached to the seal carrier 12. Thus, fig. 5 and 6 each show a design in which the sealing element 16 and the clamping ring 18 are connected to each other in an interference and friction fit. Here, a purely interference and friction fit design is shown in fig. 5, whereas in fig. 6 the interference or friction fit is supplemented by a friction fit by means of an additional attachment element 50. In fig. 5, the clamping ring 18 comprises a protrusion 52, on which protrusion 52 the sealing element 16 equipped with barbs 54 is clamped (/ clamped). On the other hand, in the exemplary embodiment of fig. 6, the clamping ring 18 comprises a thickening 56 with a groove 58, into which groove 58 an extension 60 of the sealing element engages, which extension 60 is also equipped with a barb 54. In addition, an attachment element 50 is provided that attaches the sealing element 16 to the gripper ring 18 such that they rotate together. Of course, the sealing element 16 can also be screwed onto the clamping ring 18 only by means of screws 50, as depicted in fig. 7, for example.

The rolling element bearing assembly as depicted in fig. 1 to 7 is particularly advantageous in that the inner ring is configured to be fixed (/ stationary) and the outer ring is configured to be rotating, but it may also be used with a fixed outer ring and a rotating inner ring.

In summary, with the proposed rolling element bearing assembly, it is possible to provide a large rolling element bearing assembly having a diameter of more than one meter, which can both reduce weight and improve sealing performance. The combination of FRP material (in particular FRP material compression molded from fibre composite board) and the sealing element extending in axial direction may achieve an optimal axial sealing, since due to the FRP seal carrier the distance between the seal carrier and the end surface of the inner ring may be set particularly accurately.