Clutch Thrust Bearing

The invention relates to a self-centering clutch thrust bearing arranged with radial play either on or inside a sliding sleeve. A clutch thrust bearing of the aforesaid type is known from the German Public Disclosure No. 1,944,839, wherein the lateral faces of at least one of the bearing races have been flared outward in order to form an annular space which is filled with a noise-abating plastic material. The annular gap between this clutch thrust bearing and the sliding sleeve has been dimensioned in such a way as to permit a radial motion of the thrust bearing for the purpose of its self-alignment during clutch operation. However, damping of the radial movement of the bearing has not been taken into consideration, and such damping would be possible to only a limited extent, because the plastic ring has a relatively slight elastic force. Furthermore, said known plastic ring is not able to dampen any relative motion between the sliding sleeve and the neighboring or adjacent bearing race.

It is the object of the present invention to create a clutch thrust bearing wherein the radial motion of the bearing in or on a sliding sleeve is elastically reversed once a certain motion of the clutch thrust bearing to the sliding sleeve is dampened. This task, according to the invention, is solved by providing a close fit of the elastic ring, hereinafter named the damping ring, preferably on the stationary bearing race, or on the sliding sleeve and providing said ring with resilient, springy lugs or tongues formed in the bore or on the jacket and inclined in a certain angle relative to the bearing axis.

Radial play is allowed between said elastic tongues and the sliding sleeve, or between said tongues and the bearing race, respectively. According to a further characteristic of the invention, the damping ring has means for the damping of the relative motion between the sliding sleeve and the bearing race abutting against the latter. Thus, elastic lugs or protrusions may be arranged on the damping ring which, in the case of relative motion of the damping ring towards the sliding sleeve, will abut against the latter.

Further characteristics of the invention can be seen from the following description of several embodiments shown in the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the invention, showing a self-centering clutch thrust bearing of sheet metal having a sliding sleeve and a damping ring arranged in the bore of the inner race;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the damping ring according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the damping ring of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a clutch thrust bearing, with a positive stop for the limitation of the radial bearing displacement arranged at the sliding sleeve;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a clutch thrust bearing, with a damping ring arranged on the jacket of the sliding sleeve;

FIG. 6 is an axial right-end elevation view of the sleeve component of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an axial left-end elevation view of the sleeve component of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is an axial elevation view of the end of the ring, opposite that shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment similar to FIG. 1.

In the drawings, identical parts have been given identical reference numbers.

FIG. 1 shows a self-centering clutch thrust bearing which is arranged on a sliding sleeve 2. The clutch thrust bearing consists of one inner race of sheet metal 3 with a flange 4 pointing radially outward, the balls 6 guided in a ball race or cage 5 and an outer race 7, also made of sheet metal, one face of which has been provided with a concave annular surface 8 designed to accommodate the clutch levers (not shown in the drawing). Bearing 1, with its flange 4 of the inner race 3, abuts against flange 9 of the sliding sleeve 2 and can move in radial direction. Flange 4 of the inner race 3 and flange 9 of the sliding sleeve 2 are encircled by a bracket 10 having a certain amount of play, so that the bearing 1 and the sliding sleeve 2 actually form one unit. The bracket 10 is mounted on the sliding sleeve 2 by means of an elastic tongue 11. Said tongue 11, with a certain amount of play, engages a recess 12 in the flange 4 of the inner race 3.

Inside the bore 13 of the inner race 3, there is a damping ring 14 of elastic material, such as plastic, with lugs 15 to prevent said damping ring from rotation in circumferential direction. These lugs 15 protrude from the inner race 3 and engage an axial groove 16 on the jacket of the damping ring 14. Within said bore, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the damping ring 14 has tongues 17 which are bent in the direction of the clutch thrust bearing 1. In a concentrically arranged clutch thrust bearing, 1, between the tongues or lugs 17 of the ring and the axially extending section 18 of the sliding sleeve 2, there is a certain amount of radial play, so that a damping of the radial bearing dislocation will be effected only in such cases where said dislocation is greater than the play or clearance between tongues 17 and the sliding sleeve 2. This arrangement assures for the rolling element unit and the races of the bearing rings 3,7, protection from strong shocks emanating from the road surface, and, simultaneously, easy and effortless centering. The damping ring 14, on the side pointing away from the bearing 1, has been provided with a circumferential, axially directed shoulder 19 which extends into and engages a recess formed by convex surface 20 of the sliding sleeve 2. The shoulder 19 has two diametrically arranged recesses 21 engaged by two suitably arranged lugs 22 extending out of the sliding sleeve 2.

Provision is made to prevent any noise during engagement and disengagement of the clutch, that is, during a change of direction of rotation, caused by the surfaces of sliding sleeve 2, the bracket 10 and the damping ring 14 impacting in circumferential direction. Accordingly, the play between the resilient tongue 11, the bracket 10, and the recess 12 in the flange 4 of the inner race 3, in the direction of rotation, is greater than the play between the lugs 22 of the sliding sleeve 2 and the resilient protrusions 23 which abut against the lugs 22 of the sliding sleeve 2 and which dampen any relative motion between the damping ring 14 or the inner race connected with it respectively, and the sliding sleeve 2. The axial protrusion or lug 19 at the damping ring 14 furthermore serves as a positive stop for the limitation of the radial play between the clutch thrust bearing and the sliding sleeve 2.

The embodiment 1a illustrated in FIG. 4 is distinguished from the embodiment of FIG. 1, in that the positive stop, for the limitation of the radial bearing dislocation, is situated at the sliding sleeve 2a instead of at the damping ring 24, and consists of several lugs 25 formed from the radial flange of the sliding sleeve. The circumferential shoulders 20 of the sliding sleeve 2a, in this embodiment, are engaged by only two resilient lugs 23 each arranged at the damping ring and diametrically opposed to each other, whereby the lugs 22 latched out of the sliding sleeve 2a are arranged between aforesaid lugs 23.

FIG. 5 shows a clutch thrust bearing 1b distinguished from the bearing shown in FIG. 4 in that the damping ring 26 is mounted on the jacket of the sliding sleeve 2b, and that a certain amount of play has been provided between the inner race 3b and the resilient lugs 27.

FIG. 9 shows a clutch thrust bearing 1c distinguished from FIG. 1 in that the damping ring 28 is mounted on the outer race ring 7c for cooperation with a collar 29 portion of the sliding sleeve 2c.

FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 are included merely to further clarify the structure of the sleeve and ring components; reference numbers on these drawings identify elements already disclosed and identified with the same numbers in other drawings.

The above described embodiments constitute only examples of a clutch thrust bearing according to the invention, with various alterations or changes possible in the individual components within the scope of the present invention.