A rolling bearing of the aforementioned type is disclosed in DE-GM No. 1 768 081, wherein both inner rings are provided with shoulders only on their axially outer sides. In the area of the axially inner sides no shoulders are provided; the outer diameter is here the same as the raceway diameter, so that each inner ring can have loads exerted thereon in only one axial direction, namely from the inside of the rolling bearing. In accordance with this construction, the inner rings can be introduced from the sides in a final work step during assembly of the bearing, wherein the side surfaces of the inner rings are in mutually abutting relation, and the inner rings are held together in the axial and radial directions by means of a clamping ring. The clamping ring engages annular grooves in the area of the outer surfaces of the respective inner rings by form-locking. The elastic construction of the clamping ring enables the snapping of the ring into the respective annular grooves during pressing together of the inner rings. In this way the rolling bearing is assembled, whereby the inner rings, without the provision of further means, can no longer be separated. To enable separation, e.g. for the purpose of repairing a large expensive rolling bearing, in accordance with this known construction a radial through-hole is provided in the vicinity of the abutting surfaces of the inner rings, in which a separating tool is inserted for axially pushing the inner rings apart, to forcibly remove the clamping ring from the annular grooves. A new clamping ring is then used for reassembly of the bearing. Although this method is fundamentally without fault, the forcible manipulation of the separating tool which is required can result in damage to the side surfaces as well as the bore surfaces of the inner rings. Furthermore, the firmness of the form-locking between the clamping ring and the inner rings cannot be optionally increased since the assembly must be sufficiently yielding to enable separation of the inner rings, i.e. by distending the clamping ring until it is forced out of the annular grooves.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds