Abstract: A method of retaining and sealing a cover (1) to a housing (2) of a machine includes applying a fluent adhesive material (4) to one or both of the surfaces of the cover and housing which confront one another when the housing and cover are in an assembled condition, assembling the cover to the housing such that the fluent adhesive material is interposed between the cover and the housing over at least part of their confronting surfaces, applying holding elements (5) to the cover and the housing with the adhesive material interposed therebetween to retain them in their relative positions and then effecting an increase in the mechanical strength of the adhesive material sufficient to retain the cover in position on the housing in normal operation of the machine.

Abstract: A gear unit comprising a housing, two shafts arranged parallel with one another and each supporting a helically cut toothed gear, and two pairs of bearings supported by or relative to the housing in an arrangement in which each pair of bearings rotatably supports a shaft with the toothed gears of the two shafts being rotatable one relative to the other in mutual engagement, wherein two bearings of the two shafts lying to a common side of the inter-engaged helical gears are supported by a substantially common wall section of the gear unit housing, one of said two bearings being arranged to transmit to said housing wall section axial forces acting in a direction from the gears to the bearing and the other bearing being arranged to transmit to said wall section axial forces acting in a direction from said other bearing to the gears.

Abstract: A housing (40) for a gear unit, the housing being formed by a moulding process including casting, pressure casting, injection moulding or like processes. The housing (40) of the invention comprises housing walls and support for bearing elements of a gear shaft, the housing walls (47) and support (45, 46) being formed in a mould wherein the support (45, 46) is connected to a wall (47) of the housing (40) and extends from that wall (47) in a direction in which the housing is removed or demoulded from the mould. Further, a surface of the support may be shaped to provide elements to hold a liquid lubricant and elements to direct that lubricant to and/or from the bearing elements of a gear shaft.

Abstract: The invention relates to a shaft bearing assembly and also to an industrial gear unit (30) comprising this bearing assembly. The bearing assembly (34) comprises two taper roller bearings mounted axially spaced apart on the shaft (35) with the bearings orientated in an O arrangement in which the rollers of each bearing increase in diameter in the direction away from the other bearing of the pair. In a gear unit (30) the outer cup of the taper roller bearing may be located by an abutment shoulder (32) formed in the housing (11) whilst the inner cone of the taper roller may be located by a lock nut (40) on a threaded end portion of the shaft (35) or by a circlip (61) disposed in annular groove in the shaft (35).

Abstract: An assembly of a pair of roller bearings in which the inner bearing rings are axially spaced apart by a first member and the outer bearing rings are spaced apart by a second member with one of the inner or outer ring of each bearing being an axially outer bearing ring spaced axially further from the outer bearing than the other ring of that bearing. The method comprises forming an assembly of the two members and bearings in which one of the axially outer bearing ring is a loose fit on one of the first and second members, and then axially moving the axially outer bearing ring of the one bearing which is loose fit in a direction towards the other bearing to create a pre-load, and then increasing the degree of pre-load to effect elastic deformation of that ring and thereby create a shrink fit type interface load.

Abstract: A full complement taper roller bearing consists of an inner ring or cone having an inner track on its radially outer conical surface, and an outer ring or cup having an outer track on its radially inward conical surface and one or more rows of taper rollers having a contact angle of less than 30 degrees freely disposed between the inner and outer rings and guided between said tracks. Each row of rollers is axially located within a recess on the inner track defined by a shoulder abutment disposed at least at the edge of the inner track having the greatest diameter and each of the rollers is in contact with the inner track over the entire length of the taper roller in the axial direction of the bearing. A method of assembly is also enclosed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a roller bearing and seeks to reduce or mitigate the high edge stresses experienced by the bearing elements due to shaft misalignment or distortion under load. The invention provides a roller bearing assembly comprising an outer ring supported in a tubular housing formation associated with a wall of housing, the tubular housing formation extending for at least the axial length of the outer ring wherein the tubular housing formation provides a resistance to radial movement of the outer ring which is greater at one axial end of the outer ring than the other axial end. The low ring of resistance to radial movement may be by selectively profiling the tubular housing formation or rendering it circumferentially discontinuous.

Abstract: A method for reducing the presence of ferritic particles in lubricant employed in the lubrication of rotary shaft bearing of the type comprising a first bearing contact surface, a second bearing contact surface and a plurality of rotatable bearing members disposed therebetween, a lubrication system employing such method and a lubricated assembly. The method comprises providing a ferritic particle collector element of magnetised material in close proximity to the bearing and the path of lubricant flowing to the bearing, the close proximity being within a distance from the bearing contact surface which is less than five times the maximum diameter of the bearing contact surfaces. The collecting element may comprise an existing component of a lubrication system or lubricated assembly which is rendered magnetic or may comprise a magnet or magnets secured to an existing component.

Abstract: The invention relates to a roller bearing in which high edge stresses resulting from shaft misalignment can be mitigated or overcome. The invention provides a roller bearing comprising an inner, an outer ring and a plurality of bearing rollers disposed therebetween wherein the outer bearing ring has an axial end face and a grooved formed therein, the groove extending longitudinally about the axis of rotation of the bearing. The groove may be formed between the radially inner and outer edges of the end face or may be formed at the radially outer edge, and have the form of a chamfer. The groove may be continuous or discontinuous around the end face.

Abstract: An air impellor comprises a sheet of plastically deformable material having a plurality of cuts which each extend radially outwards from a central position defined by the intersection between said sheet of material and an axis about which, in use, the impellor is intended to rotate, each cut extending to an outer boundary edge (17) of the sheet material from an inner end base region which lies at a position spaced radially outwards from said central position, each vane segment (11) thereby defined by the sheet material lying between each successive pair of cuts having a twisted profile in which the local angle of inclination of a circumferentially extending line on said vane segment as considered relative to a plane perpendicular to said axis of rotation increases with increasing radial distance of the circumferentially extending line from said axis of rotation.