Abstract: An interlocking thrust washer is disclosed as well as a method for its manufacture. It is made from a flat wire section which is bent into a ring and held together by a complementing tongue and mouth which are formed of opposite ends of the wire. By this method, there is no material wasted.

Abstract: An upper mount for a steerable suspension strut incorporating a ball bearing assembly provided with an outer race which is spherical in the region of the balls. The cage of the ball bearing assembly is formed of flexible material which is retained against an inner race and which comprises an upper section for covering the ball bearing and a lower section for closing the ball bearing opening. With this construction, a gimbal or cardan-type connection is provided between the strut and the mounting tower of the vehicle body work for improved support of a steerable road wheel.

Abstract: A mount for a bearing is provided which includes a securing element that extends around a perimeter of at least one bearing ring and is welded to the support surface. The bearing ring includes an annular recess that receives a radial lip on the securing element. The securing element is at least temporarily secured to the bearing ring until the securing element is welded to the support surface. Thereafter, the configuration of the securing element fixes and secures the bearing on the support surface. Preferably both the annular recess and radial lip have at least one mating tapered surface which locate and provide a positive locking engagement between the securing element and the bearing ring without high manufacturing tolerances.

Abstract: A seat swivel apparatus includes a first mounting plate rotatively mounted to a second mounting plate. Each of the first and second mounting plates has a circular recess formed therein to define a pair of bearing races which hold bearing means such as a plurality ball bearings. The first and second mounting plates are held together utilizing fastening means that include a Belleville spring to provide a continuous and substantially constant biasing force on the plates to maintain them in proper rolling contact with the ball bearings. Each of the races include two arcuate sidewall portions and a connecting portion between the sidewall portions, the connecting portions being substantially flat to help prevent the bearings from tightening within the races.

Abstract: A multi-purpose furniture swivel assembly includes a ball bearing race base providing a pair of back-to-back bearing races, one being deeper than the other and includes a ball bearing assembly. In a first configuration, the bearing race base is pivotably mounted to a platform which is to be swiveled with the ball bearing assembly between them in the shallower bearing race, and this assembly is pivotably mounted with respect to a tabletop. In a second configuration, the bearing race base is inverted to support the bearing assembly in the deeper bearing race. The bearing race base is pivotably fastened to the platform, and support pads are carried on the now bottom side of the race base to support the race base in spaced relation with respect to a tabletop.

Abstract: A synthetic resin ball bearing. It comprises an outer race, an inner race and a plurality of balls provided therebetween. The outer race is composed of a first cup-shaped member and a second cup-shaped member. Each cup-shaped member has an opening in the center of the floor portion. The first cup-shaped member is sized to snugly fit generally in the second cup-shaped member. The inner race has an annular shape to be positioned to extend through said respective openings in the first and second cup-shaped members to define an annular chamber in cooperation of said first cup-shaped member and the floor wall of the second cup-shaped member. The annular projection extends into the chamber to define a pair of ball receiving sections. The balls are accommodated within the ball receiving sections.

Abstract: A seal for a rolling bearing 30 applicable to a strut-type suspension has a sealing member 40 of the bearing provided with two lips 43 and 47. The lip 43 is at the radial inner side of the member 40 and slidably contacts the outer face of a piston rod 10. The other lip 47 is at the radial outer side of the sealing member so as to contact the outside surface of either a stationary bearing ring 32 or a holding case 38' therefor. The sealing member is further provided with a coupling head 45 engageable with the radial inner tip end portion of a rotary bearing ring 35 so that the sealing member can be made integral with the bearing 30.

Abstract: A ball bearing which is to function as a radial, radial angular-contact, and axial angular-contact bearing includes coaxial inner and outer races respectively formed with ball grooves which face each other, the bearing having a plurality of balls of a given ball radius situated between these races and extending into the grooves thereof so as to have rolling contact with the races. At least one of these races has in an axial plane which contains the common axis of the races a cross-sectional configuration according to which the innermost part of the groove of this one race has a radius of curvature which is somewhat greater than the radius of the ball, e.g., about 51.6% of the diameter of the ball, with the radius of curvature of the latter groove gradually increasing from the innermost part thereof up to a pair of opposed side edges of the groove.

Abstract: In a rolling bearing for strut-type suspensions, a rotary bearing race 33 has, at its radially inner part, a cylindrical portion 37 having an outwardly extending flange 38. The radial inner end part 41 of the stationary bearing race 34 of the bearing is disposed at such a position so as to be overlapping with the outwardly extending flange 38. At least one of the above-mentioned members confronts and overlaps the other and includes a member having self-lubricating characteristics.

Abstract: An improved bearing assembly for a McPherson strut has plastic components adapted for ease of moldability that also cooperate to form a labyrinth seal as well as to unitize the assembly. Upper and lower housing members include trough shaped pathway portions and coaxial sealing grooves that together comprise a concave surface any radial cross section of which does not have a return bend relative to the bearing axis, thus allowing the race members to be molded by an axial draw mold. Each race member also includes retention tabs extending radially into the sealing grooves, backed by axial access slots to also allow the retention tabs to be molded by the same mold. A cage includes cylindrical sealing flanges, each having a convex shape similar to the concave shape of the sealing grooves, thus allowing sealing flanges to be received within respective sealing grooves with a slight clearance, so that the cage is moldable and also forms a non rubbing labyrinth seal.

Abstract: A radial roller bearing and a bi-directional ball bearing are mounted in the annular space separating a rotatable outer member and a stationary inner member. The bi-directional ball bearing has a pressed metal cup with a radially extending end flange. Balls and at least one thrust plate is provided in the metal cup.The dimensions and locations of the cup, balls, and thrust plates are such that an axial force on the pressed metal cup in a predetermined axial direction causes the end flange to come into contact with either the balls or a thrust plate, depending on their axial locations within the cup, and an axial force in the other axial direction causes the end flange to break such contact.

Abstract: A thrust ball bearing using balls as the rolling members of the bearing comprises first and second races having track grooves having a cross-sectional radius slightly greater than the radius of the balls, a retainer for retaining the balls interposed between the first and second races, and a third race circumscribing the balls and positioning the balls slightly inwardly of the track diameter of the bearing.

Abstract: In both the socket linkage and the ball bearing assembly the formed metal engages the curvature of the ball more than 90.degree. which retains the parts in assembled relationship. The forming is accomplished by cupping metal into a die with clearance between the die and the punch less than the metal thickness to cold extrude the metal past the minimum clearance. In the case of the socket linkage the ball is used as the punch and the forming operation completes the assembly of the ball to the socket. Each race of the ball bearing assembly must be stripped from the curved forming part (die or punch) before final assembly with the balls. If the stripping operation deforms the metal past its elastic limit, the desired shape can be restored by use of a straight walled forming part before or after the races have been assembled with the balls between the races.

Abstract: A combined radial and thrust bearing assembly is set forth for a down-hole drilling assembly to journal a shaft, mounting the drill bit, in a housing. The bearing assembly is used between a down-hole fluid powered motor and a drill bit for drilling oil wells, for example. The bearing assembly includes cooperative pairs of upper and lower inner races located on the shaft for mutual rotation. Each of the inner races includes a pair of interchangeable toroidal tracks. Cooperative pairs of upper and lower outer races are fixed against rotation in the housing. Each outer race has a pair of interchangeable toroidal tracks to selectively cooperate with the tracks of the inner races to define a toroidal channel to receive a number of bearing balls.

Abstract: A bearing assembly comprised of a first race member (11), a second race member (12), a plurality of ball bearings (13) therebetween, and a keeper member (14) around the second race member and formed to embrace the outer portion of the second race member and to overlay the first race member to prevent the separation of the race members but leaving a clearance (15) between the keeper member and first race member to permit free rotative movement of one race member relative to the other.