Journal bearing with one axially divided inner or outer ring

Claim 1

In a journal bearing comprising an inner ring and an outer ring centered on a common axis, one of said rings being unitary and provided with a pair of oppositely facing first shoulders forming respective internal boundaries of two outwardly shoulderless first peripheral track surfaces, the other of said rings being axially divided into two substantially symmetrical halves and being provided with a pair of confronting second shoulders bracketing said first shoulders and forming respective external boundaries of two inwardly shoulderless second peripheral track surfaces concentric with said first track surfaces, two sets of rotary bodies confined by said first and second shoulders between said first and second track surfaces, and cage means engaging said rotary bodies of each set for holding them peripherally spaced apart, the improvement wherein said cage means comprises a unitary annular element of resilient material with two oppositely facing arrays of axially open pockets respectively receiving said sets of rotary bodies and with two annular groups of teeth disposed between said rotary bodies snap-fitted into a pair of annular grooves provided inwardly of said second track surfaces on said halves, said teeth of each group extending at an acute angle to said axis from circumferential spaces between adjacent rotary bodies of the respective set to one of said groove for holding said halves, said one of said rings and said rotary bodies together in a state of separation from other structure.