Low friction roller member

Claim 2

A roller member for use in a cross roller-type bearing and a rectilinear circulating-type roller bearing, said roller member comprising a solid roller body having a diameter/height ratio of about 1:1 with a low friction end plate being fitted in the form of a foil onto each of the opposite end faces of said roller body with the use of chemical or mechanical bonding method thereby covering the whole surface area thereof, so that said roller member may move under rotation along and through the raceway track of the bearing with the low friction end plates being kept in contact therewith.

Claim 3

The roller member as claimed in claim 1, wherein said low friction end plate is made of low friction organic resinous material.

Claim 4

The roller member as claimed in claim 1, wherein said low friction end plate is made of inorganic material such as super hard alloy, ceramics and the like.

Claim 5

In a roller member for a roller bearing comprising: a cylindrical roller member adapted to roll along a roller path defined by sides, the cylindrical surface of said member being load bearing and having end caps adapted toslidably engage the sides of the roller path to thereby confine said roller member to the roller path, the improvement wherein said caps are discoid and are press fit to said roller member; wherein the extension of said end caps axially of said roller member beyond the ends thereof is small relative to the axial length of said roller member; and wherein the diameter of said end caps is less than the diameter of said roller member to avoid contact with the roller path when said roller member rolls therealong.

Claim 6

In a roller member for a roller bearing comprising: a cylindrical roller member adapted to roll along a roller path defined by sides, the cylindrical surface of said member being load bearing and having end caps adapted toslidably engage the sides of the roller path to thereby confine said roller member to the roller path, the improvement wherein said caps are discoid and are press fit to said roller member; wherein the extension of said end caps axially of said roller member beyond the ends thereof is small relative to the axial length of said roller member; and wherein the diameter of said end caps is less than the diameter of said roller member to avoid contact with the roller path when said roller member rolls therealong.

Claim 7

The roller member as claimed in claim 4, wherein said low friction end plate is made of inorganic material such as super hard alloy, ceramics and the like.

Claim 8

The roller member for a roller bearing as claimed in claim 4, wherein said end caps essentially cover the ends of said roller member.

Claim 9

The roller member for a roller bearing as claimed in claim 4, wherein said end caps have the shape of a ring to thereby define a recess suitable for a lubricant.

Claim 10

The roller member for a roller bearing as claimed in claim 4, wherein said end caps are made of low friction organic resinous material.

Claim 11

The roller member for a roller bearing as claimed in claim 4, wherein said low friction end caps are made of inorganic material from the group consisting of a superhard alloy and a ceramic.

Claim 12

The roller member for a roller bearing as claimed in claim 4, wherein the length and diameter of said roller member are substantially equal.

Claim 13

A roller bearing comprising an annular inner shell defining an inner raceway on an external surface thereof; an annular outer shell defining an outer raceway on an external surface thereof, said outer shell having parallel depending flanges extending radially inward toward but terminating short of said inner raceway; said inner and outer raceways defining the load bearing surfaces of the raceway track of the roller bearing with said flanges comprising the lateral sides thereof; and a plurality of load bearing cylindrical rollers dispensed in said raceway track with axes parallel to each other and normal to the longtudinal axis of said raceway track, each of said rollers having a discoid end cap of low friction material at the axial ends thereof to slidably engage said flanges, each of said end caps having a diameter less than the diameter of said rollers and an axial thickness small relative to the axial length of said rollers.

Claim 14

A roller bearing comprising an annular inner shell defining an inner raceway on an external surface thereof; an annular outer shell defining an outer raceway on an external surface thereof, said outer shell having parallel depending flanges extending radially inward toward but terminating short of said inner raceway; said inner and outer raceways defining the load bearing surfaces of the raceway track of the roller bearing with said flanges comprising the lateral sides thereof; and a plurality of load bearing cylindrical rollers dispensed in said raceway track with axes parallel to each other and normal to the longtudinal axis of said raceway track, each of said rollers having a discoid end cap of low friction material at the axial ends thereof to slidably engage said flanges, each of said end caps having a diameter less than the diameter of said rollers and an axial thickness small relative to the axial length of said rollers.

Claim 15

The roller bearing as claimed in claim 11, wherein said end caps are a foil.

Claim 16

The roller bearing as claimed in claim 11, wherein said roller bearing is made of low friction organic resinous material.

Claim 17

The roller bearing as claimed in claim 11, wherein said roller bearing is made of inorganic material from the group consisting of a superhard alloy and a ceramic.