Aircraft engine hybrid roller bearing
An aircraft engine hybrid roller bearing is provided. The aircraft engine hybrid roller bearing includes an inner race, an outer race, bearing rollers radially interposed between the inner race and the outer race to support relative rotation of the inner race and the outer race and a cage configured to secure each of the bearing rollers at a distance from each neighboring bearing roller. The bearing rollers are provided in an arrangement including first and second contiguous sets of bearing rollers formed of a first material type and first and second contiguous sets of bearing rollers formed of a second material type.
1 . An aircraft engine hybrid roller bearing, the aircraft engine hybrid roller bearing comprising:
an inner race;
an outer race;
bearing rollers radially interposed between the inner race and the outer race to support relative rotation of the inner race and the outer race; and
a cage configured to secure each of the bearing rollers at a distance from each neighboring bearing roller,
the bearing rollers being provided in an arrangement, which is asymmetric, comprising:
a first contiguous set of multiple bearing rollers formed of a first material type, the multiple bearing rollers formed of the first material of the first contiguous set being contiguous with each other and the first contiguous set having a first end and a second end opposite the first end;
a second contiguous set of multiple bearing rollers formed of the first material type, the multiple bearing rollers formed of the first material of the second contiguous set being contiguous with each other and the second contiguous set having a first end and a second end opposite the first end;
a first one and only one bearing roller formed of a second material type interposed between the respective first ends of the first and second contiguous sets of the multiple bearing rollers formed of the first material; and
a second one and only one being roller formed of the second material type interposed between the respective second ends of the first and second contiguous sets of the multiple bearing rollers of the first material type.
2 . The aircraft engine hybrid roller bearing according to claim 1 , wherein the arrangement of the bearing rollers is tuned to a specific roller bearing frequency response.
3 . The aircraft engine hybrid roller bearing according to claim 1 , wherein the first material type has a first characteristic coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) range and the second material type has a second characteristic CTE range differing from the first characteristic CTE range.
4 . The aircraft engine hybrid roller bearing according to claim 1 , wherein the first material type comprises ceramic and the second material type comprises steel.
5 . The aircraft engine hybrid roller bearing according to claim 4 , wherein an internal radial clearance (IRC) is tuned for negative steel roller bearing clearance.
6 . An aircraft engine hybrid roller bearing, the aircraft engine hybrid roller bearing comprising:
an inner race;
an outer race;
bearing rollers radially interposed between the inner race and the outer race to support relative rotation of the inner race and the outer race; and
a cage configured to secure each of the bearing rollers at a distance from each neighboring bearing roller,
the bearing rollers being provided in an asymmetric arrangement comprising:
a first contiguous circumferential line of multiple bearing rollers formed of a first material type having a first circumferential end and a second circumferential end opposite the first circumferential end;
a second contiguous circumferential line of multiple bearing rollers formed of the first material type having a first circumferential end and a second circumferential end opposite the first circumferential end,
the first and second contiguous circumferential lines having unequal numbers of bearing rollers;
a first one and only one bearing roller formed of a second material type circumferentially interposed between the respective first circumferential ends of the first and second contiguous lines of the multiple bearing rollers formed of the first material; and
a second one and only one bearing roller formed of the second material type circumferentially interposed between the respective second circumferential ends of the first and second contiguous lines of the multiple bearing rollers formed of the first material.
7 . The aircraft engine hybrid roller bearing according to claim 6 , wherein the arrangement of the bearing rollers is tuned to a specific roller bearing frequency response.
8 . The aircraft engine hybrid roller bearing according to claim 6 , wherein the first material type has a first characteristic coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) range and the second material type has a second characteristic CTE range differing from the first characteristic CTE range.
9 . The aircraft engine hybrid roller bearing according to claim 6 , wherein the first material type comprises ceramic and the second material type comprises steel.
10 . The aircraft engine hybrid roller bearing according to claim 9 , wherein an internal radial clearance (IRC) is tuned for negative steel roller bearing clearance.