Diesel engine water pump with thrust bearing preload

摘要

The pump (10) has a wave spring (52) acting between a pump housing (12) and the axially slidable outer race (42) of one roller bearing (36) for preloading the other bearing (34) with a selected preload force maintained on the other bearing to maximize bearing life and concentric rotation of a shaft (14) over all operating conditions of the pump. The shaft is rotatably supported on an axis (16) extending through the housing. A drive gear (18) is mounted on the shaft adjacent the drive end (20) of the housing. A fluid impeller (22) is provided at the opposite impeller end (24) of the housing. The axially spaced roller bearings (34,36) support the shaft in the housing. Each bearing has an inner race (40,44) fixed on the shaft, and an outer race (38,42) mounted in the housing. The outer race (38) of one bearing (34) is fixed in the housing to transmit major thrust forces from the shaft to the housing. The outer race (42) of the other bearing (36) is axially slidable in the housing to transmit minor thrust forces to the housing.