Slide bearing for use in a combustion engine and engine equipped with such a bearing
The invention relates to a slide bearing for a shaft absorbing a radial load varying in direction, said bearing comprising two or more bearing bushings held in place by means of two bearing caps provided at their boundary surfaces with meshing teeth for securing them against mutual displacement. Such bearings may be employed as main bearings and connecting rod bearings in combustion engines. The interengaging teeth of the boundary surfaces of the bearing caps ensure an accurate positioning of the two halves of the bearing bore. This construction has, however, the disadvantage that in the bottom of the valley between adjacent teeth high tensile stresses are produced by the contact pressure, under the influence of which pressure the angles between the adjacent teeth are likely to increase. These stresses may even considerably increase locally due to small differences in the pitch of the toothing. With a view thereto the manufacturing accuracy of the bearing caps has to meet severe requirements in order to avoid cracks starting from the heavily loaded bottom of the toothing valleys. 
     The invention has for its object to provide a construction not involving problems due to the occurrence of high tensile stresses. 
     According to the invention the bottom of the cavity between each pair of adjacent teeth of at least one bearing cap has a groove. Owing to this groove zones of pressure stress are generated at the side of the groove. Thus the deformation of the teeth and the adaptation to small deviations from the desired dimensions are in the first place compensated for by a variation of the pressure stress in said zones. The effects of the deformation of the teeth and said adaptation become manifest only to a minor extent in the zone below the groove where tensile stress is prevailing. 
     In a particularly effective embodiment of the bearing in accordance with the invention the groove has a depth of 0.2 to 2-times the height of a tooth, a width of 0.1 to 0.4-times the pitch of the toothing and a radius of curvature at most equal to half the width of the groove. 
     The invention furthermore relates to a combustion engine comprising slide bearings constructed in the manner described above. 
     The invention relates, moreover, to bearing caps for a slide bearing of the described construction. 
    
    
     The invention will be described more fully herein after with reference to one embodiment shown in the drawing. In the drawing, 
     FIG. 1 is a sectional view of part of a combustion engine comprising a main bearing in accordance with the invention and 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a detail of FIG. 1. 
    
    
     In the frame 1 of a combustion engine the bearing 2 for the crank shaft 3 is formed by bearing bushings 4 enclosed by means of bearing caps 5 and 6. The bearing cap 6 is fixed to the bearing cap 5 with the aid of bolts 7. The boundary surfaces of the bearing caps 5 and 6 are provided with toothings 8 engaging one another. In this way a very accurate localisation of the caps 5 and 6 relative to one another is obtained so that the bore accommodating the bearing bushings 4 will very accurately occupy the desired position. 
     FIG. 2 shows on an enlarged scale part of the toothing of the cap 5. The toothing is formed by teeth 9 having slanting faces 10 and 11. Between two adjacent teeth 9 the bottom 12 of the valley has a groove 13. Owing to this groove 13 the material near the root of the teeth 9 is loaded in a considerably more favourable manner. In the absence of such a groove very high tensile stresses are produced near the bottom of the valley so that cracks are very likely to occur. Owing to the groove pressure stress is produced in operation in the zones on either side of the groove 13. In the event of inaccuracy of dimensions and of deformation of the teeth due to the contact pressure on the faces 10 or 11 the deformations are in the first place compensated for by a variation of the pressure stress in the zones on either side of the groove 13.