Stiff bearing assembly but easily removable axle 1

[Sandstone86]

First of all let me say I'm fairly new to designing bearing assemblies. So sorry for obvious mistakes I might have made.

For a testing rig for gears I'm designing a bearing assembly which is really stiff (to get reliable results from the gears the deformation of the frame should be minimal) but at the same time it should be very easy to change the axle. (changing the axle allows for different setups) A first design is attached to this post.

The point that I'm struggling with is that normally you fix the axle with a press fit on one side. How hard is it to remove the axle in such a setup? Could this problem perhaps also be solved by using an adjustable bearing system with a small amount of pre-tension and making both bearing have a sliding fitting on the axle? (does this give a reasonable stiff system?)

 

[Tmoose]

There are "rules" about bearing fits (tight, loose, how tight) published by bearing manufacturers. The rules are based on direction of loading, relative magnitude of loading, rpm, and other factors. One intent of the rules is to keep races from creeping and thus either fretting and wearing (or curiously, sometimes seizing) the bearing and shaft.

As drawn it looks like the pinion gear stays behind as the "axle" is withdrawn. Is that right?

 

[unclesyd]

Her are two ways to possibly mount your bearing without a press fit on the shaft. We use this approach on numerous machines is Nylon Fiber manufacturing area.

http://www.nord-lock.com/products/superbolt/nut-style-tensioners/standard-series/sj-compact/

 

[Sandstone86]

Thanks guys! I finally came up with a solution using a stub axle. By attaching different axles to this stub I can change the setup and in this way I don't need to get the axle out of the bearings.