Systems and methods for preloading a bearing and aligning a lock nut

• US 10,100,872 B1
• Filed: 04/07/2017
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Temper AXLE Products Corporation
• Original Assignee: Temper Corporation
• Inventors: Rode, John E., Townes, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Walters, Ryan J
• Application Number:
  US15/482,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20180291952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 557 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 13/54 Internal grip wrenches B25B13/5083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 2380/00 Bearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 2380/14 Roller bearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 27/001 with roller-bearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 27/02 adapted to be rotatably arranged on axle
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 2900/321 Lifetime
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 21/183 internal, i.e. with spreading action
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 39/12 by means of locknuts
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 39/282 Locking by means of special shape of work-engaging surfaces, e.g. notched or toothed nuts
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 39/32 Locking by means of a pawl or pawl-like tongue
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/364 with tapered rollers, i.e. rollers having essentially the shape of a truncated cone
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/548 in O-arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2229/00 Setting preload
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2326/02 Wheel hubs or castors in general B60B
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 25/06 Ball or roller bearings

Abstract

An apparatus for providing a load on a bearing mounted to a shaft which includes an attaching member releasably connectable to a shaft and a press mechanism coupled to the attaching member. The press mechanism is configured to provide a compressive load to the bearing. The press mechanism includes a wrench engageable with the lock nut on the shaft and the wrench is configured to engage and rotate the nut when the attaching member connects to the shaft. The wrench is moveable axially relative to an axial dimension of the press mechanism between a proximal non-engaged position and a distal engaged position such that the wrench engages the nut in the distal engaged position and the wrench avoids engaging the nut in a proximal non-engaged position. An aligning ring may be located around the attaching member and may be configured to engage a shaft slot.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing a load on a bearing mounted to a shaft, the apparatus comprising:

an attaching member releasably connectable to the shaft;

a press mechanism coupled to said attaching member, said press mechanism configured to provide a compressive load to the bearing;

said press mechanism comprising a wrench engageable with a lock nut on the shaft, and said wrench configured to engage and rotate the nut when said attaching member connects to the shaft;

said wrench movable axially relative to an axial dimension of said press mechanism between a proximal non-engaged position proximal to a distal end of said attaching member and a distal engaged position distal to said distal end of said attaching member such that said wrench engages the nut in said distal engaged position and said wrench avoids engaging the nut in said proximal non-engaged position; and

said wrench comprising wrench arms extending from a wrench base toward the nut to engage teeth of the nut when said wrench engages the nut to rotate the nut, said wrench arms located radially outside said attaching member and extending distally past said attaching member when said wrench engages the nut.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said attaching member comprises a collar and said wrench extends circumferentially around said collar, and said wrench moves along said collar in an axial direction relative to said collar from said proximal non-engaged position to said distal engaged position.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said press mechanism comprises a rod and a press, said wrench extending circumferentially around an axis extending through said rod, and said wrench moves along said axis in an axial direction relative to said collar from said proximal non-engaged position to said distal engaged position when said wrench moves axially relative to said axial dimension of said press mechanism.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said base comprises a grip portion thereon to allow a user to grip said wrench to rotate said wrench to rotate the nut.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said grip portion comprises a projection relative to an outer surface of said wrench.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said grip portion comprises a variation in an outer surface of said wrench.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said variation comprises a roughened surface relative to a remainder of said outer surface of said wrench.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said plurality of wrench arms comprise teeth at distal ends of said arms, said teeth configured to engage nut teeth of the nut to allow said wrench to cause a rotation of said nut when said wrench is rotated by a user.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said teeth comprise radially external teeth configured to engage internal nut teeth of the nut to allow the engaging of the wrench and the nut.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said press mechanism comprises a plurality of extensions extending towards a wheel hub assembly, said plurality of extensions being configured to contact a wheel hub or/or a bearing of said wheel hub assembly when said attaching member is attached to the shaft, said plurality of extensions located radially outward of said wrench relative to said axial dimension of said press mechanism.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an aligning ring having an aligning projection configured to engage a shaft slot of the shaft to align said press mechanism relative to the shaft when said attaching member connects to the shaft.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said aligning ring comprises a plurality of ring indicating markings to allow an alignment of a ring indicating marking of said plurality of ring indicating markings with said wrench.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said wrench comprises a wrench indicating marking to allow an alignment of said wrench indicating marking with said ring indicating marking.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said press mechanism further comprises a frame axially separated from, and coupled to, the attaching member, to allow said frame to move axially relative to said attaching member along a longitudinal axis of the shaft.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a plurality of extensions extending towards a wheel hub assembly from said frame, said plurality of extensions being configured to contact a wheel hub or/or a bearing of said wheel hub assembly when said attaching member is attached to the shaft, said plurality of extensions located radially outward of said wrench relative to said axial dimension of said press mechanism.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said wrench is located distally relative to said frame.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said attaching member comprises an inside threaded surface releasably, threadably, and directly connectable to a circumferential outside surface of an exposed end of the shaft of the wheel hub assembly.