Axle assembly having a drive pinion and a bearing preload element

• US 10,451,164 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2019
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ArvinMeritor Technology LLC (Meritor, Inc. (Nevada))
• Original Assignee: ArvinMeritor Technology LLC (Meritor, Inc. (Nevada))
• Inventors: Chinitz, Steven, Eschenburg, Dale, Annigeri, Aniruddh P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nicholson, III, Leslie A
• Application Number:
  US16/282,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20190186610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 242 Days
• Field of Search: 475220, 475230
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 35/121 Power-transmission from drive shaft to hub
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 35/122 using gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 35/18 Arrangement of bearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/16 of differential gearing
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 23/04 for differential gearing
• 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 2226/36 by welding
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2226/60 with threaded parts, e.g. bolt and nut connections in general F16B23/00 - F16B43/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2361/61 Toothed gear systems, e.g. support of pinion shafts in general F16H57/02
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 25/06 Ball or roller bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2048/405 characterised by features of the bearing of the rotating case
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2048/423 characterised by bearing arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2048/426 characterised by spigot bearing arrangement, e.g. bearing for supporting the free end of the drive shaft pinion
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2057/0221 Axial adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 48/06 with gears having orbital motion
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 48/08 comprising bevel gears
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 48/42 characterised by features of the input shafts, e.g. mounting of drive gears thereon
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/037 Gearboxes for accommodating differential gearings rotating cases for differential gearings F16H48/40

Abstract

An axle assembly having a drive pinion that may be rotatably supported by first and second sets of roller bearing elements. A preload element may exert a preload force on at least one of the first and second sets of roller bearing elements. The preload element may be disposed on the drive pinion in an inboard direction from the yoke.

Claims

1. An axle assembly comprising:

a housing;

a drive pinion that is rotatable about an axis with respect to the housing, the drive pinion including;

a gear portion; and

a shaft portion that extends from the gear portion;

a first roller bearing assembly that is disposed in the housing and rotatably supports the shaft portion, the first roller bearing assembly including a first inner race that is disposed on the shaft portion and a first set of roller bearing elements;

a second roller bearing assembly that is disposed in the housing between the first roller bearing assembly and the gear portion and rotatably supports the shaft portion, the second roller bearing assembly including a second inner race that is disposed on the shaft portion and a second set of roller bearing elements;

a first spacer that receives the shaft portion and extends from the first inner race;

a second spacer that receives the shaft portion and extends from the second inner race to the first spacer, wherein an inside diameter of the first spacer differs from an inside diameter of the second spacer;

a yoke that is at least partially disposed outside the housing, wherein the yoke receives the shaft portion;

a yoke retainer that couples the yoke to the shaft portion; and

a preload element that exerts a preload force on at least one of the first set of roller bearing elements and the second set of roller bearing elements, wherein the preload element is disposed on the drive pinion in an inboard direction from the yoke, the inboard direction extending along the axis from the yoke toward the gear portion.

2. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein the inside diameter of the first spacer is less than the inside diameter of the second spacer.

3. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein the first roller bearing assembly includes a first outer race that is disposed on the housing and the second roller bearing assembly includes a second outer race that is disposed on the housing, wherein the yoke and the yoke retainer do not exert the preload force on the first roller bearing assembly and the second roller bearing assembly.

4. The axle assembly of claim 3 wherein the yoke is spaced apart from and does not engage the first roller bearing assembly and the second roller bearing assembly.

5. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein the preload element is a pinion nut through which the shaft portion extends.

6. The axle assembly of claim 5 wherein the pinion nut is axially disposed between the yoke and the first set of roller bearing elements.

7. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein the preload element includes a weld that is welded to the drive pinion.

8. The axle assembly of claim 7 wherein the preload element is a ring that extends around and receives the shaft portion, wherein the preload element is welded to the shaft portion and disposed between the yoke and the first set of roller bearing elements.

9. The axle assembly of claim 7 wherein the preload element is the first inner race and the first inner race is welded to the shaft portion.

10. An axle assembly comprising:

a housing;

a drive pinion that is rotatable about an axis with respect to the housing, the drive pinion including;

a gear portion; and

a shaft portion that extends from the gear portion;

a first set of roller bearing elements disposed in the housing that rotatably support the shaft portion, wherein the first set of roller bearing elements are part of a first roller bearing assembly that includes a first outer race that is disposed on the housing and a first inner race that is disposed on the shaft portion;

a second set of roller bearing elements disposed in the housing that rotatably support the shaft portion, wherein the second set of roller bearing elements are disposed between the first set of roller bearing elements and the gear portion;

a yoke that is at least partially disposed outside the housing, wherein the yoke receives the shaft portion;

a yoke retainer that couples the yoke to the shaft portion; and

a preload element that exerts a preload force on at least one of the first set of roller bearing elements and the second set of roller bearing elements, wherein the preload element is disposed on the drive pinion in an inboard direction from the yoke, the inboard direction extending along the axis from the yoke toward the gear portion, wherein the preload element is the first inner race that is fixedly disposed on the shaft portion to provide the preload force.

11. The axle assembly of claim 10 wherein the first inner race is welded to the shaft portion.

12. The axle assembly of claim 10 wherein the yoke and the yoke retainer do not exert the preload force on the first roller bearing assembly.

13. The axle assembly of claim 10 wherein the second set of roller bearing elements are part of a second roller bearing assembly that includes a second outer race that is disposed on the housing and a second inner race that is disposed on the shaft portion, the yoke and the yoke retainer do not exert the preload force on the first roller bearing assembly and the second roller bearing assembly, and the yoke is spaced apart from and does not engage the first roller bearing assembly and the second roller bearing assembly.

14. An axle assembly comprising:

a housing;

a drive pinion that is rotatable about an axis with respect to the housing, the drive pinion including;

a gear portion; and

a shaft portion that extends from the gear portion;

a first set of roller bearing elements disposed in the housing that rotatably support the shaft portion;

a second set of roller bearing elements disposed in the housing between the first set of roller bearing elements and the gear portion that rotatably support the shaft portion;

a yoke that is at least partially disposed outside the housing, wherein the yoke receives the shaft portion;

a yoke retainer that couples the yoke to the shaft portion; and

a preload element that exerts a preload force on at least one of the first set of roller bearing elements and the second set of roller bearing elements, wherein the preload element is disposed on the drive pinion in an inboard direction from the yoke, the inboard direction extending along the axis from the yoke toward the gear portion, wherein the preload element includes a weld that is welded to the drive pinion.

15. The axle assembly of claim 14 wherein the preload element includes a ring that extends around and receives the shaft portion, is welded to the shaft portion, and disposed between the yoke and the first set of roller bearing elements.

16. The axle assembly of claim 14 wherein the first set of roller bearing elements are part of a first roller bearing assembly that includes a first outer race that is disposed on the housing and a first inner race that is disposed on the shaft portion and the preload element includes the first inner race that is welded to the shaft portion.

17. The axle assembly of claim 16 wherein the yoke and the yoke retainer do not exert the preload force on the first roller bearing assembly.