AXLE ASSEMBLY HAVING GASKET THAT SHIELDS AN OPENING
First Claim
1. An axle assembly comprising:
- an axle housing defining a cavity and an access aperture;
a differential assembly received in the cavity, the differential assembly supported for rotation in the axle housing;
a cover with a flange and a body, the flange coupled to the axle housing such that the cover closes the access aperture, the body having an opening that is in fluid connection with the cavity; and
a gasket having a gasket member and a tab, the gasket member being disposed between the axle housing and the flange, the tab extending inwardly from the gasket member and covering at least a portion of the opening, the tab being adapted to shield the opening from splash lubrication during operation of the axle assembly.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An axle assembly comprises an axle housing, a differential assembly, a cover, and a gasket. The axle housing defines a cavity and an access aperture. The differential assembly is received in the cavity and is supported for rotation in the axle housing. The cover has a flange and a body. The flange is coupled to the axle housing such that the cover closes the access aperture. The body has an opening that is in fluid connection with the cavity. The gasket has a gasket member and a tab. The gasket member is disposed between the axle housing and the flange. The tab extends inwardly from the gasket member and covers at least a portion of the opening. The tab is configured to shield the opening from splash lubrication during operation of the axle assembly.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An axle assembly comprising:
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an axle housing defining a cavity and an access aperture; a differential assembly received in the cavity, the differential assembly supported for rotation in the axle housing; a cover with a flange and a body, the flange coupled to the axle housing such that the cover closes the access aperture, the body having an opening that is in fluid connection with the cavity; and a gasket having a gasket member and a tab, the gasket member being disposed between the axle housing and the flange, the tab extending inwardly from the gasket member and covering at least a portion of the opening, the tab being adapted to shield the opening from splash lubrication during operation of the axle assembly. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An axle assembly comprising:
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an axle housing defining a cavity and an access aperture; a differential assembly received in the cavity, the differential assembly supported for rotation in the axle housing; a cover with a flange and a body, the flange coupled to the axle housing such that the cover closes the access aperture, the body having an opening that is in fluid connection with the cavity; and a means for sealing the axle assembly and for shielding the opening from splash lubrication during operation of the axle assembly.
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20. An axle assembly comprising:
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an axle housing defining a cavity and an access aperture; a differential assembly received in the cavity, the differential assembly supported for rotation in the axle housing; a cover with a flange and a body, the flange coupled to the axle housing such that the cover closes the access aperture, the body having an opening that is in fluid connection with the cavity, wherein a projection is formed on the body and the opening is defined by an inward side of the projection; and a gasket having a gasket member and a tab, the gasket member being disposed between the axle housing and the flange, the tab extending inwardly from the gasket member and covering majority of the opening, the tab being adapted to shield the opening from splash lubrication during operation of the axle assembly, wherein the gasket has a composite construction including an aluminum sheet metal and two resilient sealing members coupled to the aluminum sheet metal, both resilient sealing members comprising a plurality of sealing beads, the aluminum sheet metal extending throughout the gasket member and the tab and being disposed between two resilient sealing members, wherein both resilient sealing members extend through only the gasket member, and wherein the resilient sealing member disposed between the gasket member and the flange extends further between the tab and the body.
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Specification