Drive-wheel hub for a motor vehicle

• US 5,806,936 A
• Filed: 09/18/1996
• Issued: 09/15/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gkn Glaenzer Spicer
• Original Assignee: Gkn Glaenzer Spicer
• Inventors: Guimbretiere, Pierre Louis
• Primary Examiner(s): Stormer, Russell D.
• Application Number:
  US08/710,649
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 301/105.1, 301/124.1, 301/125, 301/126, 301/131, 180/258, 180/259, 384/544, 464/178, 464/904, 464/906
• US Class Current: 301/105.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 27/0005 with ball bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/187 with all four raceways integrated on parts other than race rings, e.g. fourth generation hubs
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2326/02 Wheel hubs or castors
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 35/063 Fixing them on the shaft with interposition of an element F16C35/07
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 1/076 by clamping together two faces perpendicular to the axis of rotation, e.g. with bolted flanges
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2003/22326 Attachments to the outer joint member, i.e. attachments to the exterior of the outer joint member or to the shaft of the outer joint member

Abstract

A driven-wheel hub (18) includes an axial cavity (36) for the passage of the body of a bolt (16) for fixing a driving member (14) onto the hub. This member (14) is provided with a tapped hole (17) into which the threaded end (16A) of the bolt body is screwed. The cavity (36) has a diameter which is very much larger than the diameter of the bolt body and is bordered at its rear end by a bearing surface (40) for the head (45) of the bolt. The hub (18) furthermore includes a way of ensuring that it rotates as one with the driving member. A guide for guiding the bolt (37) are provided in the cavity (36) between the said bearing surface (40) and the entry to the tapped hole (15). The guides (38) are spaced away from the said bearing surface (40) along the axis of the hub.

Claims

1. A driven wheel hub for a motor vehicle intended to be attached by a bolt to a driving member having a tapped hole having an entry point, said driven wheel hub comprising:

a hub body having an outboard side, an inboard side, and an axial cavity extending through said hub body;

a bearing surface on said outboard side of said hub body for bearing a head of the bolt, wherein said axial cavity at has a portion delimited at said outboard side by said bearing surface and at said inboard side, when said hub body is to be connected to the driving member, by the entry point to the tapped hole of the driving member, said portion of said axial cavity having a front half on said inboard side and a rear half adjacent to said bearing surface;

means on said hub body for ensuring that said hub body rotates together with the driving member when the driving member is attached to said hub body;

guide means within said axial cavity of said hub body, between said bearing surface and the location of the entry point of the tapped hole when the driving member is to be connected to said hub body for guiding the bolt, said guide means being located in said front half of said portion of said axial cavity.

2. The driven wheel hub of claim 1, wherein said guide means is in close proximity to the entry point of the tapped hole when the driving member is attached to said hub body.

3. The driven wheel hub of claim 1, wherein said guide means is further for guiding a threaded end of the bolt body until the threaded end penetrates the entry point to the tapped hole when the driving member is attached to said hub body.

4. The driven wheel hub of claim 1, wherein said guide means comprises means for reducing the cross section of said axial cavity.

5. The driven wheel hub of claim 4, wherein said means for reducing the cross section of said axial cavity comprises a flange that is integral with said hub body and extends transverse to said axial cavity.

6. The driven wheel hub of claim 4, wherein said means for reducing the cross section of said axial cavity comprises a ring attached to said hub body and extending transverse to said axial cavity.

7. The driven wheel hub of claim 1, wherein said means on said hub body for ensuring that said hub rotates together with said driving member comprises splines on said hub body, complementary splines on the driving member interacting with said splines on said hub body when the driving member is attached to said hub body.

8. The driven wheel hub of claim 7, wherein said hub body has an axis, said splines of said hub body are radially arranged frontal splines centered with respect to said axis of said hub body and disposed on an end face of said hub body.

9. The driven wheel hub of claim 7, wherein said splines on said hub body extend longitudinally along a part of said axial cavity.

10. The driven wheel hub arrangement of claim 1, and further comprising retaining means for retaining said hub body on the driving member in the event of loosening of or damage to bolt when the driving member is attached to said hub body by the bolt.

11. The driven wheel hub arrangement of claim 10, wherein said retaining means comprises stops that are integral with said hub and that are disposed so as to be arranged around the driving member when the driving member is attached, the driving member carrying an external annular projection with which said stops can interact, the external annular projection being located between said stops and said outboard side of said hub body when the driving member is attached to said hub body.

12. The driven wheel hub arrangement of claim 11, wherein said guide means comprises means for reducing the cross section of said axial cavity, wherein said means for reducing the cross section of said axial cavity comprises a ring attached to said hub body and extending transverse to said axial cavity, and wherein said stops comprise radial legs that have been cut from said ring and pushed in the direction of the tapped hole.

13. The driven wheel hub arrangement of claim 12, wherein said hub body has an axis, said splines of said hub body are radially arranged frontal splines centered with respect to said axis of said hub body and disposed on an end face of said hub body, said end face facing complementary splines of a splined ring of the driving member when the driving member is attached to said hub body, and wherein when the driving member is assembled with said hub body, the distance separating the annular projection thereof from said stops is greater than the height of said frontal splines, whereby when the annular projection is in contact with said stops, said frontal splines are disengaged from complementary splines of the driving member.

14. The driven wheel hub arrangement hub arrangement of claim 1, wherein said hub body has an axis, said splines of said hub body are radially arranged frontal splines centered with respect to said axis of said hub body and disposed on an end face of said hub body, said end face facing complementary splines of a splined ring of the driving member, and wherein when the driving member is assembled with said hub body, the distance separating the annular projection thereof from said stops is greater than the height of said frontal splines, whereby when the annular projection is in contact with said stops, said frontal splines are disengaged from complementary splines of the driving member.

15. The driven wheel hub arrangement of claim 1, wherein said hub body has at least one inner race of a rolling bearing thereon adapted to mount said hub body in a hub carrier.

16. A driven wheel hub arrangement comprising:

a hub body having an axis of rotation and an axial cavity extending through said hub body from an inboard side of said hub body to an outboard side of said hub body, said hub body being intended to be connected to a driving member with a bolt;

a bolt bearing surface defined on said outboard side of said hub body, said bolt bearing surface being intended to receive the head of a bolt when the bolt connects said hub body to the driving member, said axial cavity extending from said bolt bearing surface to said inboard side of said hub body;

a driving member rotation connection formed on said hub body and adapted to connect said hub body with the driving member in rotation when the driving member is connected to said hub body with the bolt;

said hub body having a bolt guide in said axial cavity, said bolt guide being spaced from said bolt bearing surface in the direction of said inboard side of said hub body when the bolt connects the driving member to the hub body such that said driving member rotation connection connects with the driving member, and said bolt guide is spaced from an outboard end of the driving member in the outboard direction;

wherein said bolt guide has an inner diameter that is smaller than the inner diameter of said axial cavity along a portion between said bolt bearing surface and said bolt guide.

17. The driven wheel hub arrangement of claim 16, wherein said bolt guide separates said axial cavity into an inboard portion for receiving the driving member and an outboard portion, said inner diameter of said bolt guide being smaller than the inner diameter of both said outboard portion and said inboard portion.

18. The driven wheel hub arrangement of claim 16, wherein said bolt bearing surface is formed directly on said hub body and surrounds an end of said axial cavity, said axial cavity extending from said bolt bearing surface.

19. The driven wheel hub arrangement of claim 18, wherein said bolt guide comprises an annular member inserted into said axial cavity.

20. The driven wheel hub arrangement of claim 16, wherein said bolt bearing surface is formed by a separate member on an outboard end of said hub body, said axial cavity increasing in internal diameter from said bolt bearing surface.

21. The driven wheel hub arrangement of claim 20, wherein said bolt guide is unitary with said hub body.