Wheel end assembly

• US 5,992,943 A
• Filed: 07/17/1997
• Issued: 11/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dana Corporation (Dana, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dana Corporation (Dana, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pollock, Paul R., Sheets, James H, Moses, David G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dayoan, D. Glenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LONG B
• Application Number:
  US08/895,625
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 301/124.1, 301/126, 301/105.1, 301/131, 301/111, 384/13, 384/93, 384/94, 384/462, 384/477, 29/898.07, 29/898.062
• US Class Current: 301/105.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 2310/228 by machining
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 2310/316 by press-fitting, shrink-fitting
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 2380/14 Roller bearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 27/001 with roller-bearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 27/0073 characterised by sealing means
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 27/0084 caulking to fix inner race
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 27/02 adapted to be rotatably arranged on axle
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 2900/321 Lifetime
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 2900/511 Sealing
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 35/121 Power-transmission from drive shaft to hub
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 35/18 Arrangement of bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/364 with tapered rollers, i.e. rollers having essentially the shape of a truncated cone
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/386 in O-arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/548 in O-arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2326/02 Wheel hubs or castors
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 25/06 Ball or roller bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/6607 Retaining the grease in or near the bearing
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 35/06 Mounting or dismounting of ball or roller bearings; Fixing them onto shaft or in housing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49682 Assembling of race and rolling anti-friction members
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49696 Mounting

Abstract

A wheel mount for a wheel comprises a spindle, a hub for surrounding the spindle and a bearing assembly interposed between the spindle and the hub. The spindle extends from an end of an axle of a vehicle and has a generally decreasing diameter from its proximal end to its distal end. The spindle is provided with a pair of lands near the ends of the spindle for receiving bearings, and has bearing retainers near the respective ends also, the distal retainer being removably attached. These inboard and outboard bearing retainers define an axial bearing space. The hub has a central aperture with an inboard land and an outboard land provided on an internal surface of the central aperture, also for receiving bearings. The bearing assembly comprises an inboard bearing and an outboard bearing in spaced apart relationship within the axial bearing space. The inboard bearing has an internal diameter larger than the internal diameter of the outboard bearing. The bearing assembly further has a conical shim placed in frictional fit between the cone portions of the inboard and outboard bearings and holding the respective bearings in the spaced apart relationship.

Claims

1. A mount for a wheel of a vehicle comprising:

a spindle extending from an end of an axle, said spindle generally decreasing in diameter from a proximal end thereof to a distal end thereof and provided with an inboard land near the proximal end and an outboard land near the distal end, the spindle further having an inboard bearing retainer near the proximal end and an outboard bearing retainer near the distal end, said inboard and outboard bearing retainers defining an axial bearing space;

a hub surrounding said spindle, said hub having a central aperture with an inboard land and an outboard land provided on an internal surface of the central aperture;

a bearing assembly interposed between the spindle and the hub, the bearing assembly having an inboard bearing and an outboard bearing in spaced apart relationship within the axial bearing space, the inboard bearing having an internal diameter larger than an internal diameter of the outboard bearing, each of the bearings comprising a cylindrical cone with an outer raceway, a cylindrical cup with an inner raceway and a plurality of tapered rollers circumferentially spaced in a cage mounted in the raceways;

a conical shim, interposed between the cylindrical cones of the inboard and outboard bearings; and

an annular grease seal is mounted within the axial bearing space on the inboard side of the inboard bearing between the cup and the cone.

2. The wheel mount assembly of claim 1 wherein the inboard bearing retainer is a shoulder at the inboard end of the inboard land.

3. The wheel mount assembly of claim 1 wherein the outboard bearing retainer is a removable fastener affixed to the outboard end of the outboard land.

4. The wheel mount of claim 1 wherein the spindle is not hollow.

5. The wheel mount of claim 1 wherein the spindle is hollow.

6. The wheel mount of claim 1 wherein the cups of the respective inboard and outboard bearings are seated atop the inboard and outboard lands of the spindle, wherein the bearings are maintained in spaced apart relationship in the axial bearing space by the co-action of the conical shim, the outboard bearing retainer and the inboard bearing retainer.

7. The wheel mount of claim 1 wherein the cups of the respective inboard and outboard bearings are seated in the inboard and outboard lands of the hub and are maintained in spaced apart relationship in the axial bearing space by a shoulder formed at the inside end of each said land.

8. The wheel mount of claim 1 wherein a closed grease reservoir is formed on the hub, enclosing the distal end of the spindle and the outboard bearing.

9. The wheel mount of claim 1 wherein an annular grease seal is mounted within the axial bearing space on the outboard side of the outboard bearing between the cup and the cone.

10. The wheel mount of claim 1 wherein the conical shim is selected at the time of installation from a plurality of such shims having different axial lengths.

11. A method for assembling a wheel mount for a vehicle, comprising the sequential steps of:

(a) press-fitting an inboard bearing assembly into an inboard bore in a central aperture in a hub;

(b) seating the hub with the inboard bearing assembly onto an axle spindle such that the inner circumference of the inboard bearing rests upon an inboard land formed on said spindle and an inboard end of the inboard bearing rests against a shoulder formed at an inboard end of the inboard land;

(c) measuring the axial distance from an outboard end of the inboard bearing to a fixed point on the outboard end of the seated hub;

(d) selecting a conical shim from a plurality of conical shims of varying lengths, based upon the axial distance measurement;

(e) inserting the selected conical shim between the spindle and the hub from the outboard end of the hub so that the conical shim bears against a cone portion of the inboard bearing assembly;

(f) press-fitting an outboard bearing assembly into an outboard bore in the central aperture in the hub so that the outboard bearing is seated on an outboard land on the spindle and bears against an outboard end of the conical shim; and

(g) affixing an outboard bearing retainer on the outboard end of the spindle to hold the outboard bearing between it and the outboard end of the conical shim.