Steering knuckle carrier-to-suspension arm pivotal connection and method of assembling and preloading the pivotal connection

• US 6,783,137 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2002
• Issued: 08/31/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Reyco Granning LLC (Tuthill Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tuthill Corporation
• Inventors: Nagreski, David L., Bartolone, Dean F.
• Primary Examiner(s): DUNN, DAVID R
• Application Number:
  US10/294,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20040094927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 280/93.512, 280/93.511, 280/124.134, 280/124.135, 280/124.136, 403/151, 403/154, 403/155
• US Class Current: 280/93.512
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2200/144 with two lateral arms forming a parallelogram
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2200/44 steerable
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/148 on the unsprung part of the vehicle, e.g. wheel knuckle or rigid axle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/416 Ball or spherical joints
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/418 Bearings, e.g. ball or roller bearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2206/121 the arm having an H or X-shape
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2206/50 Constructional features of wheel supports or knuckles, e.g. steering knuckles, spindle attachments
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/14 Buses
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/38 Low or lowerable bed vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 7/008 Attaching arms to unsprung part of vehicle B60G7/005, B60G7/006 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/364 with tapered rollers, i.e. rollers having essentially the shape of a truncated cone
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/54 Systems consisting of a plurality of bearings with rolling friction spindle bearings F16C35/08
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/543 in O-arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2229/00 Setting preload
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2326/05 Vehicle suspensions, e.g. bearings, pivots or connecting rods used therein in general B60G
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 25/06 Ball or roller bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 35/061 mounting a plurality of bearings side by side

Abstract

A pivotal connection includes a pin through a bore in a carrier having an annular flange and annular groove at opposite ends, and opposing annular bearings having relative rotatable components fitted around the pin within the bore and abutting opposite sides of an annular member in the bore such that the pin is rotatable relative to the carrier. One bearing abuts a side of the flange and the other bearing is spaced from the groove so as to define an annular gap extending from the groove to the other bearing. The pivotal connection also includes a retainer member disposed in the groove and projecting therefrom and spaced by the gap from the other bearing and a series of shims and spacer positioned around the pin between the retainer member and other bearing so as to fill the gap to impose a predetermined preload on the bearings causing them to clamp therebetween the annular member in the carrier bore.

Claims

1. A steering knuckle carrier-to-suspension arm pivotal connection, comprising:

(a) an annular member centrally located along and projecting radially into a bore through a steering knuckle carrier;

(b) an elongated pin extending through said bore and having an annular flange formed around and projecting radially outwardly from and proximate one end of said pin and an annular groove formed around and projecting radially inwardly into and proximate an opposite end of said pin;

(c) a pair of opposing annular bearing assemblies disposed around said pin and located between said one and opposite ends thereof and having components rotatable relative to one another fitted around said pin and within said bore of said carrier on opposite sides of said annular member in said bore such that said pin is rotatable relative to said carrier, both of said annular bearing assemblies abutting opposite sides of said annular member in the bore, one of said annular bearing assemblies abutting a side of said annular flange on said pin and the other of said annular bearing assemblies being spaced from said annular groove in said pin so as to define an annular gap extending from said annular groove to said other annular bearing assembly;

(d) a retainer member disposed in said annular groove in said pin and projecting radially outwardly beyond said pin and spaced by said annular gap from said other annular bearing assembly;

(e) means positioned around said pin between said retainer member and said other annular bearing assembly so as to fill said annular gap in a manner that imposes a predetermined preload force on said annular bearing assemblies that causes said annular bearing assemblies to clamp therebetween said annular member in said bore of said carrier; and

(f) means disposed at opposite ends of said pin for attaching said pin to a suspension arm.

2. The pivotal connection of claim 1 wherein said annular member is a ring-shaped segment integrally formed on a cylindrical interior surface in said carrier which defines said bore therethrough, said annular member projecting radially from said cylindrical interior surface into said bore.

3. The pivotal connection of claim 1 wherein said pin has a cylindrical exterior surface extending between said flange and said groove.

4. The pivotal connection of claim 1 wherein said components of said annular bearing assemblies are outer cups and inner races disposed in said outer cups and rotatable relative thereto, said outer cups fitted within and in contact with said cylindrical interior surface of said carrier, said inner races fitted around and in contact with said cylindrical exterior surface of said pin.

5. The pivotal connection of claim 1 wherein said retainer member is a split ring.

6. The pivotal connection of claim 1 wherein said means positioned around said pin so as to fill said gap in a manner that imposes the predetermined preload force on said annular bearing assemblies includes an annular spacer ring and a predetermined number of annular shims.

7. The pivotal connection of claim 6 further comprising:

a collar disposed around said retainer member so as to prevent said retainer member from coming out of said annular groove of said pin.

8. The pivotal connection of claim 7 further comprising:

a snap ring disposed in an outer groove in said retainer member outside of said collar so as to prevent said collar from being removed from around said retainer member.

9. The pivotal connection of claim 8 further comprising:

a pair of annular seals, one of said seals being disposed in said bore and around said flange at one end of said pin and the other of said seals being disposed in said bore and around said spacer ring adjacent the other end of said pin.

10. The pivotal connection of claim 1 wherein said pin has a passageway formed therethrough extending between and opening at opposite ends of said pin for receiving a fastener therethrough such that opposite ends of the fastener extend beyond said opposite ends of said pin for fastening the opposite ends of the fastener to ends of the suspension arm.

11. The pivotal connection of claim 1 wherein said means disposed at opposite ends of said pin for attaching said pin to a suspension arm includes a pair of tabs each integrally attached to one of said opposite ends of said pin and axially protruding therefrom and having holes for receiving means to fasten said tabs to the suspension arm.

12. The pivotal connection of claim 11 wherein said pin has a longitudinal central axis and said tabs have a pair of opposite surfaces facing in opposite directions and displaced different distances away from said longitudinal central axis of said pin such that by rotating said pin about said longitudinal central axis thereof relative to said carrier and between first and second angular positions displaced from one another through one hundred eighty degrees camber of said carrier can be adjusted.

13. A steering knuckle carrier-to-suspension arm pivotal connection, comprising:

(a) a ring shaped segment integrally provided generally centrally on a cylindrical interior surface of a first diameter defining a bore through a carrier for supporting a steering knuckle, said ring shaped segment projecting radially from said cylindrical interior surface into said bore so as to define a pair of annular surfaces on opposite sides of said ring shaped segment facing in opposite directions from one another;

(b) an elongated pin extending through said bore and having a cylindrical exterior surface of a second diameter less than said first diameter and spaced radially inwardly from said cylindrical interior surface of said carrier, said pin also having an annular flange of a third diameter less than said first diameter and greater than said second diameter formed around and projecting radially outwardly from said pin at one of a pair of opposite ends of said cylindrical exterior surface of said pin, said pin further having an annular groove of a fourth diameter less than said second diameter formed around and projecting radially inwardly into said pin at the other of said pair of opposite ends of said cylindrical exterior surface of said pin;

(c) a pair of opposing annular bearing assemblies disposed around said cylindrical exterior surface of said pin and having respective outer cups and inner races rotatable relative to said outer cups with said inner races being fitted around and in contact with said cylindrical exterior surface of said pin and said outer cups being fitted within and in contact with said cylindrical interior surface of said carrier such that said pin is enabled to rotate with said inner races relative to said outer cup and said carrier, said outer cups of said annular bearing assemblies having first ends adjacent to one another abutting said annular surfaces on said opposite sides of said ring shaped segment on said carrier and second ends remote from one another, said inner races of said annular bearing assemblies having first ends spaced from one another and second ends remote from one another facing in opposite directions such that said second end of said inner race of one of said annular bearing assemblies abuts a side of said annular flange on said pin and said second end of said inner race of the other of said annular bearing assemblies is spaced from said annular groove in said pin so as to define an annular gap extending from said annular groove to said second end of said inner race of said other of said annular bearing assemblies;

(d) a split ring disposed in said annular groove at said other of said opposite ends of said cylindrical exterior surface of said pin and projecting radially outwardly beyond said cylindrical exterior surface of said pin and thus spaced by said annular gap from said second end of said inner race of said other of said annular bearing assemblies;

(e) a stack of annular elements positioned around said cylindrical exterior surface of said pin between said split ring and said second end of said inner race of said other of said annular bearing assemblies so as to fill said annular gap in a manner that imposes a predetermined preload on said second ends of said inner races of said annular bearing assemblies that causes said first ends of said outer cups of said annular bearing assemblies to clamp therebetween said ring shaped segment on said carrier; and

(f) means disposed at opposite ends of said pin for attaching said pin to ends of a suspension arm.

14. The pivotal connection of claim 13 wherein said stack of annular elements positioned around said pin so as to fill said gap in a manner that imposes a predetermined preload force on said annular bearing assemblies includes an annular spacer ring and a predetermined number of annular shims.

15. The pivotal connection of claim 14 wherein said annular shims are positioned around said pin between said annular spacer ring and said second end of said inner race of said other of said annular bearing assemblies.

16. The pivotal connection of claim 13 wherein said pin has a passageway formed therethrough extending between and opening at opposite ends of said pin for receiving a fastener therethrough such that opposite ends of the fastener extend beyond said opposite ends of said pin for fastening the opposite ends of the fastener to ends of the suspension arm.

17. The pivotal connection of claim 13 wherein said means disposed at opposite ends of said pin for attaching said pin to a suspension arm includes a pair of tabs each integrally attached to one of said opposite ends of said pin and axially protruding therefrom and having holes for receiving means to fasten said tabs to the suspension arm.

18. The pivotal connection of claim 17 wherein said pin has a longitudinal central axis and said tabs have a pair of opposite surfaces facing in opposite directions and displaced different distances away from said longitudinal central axis of said pin such that by rotating said pin about said longitudinal central axis thereof relative to said carrier and between first and second angular positions displaced from one another through one hundred eighty degrees the camber of said carrier can be adjusted.

19. A method of assembling and preloading a steering knuckle carrier-to-suspension arm pivotal connection, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing an annular member centrally located along and projecting radially into a bore through a steering knuckle carrier;

(b) providing an elongated pin having an annular flange formed around and projecting radially outwardly from and proximate to one end of the pin and an annular groove formed around and projecting radially inwardly into and proximate to an opposite end of the pin;

(c) placing the pin and a pair of relatively rotatable annular bearing assemblies within the bore such that the bearing assemblies are disposed around the pin between the flange and groove thereof in abutting relationship with opposite sides of the annular member in the bore with one of the bearing assemblies also abutting the flange of the pin and the other of the bearing assemblies being spaced from the groove of the pin so as to define a gap therebetween and with the bearing assemblies having respective components rotatable relative to one another and respectively being fitted around and in contact with the pin and within and in contact with the bore of the carrier such that said pin is enabled to rotate relative to the carrier;

(d) installing a spacer ring about the pin adjacent to the other bearing assembly and the groove in the pin;

(e) applying a predetermined preload force against the spacer ring in the direction of the bearing assemblies so as slide the spacer ring toward the other bearing assembly and away from the groove;

(f) installing a retainer ring in the annular groove;

(g) measuring the width along the pin of a space left between the spacer ring and retainer ring and predetermining the number of annular shims it takes to fill the space;

(h) removing the predetermined preload force and the retainer ring;

(i) installing the predetermined number of annular shims along with the spacer ring around the pin in the gap between the annular groove in the pin and the other bearing assembly;

(j) reapplying the predetermined preload force against the spacer ring and annular shims in the direction of the bearing assemblies so as slide the spacer ring and annular shims toward the other bearing assembly and away from the groove; and

(k) reinstalling the retainer ring in the groove so as to retain the spacer ring and annular shims around the pin so as to fill the gap in a manner that imposes the predetermined preload on the bearing assemblies that causes the bearing assemblies to clamp therebetween the annular member in the bore of the carrier.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of:

providing each of the bearing assemblies with an outer cup and an inner race rotatable relative to the outer cup.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said placing the pin and bearing assemblies within the bore includes, first, installing the outer cups of the bearing assemblies into the bore at opposite sides of the annular member.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said placing the pin and bearing assemblies within the bore further includes, next, installing the pin with the inner race of the one bearing assembly being disposed thereon into the bore.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said placing the pin and bearing assemblies within the bore still further includes, last, installing the inner race of the other bearing assembly in the bore and around the pin.

24. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of:

installing a collar around the retainer ring so as to prevent the retainer ring from coming out of the annular groove of the pin.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising the step of:

installing a snap ring in an outer groove of the retainer ring outside of the collar so as to prevent the collar from being removed from around the retainer ring.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising the step of:

installing one of a pair of annular seals into the bore and around the flange at one end of the pin and the other of the pair of annular seals into the bore and around the spacer ring adjacent the other end of the pin.