Axle nut

• US 8,961,090 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2008
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Temper AXLE Products Corporation, Temper Corporation
• Original Assignee: John E. Rode
• Inventors: Rode, John E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Batson, Victor
• Assistant Examiner(s): Natirboff, Caroline L
• Application Number:
  US12/033,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20080143173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,562 Days
• Field of Search: 411/14.5, 411/221, 411/245, 411/248, 411/432, 411/296, 411/304, 411/315, 411/316, 411/246, 411/247, 411/303, 411/427
• US Class Current: 411/248
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 19/06 Screw or nut setting or loosening machines
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 19/065 Arrangements for torque limiters or torque indicators in screw or nut setting machines for hand tools B25B23/14
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 27/062 using screws
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 31/043 Prestressed connections tensioned by means of liquid, grease, rubber, explosive charge, or the like hydraulic bolt tensioners B25B29/02
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 39/12 by means of locknuts
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 39/14 made of thin sheet material or formed as spring-washers locknuts per se made of thin sheet metal F16B37/02
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 39/28 by special members on, or shape of, the nut or bolt F16B39/26 takes precedence; locknuts F16B39/12
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 39/32 Locking by means of a pawl or pawl-like tongue
• 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 19/548 in O-arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2229/00 Setting preload
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2326/02 Wheel hubs or castors
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 25/06 Ball or roller bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/30 Parts of ball or roller bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 43/04 Assembling rolling-contact bearings
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/497 Pre-usage process, e.g., preloading, aligning
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53091 for work-holder for assembly or disassembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53104 Roller or ball bearing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5383 having fluid operator

Abstract

An axle nut for preloading a bearing is provided. The axle nut may be used to apply and monitor preload on a bearing or bearing assembly. The axle nut includes a cylindrical body having a first end, a second end having a face adapted to bear against a surface, a longitudinal axis, and an outer surface engagable by a tool; a threaded through-hole directed substantially along the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical body; and at least one recess in the face of the second end of the cylindrical body, the at least one recess adapted to expose at least a portion of the surface the face bears against. The first end of the axle may comprise a nut locking mechanism, for example, the nut locking mechanism may include a counter bore having a plurality of internal projections, such as, gear or spline teeth.

Claims

1. An axle nut comprising;

a cylindrical body having a first end comprising a circumferential slot receiving a retaining member;

said cylindrical body having a plurality of engaging teeth;

said retaining member secured to a keeper;

said keeper having a plurality of keeper teeth engaging said plurality of engaging teeth to inhibit movement of said keeper relative to said body;

said keeper having a radially inner side configured to engage a shaft to inhibit rotational movement of said body relative to the shaft;

said retaining member engageable with said nut to hold said keeper axially such that said plurality of keeper teeth are engaged with said plurality of engaging teeth;

said retaining member is formed of a material different than said keeper such that said retaining member is more flexible than said keeper; and

a longitudinal axis, an outer surface engagable by a tool to rotate the axle nut, and a second end having means for bearing against a surface, the means for bearing against the surface comprising a face;

a helically threaded through-hole directed substantially along the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical body of the axle nut to threadably engage an axle; and

means for accessing an inner race of a bearing at the face of the second end of the body by an apparatus for applying a load to the bearing.

2. The nut as recited in claim 1, wherein the means for accessing comprises at least one recess.

3. The nut as recited in claim 2, wherein the at least one recess comprises a plurality of arcuate recesses equally spaced about the perimeter of the face.

4. The nut as recited in claim 2, wherein the at least one recess comprises a single annular recess extending around the perimeter of the face of the second end.

5. The nut as recited in claim 1 wherein the retaining member extends continuously in an arc from a first outside end to a second outside end, said keeper located between said first end and said second end.

6. The nut as recited in claim 1, wherein the nut comprises a bearing retaining nut and the surface comprises a surface of a bearing.

7. The nut as recited in claim 6, wherein the at least one recess is adapted to expose at least a portion of the surface of the bearing whereby a compressive load can be applied to the surface of the bearing.

8. The nut as recited in claim 2, wherein the at least one recess in the face of the second end comprises at least one cavity in the face of the second end.

9. The nut as recited in claim 8, wherein the at least one cavity comprises a plurality of evenly distributed cavities.

10. The nut as recited in claim 1, wherein the outer surface engagable by a tool comprises an outer surface engagable by one or more of a crescent wrench, a spanner wrench, and a socket.

11. The nut as recited in claim 1, wherein the nut is fabricated by powder metallurgy.

12. The nut as recited in claim 1, wherein the nut includes at least one surface that is surface hardened.

13. The nut as recited in claim 1, wherein the face comprises a surface.

14. An axle nut system comprising;

a cylindrical body having a first end, a longitudinal axis, an outer surface engagable by a tool to rotate the axle nut, and a second end having means for bearing against a surface, the means for bearing against the surface comprising a face;

said body having a plurality of engaging teeth;

a keeper having a plurality of keeper teeth engageable with said plurality of engaging teeth to inhibit movement of said keeper relative to said body when said plurality of engaging teeth engages said plurality of keeper teeth;

said keeper having a radially inner side configured to engage a shaft to inhibit rotational movement of said body relative to the shaft when said plurality of engaging teeth engages said plurality of keeper teeth and said radially inner side engages the shaft;

a separate keeper retaining member secured to said keeper, said retaining member engageable with said nut to hold said keeper axially such that said plurality of keeper teeth are engaged with said plurality of engaging teeth, said retaining member extending continuously in an arc from a first outside end to a second outside end, said keeper located between said first end and said second end; and

a helically threaded through-hole directed substantially along the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical body of the axle nut to threadably engage an axle.

15. An axle nut system comprising;

a cylindrical body having a first end, a longitudinal axis, an outer surface engagable by a tool to rotate the axle nut, and a second end having means for bearing against a surface, the means for bearing against the surface comprising a face;

said body having a plurality of engaging teeth;

a keeper having a plurality of keeper teeth engageable with said plurality of engaging teeth to inhibit movement of said keeper relative to said body when said plurality of engaging teeth engages said plurality of keeper teeth;

said keeper having a radially inner side configured to engage a shaft to inhibit rotational movement of said body relative to the shaft when said plurality of engaging teeth engages said plurality of keeper teeth and said radially inner side engages the shaft; and

a keeper retaining member connected to said keeper and engageable with said body to hold said keeper axially such that said plurality of keeper teeth are engaged with said plurality of engaging teeth, said retaining member being formed of a material different than said keeper such that said retaining member is more flexible than said keeper; and

a helically threaded through-hole directed substantially along the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical body of the axle nut to threadably engage an axle.

16. A lock nut system comprising:

a nut having a plurality of engaging teeth;

said nut having a cylindrical body and a helically threaded through-hole directed substantially along the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical body to threadably engage an axle;

a keeper having a plurality of keeper teeth engageable with said plurality of engaging teeth of said nut to inhibit movement of said keeper relative to said nut when said plurality of engaging teeth engages said plurality of keeper teeth;

said keeper having a radially inner side configured to engage a shaft to inhibit rotational movement of said nut relative to the shaft when said plurality of engaging teeth engages said plurality of keeper teeth and said radially inner side engages the shaft;

a keeper retaining member secured to said keeper, said retaining member engageable with said nut to hold said keeper axially such that said plurality of keeper teeth are engaged with said plurality of engaging teeth; and

at least one recess in a face of said nut, the at least one recess configured to expose at least a portion of a surface said nut bears against.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said at least one recess comprises at least one arcuate recess.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein said at least one arcuate recess comprises a plurality of arcuate recesses equally spaced about the perimeter of a face of said nut.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein said at least one recess is bounded by a curved outer surface of said nut extending around a perimeter of said nut.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein said inner side of said keeper comprises a shaft engaging member engageable in a shaft slot of the shaft to inhibit rotational movement of said nut relative to the shaft.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein said nut further comprises a nut slot for receiving said keeper retaining member.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said keeper retaining member comprises at least one leg configured to be received in said nut slot.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein said keeper retaining member is configured to hold said keeper axially relative to said nut such that said plurality of engaging teeth and said plurality of keeper teeth are engaged when said at least one leg is received in said nut slot.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said at least one leg comprises two legs elastically deformable toward one another to allow said retaining member to be attached to said nut by inserting said two legs in said nut slot.

25. The system of claim 16, wherein said retaining member is formed of a material different than said keeper, such that said retaining member is more flexible than said keeper.

26. The system of claim 16, wherein said retaining member extends continuously in an arc from a first outside end to a second outside end, said keeper located between said first end and said second end.