Bearings – Rotary bearing – Antifriction bearing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-21
2001-11-13
Hannon, Thomas R. (Department: 3682)
Bearings
Rotary bearing
Antifriction bearing
C384S506000, C384S537000, C384S585000, C384S589000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06315457
ABSTRACT:
The invention is related to a bearing assembly for a vehicle hub, comprising rolling elements which are in rolling contact with at least one inner raceway and at least one outer raceway of respectively an inner ring member and an outer ring member, one of which ring members comprises two bearing rings which are interconnected by means of a mounting sleeve for preloading and/or positioning the rolling elements in axial direction between the raceways.
Such a bearing assembly is known from EP-A-623481. Said known assembly comprises a sleeve onto which the inner bearing rings of two taper roller bearings are mounted. The sleeve has an outer flange against which one of said inner bearing rings is resting, and an adjustable flange which is pressed against the other inner bearing ring for obtaining the desired magnitude of the preload.
The assembly constitutes a unity which can be mounted directly onto an axle stub of a vehicle. It is not necessary to apply the preload while fitting the assembly onto the axle stub, as the desired preload has already been applied at the stage of assembling the unit.
The proper preloading of the assembly depends on the accuracy of the assembling process. Also, the preload should stay constant over longer service periods, which means that the components of the assembly should be secured against coming loose.
In this respect, improvements are necessary. The object of the invention is therefore to provide a bearing assembly for a hub which can be manufactured more precisely, is more reliable as to the proper preloading, and can be mounted and dismounted more easily during service. This object is achieved in that at least one of the bearing rings is bonded to the sleeve by means of glueing.
The preload is obtained by the glued sleeve, which means that the preload can be maintained reliably during long periods. Moreover, the bearing assembly can be manufactured in a relatively simple way, without applying locking members.
The glue bond between the sleeves and the inner surfaces of the inner bearing rings is loaded in shear.
Furthermore, the glue bond between the sleeves and the inner surfaces of the inner bearing rings is of a cylindrical shape which is coaxial with respect to the axis of the bearing assembly.
The sleeve is preferably bonded to the inner surface of the inner rings. These surfaces provide a sufficiently large bonding area, which enhances the reliability of the connection of said rings.
According to a compact embodiment, the inner rings may have facing radial surfaces which rest against one another. In a first variant the inner rings may have equal inner diameters with the same wall thickness, and the sleeve has a uniform, corresponding outer diameter. In a second variant, the inner rings may have different inner diameters and the same wall thickness, and the sleeve has two sleeve parts with different, corresponding outer diameters.
Furthermore, the outer ring member may comprise a hub member having a flange for connecting a wheel thereto; the outer bearing rings may be integrated in the hub member.
The bearing assembly according to the invention has the advantage that it can be preassembled with the proper preload; also, the assembly may be pre-lubricated and subsequently the bearing space may be sealed. Thus, no dirt or other contaminant particles may enter the bearing space, ensuring an extended service life.
As the bearing assembly constitutes a complete self-contained unit, it may also be equipped with auxiliary equipment. For instance, one of the inner bearing rings may have an essentially axial groove for the supply of compressed air in a central tyre inflation system. Also, the sleeve may have a groove for the supply of compressed air in a central tyre inflation system.
According to a practical embodiment, each groove may open out in an aperture of a first supply ring connected to the sleeve, which first supply ring is opposite to and sealed with respect to a second supply ring connected to the outer ring member.
According to a further possibility, one of the inner bearing rings or the sleeve may have a groove for a signal cable connected to an ABS-sensor, the components of which are connected to the inner ring member and the outer ring member.
The inner bearing ring member may have a nipple for supplying oil to the inner surface of the sleeve, and the outer ring member may have a hole which can be brought opposite the nipple, for inserting an oil pressure line to be connected to the nipple.
According to a particular embodiment, the glue layer may be obtained from a foil. Said foil may be accommodated within a recess in at least one of the bearing rings and sleeves.
Such bearing assembly may be produced by the steps of
applying a foil of glue material in a slit between a sleeve and a bearing ring,
heating the sleeve and bearing ring so as to make the foil melt into a flowable glue,
spreading the flowable glue through the slit defined between sleeve and bearing under the influence of a reduction in the width of the slit as a result of the heat increase of sleeve and bearing ring,
cooling the sleeve and bearing ring for solidifying the glue.
Also, an expandable mandrel may be employed for compressing and spreading the glue, in case the sleeve is a split sleeve which allows expansion. The mandrel expansion may be simply obtained by heating the mandrel, which at the same time thus heats the sleeve and the foil glue so as to obtain a glue melt which spreads out through the slit between sleeve and bearing ring.
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Huhn Norbert
Kapaan Hendrikus Jan
Sanden Johannes Franciscus
Tanke Jesko-Henning
Hannon Thomas R.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
SKF Engineering and Research Centre B.V.
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