Bearings – Rotary bearing – Antifriction bearing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-08
2001-08-14
Marmor, Charles A. (Department: 3681)
Bearings
Rotary bearing
Antifriction bearing
C384S584000, C384S562000, C384S626000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273617
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a wheel bearing spacer for automobiles. The invention as described and claimed was designed and intended for racing automobiles, but could be used on any vehicle. The spacers save shop time in setting up hub assemblies when preparing a racing vehicle for a race. The spacers includes shims which permit exact tolerances to be easily and repetitively achieved.
As is well known, both front and rear automobile wheel hub assemblies include tapered, caged roller bearings which permit low-resistance rotation between the wheel hub and the spindle (front assembly) and the axle (rear assembly). In both street and racing vehicles the roller bearings rotate against tapered races fitting into shoulders in the wheel hub. In street vehicles, the roller bearing housings themselves may rotate to some degree as well as the roller bearings in the housings. This is ordinarily not a problem. In racing vehicles, however, rotation of the bearing housing itself can cause serious damage due to the extreme speeds and related abuse imposed on the wheels as a result of heating of the spindle or axle by contact with the bearing housing.
One prior art solution was to insert a single-sized spacer around the spindle or axle to put a desired amount of axial compression on the inner and outer bearing housings to keep them stationarily seated against the races. This did not account for minor variations in bearing dimensions and tolerances.
Another prior art solution was to use a spacer with a shim positioned on the front face of the spacer. While better tolerances could be obtained in principle, tightening the spacer into resulting in bending and crimping of the shims.
The present invention solves these problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a spacer assembly for a motor vehicle which speeds set-up time.
It is another object of the invention to provide a spacer assembly which permits quick and easy adjustments to account for variations in bearing assembly and wheel assembly spaces and tolerances.
It is another object of the invention to provide a spacer assembly which avoids damage to the shims during tightening of the bearing assemblies against the spacer.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in the preferred embodiments disclosed below by providing a wheel bearing assembly for a wheel assembly of a motor vehicle, wherein the wheel bearing assembly includes a wheel hub having inner and outer bearing race shoulders for receiving respective inner and outer roller bearing races and roller bearing housings with roller bearings therein, the wheel bearing assembly adapted for being mounted on a wheel axle. The wheel bearing assembly comprises an annular spacer body having a central opening for permitting the spacer body to be positioned onto the axle between one of the inner or outer roller bearing housings for exerting an axial compression thereon, a spacer cap having a central opening for permitting the spacer cap to be positioned onto the axle between the inner and outer roller bearing housings and in engaging coaxial alignment with the spacer body for engaging the other of the inner or roller bearing housings, and an annular shim having a central opening for permitting the shim to be positioned onto the axle between the spacer body and the spacer cap. The shim has an axially-extending dimension predetermined to produce with the spacer body and the spacer cap a combined axially-extending dimension suitable to create and maintain a predetermined amount of axial compression on the inner and outer roller bearing housings against the respective inner and outer bearing races sufficient to prevent rotation of the bearing races relative to the roller bearing housings.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the wheel bearing assembly is adapted to be mounted on the front wheel assembly of the motor vehicle.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the wheel bearing assembly is adapted to be mounted on the rear wheel assembly of the motor vehicle.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the spacer body includes a cylindrical body portion and a frustoconical body portion.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the frustoconical body portion includes an end opening for receiving a portion of the spacer cap therein.
Preferably, the invention includes a plurality of shims having different axially-extending dimensions for being used singly or in combination with each other for form a shim assembly having an axially-extending dimension predetermined to produce with the spacer body and the spacer cap a combined axially-extending dimension suitable to create and maintain a predetermined amount of axial compression on the inner and outer roller bearing housings against the respective inner and outer bearing races sufficient to prevent rotation of the bearing races relative to the roller bearing housings.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the spacer cap includes a sleeve portion for being received into the spacer body, and further wherein the shim is adapted to be received and supported on the sleeve.
According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the spacer cap includes a sleeve portion for being received into the spacer body, and further wherein the shims forming the shim assembly are adapted to be received and supported on the sleeve.
An embodiment of the method according to the invention comprises the steps of mounting a spacer body on the axle between the inner and outer roller bearing housings and engaging one of the inner and outer roller bearing housings, mounting a spacer cap on the axle between the inner and outer roller bearing housings and engaging the other of the inner and outer roller bearing housings, mounting at least one shim on the axle between the spacer body and the spacer cap. The at least one shim has an axially-extending dimension predetermined to produce with the spacer body and the spacer cap a combined axially-extending dimension suitable to create and maintain a predetermined amount of axial compression on the inner and outer roller bearing housings against respective inner and outer bearing races sufficient to prevent rotation of the bearing races relative to the roller bearing housings.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the step of mounting at least one shim on the axle comprises the step of mounting a plurality of shims defining a shim assembly on the axle. The shim assembly has an axially-extending dimension predetermined to produce with the spacer body and the spacer cap a combined axially-extending dimension suitable to create and maintain a predetermined amount of axial compression on the inner and outer roller bearing housings against respective inner and outer bearing races sufficient to prevent rotation of the bearing races relative to the roller bearing housings.
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patent: 5328275 (1994-07-01), Winn et al.
patent: 5391004 (1995-02-01), Matczak et al.
patent: 5492419 (1996-02-01), Miller et al.
patent: 5882123 (1999-03-01), Lee et al.
patent: 5997103 (1999-12-01), Wagner
Drawings of admitted prior art devices.
Adams, Schwartz & Evans P.A.
Ho Ha
Marmor Charles A.
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