Motor vehicles – Compensating devices
Patent
1982-07-16
1984-03-20
Peters, Jr., Joseph F.
Motor vehicles
Compensating devices
74801, 180 71, B60B 3516, F16H 3500
Patent
active
044375301
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION
Technical Field
The present invention relates to off highway load hauling vehicles and more particularly to driving axle assemblies used in such vehicles.
Background Art
Off highway load hauling vehicles such as haulers and dump trucks used in open pit mines, quarries, etc., commonly employ change gear transmissions connecting the vehicle engine with driving wheels via a propeller shaft and driving axle assembly. The driving axle assemblies typically include a differential mechanism connected to the propeller shaft, driving axle shafts projecting from the differential mechanism, and so-called final drive gear reductions connected between the axle shafts and the driven wheels. The differential mechanism and axles are generally contained in a tubular supporting housing extending between the drive wheels. The supporting housing is connected to the vehicle frame by a suspension arrangement and thus additionally forms a structural support for a substantial proportion of the vehicle weight and its payload. Additionally the supporting housing forms the structural element by which the traction and braking forces produced at the drive wheels are transmitted to the vehicle frame.
A more or less typical driving axle assembly employs an approximately cylindrical supporting housing having the differential mechanism supported within at a location between the drive wheels and the axle shafts extending laterally from the differential mechanism through bearing walls and seals closing the opposite ends of the supporting housing. The differential mechanism is fixed to a cover plate member detachably connected to the supporting housing. The propeller shaft driving connection extends through the cover plate to the differential mechanism. The differential mechanism is additionally fixed within the supporting housing by structurally strong links which react between the differential mechanism and the supporting housing to carry torque reaction forces exerted by the differential mechanism.
Prior art axle assemblies have utilized differential mechanisms designed to provide gear reductions of about 3:1 between the propeller shaft and the driving axles with the final drive gearing producing reductions of about 10:1 between the axles and the driven wheel hubs. The differential mechanisms in these vehicles are commonly formed by a bevel input gear fixed with respect to the propeller shaft, a bevel ring gear meshing with the input gear and a planet gear carrier fixed to the ring gear. Planet gears are supported by the carrier in mesh with side gears fixed to the respective axle shafts. The gear reduction provided by the differential mechanism is produced between the input and ring gears so that the ring gear diameter is substantially larger than the input gear. This gear reduction and the large amounts of power transmitted by the differential mechanism have resulted in substantial reaction torques being experienced by the differential mechanisms.
The final drives have usually been formed by single or compound epicyclic gear sets having a central sun gear, a plurality of planet gears disposed about the sun gear and connected together by a planet carrier, and a surrounding ring gear. The sun gear is usually driven by the axle shaft with drive transmitted to the wheels via either the planet gear carrier or the ring gear of one gear set. If a compound final drive is used, there may be a second complete epicyclic gear set with the output drive from the first gear set driving the wheels through the second gear set.
Prior art load hauling vehicles employing driving axle assemblies of the character referred to have had some disadvantages because of the size and support requirements for the differential mechanisms. The differential mechanisms have generally been bolted to their cover plates and to the supporting housing. Servicing or repair of a differential mechanism in the field necessitates its removal from the axle assembly housing and exposure of the differential gearing and components to dirt, dust and the elements. Remo
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De Young Simon A.
Gray Charles C.
Euclid, Inc.
McGiehan Donn
Peters Jr. Joseph F.
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