Wheel bearing arrangement and process for producing a wheel bearing arrangement

Abstract

A wheel bearing arrangement is provided, comprising a hub (20), a through hole (22) and an extension (24), the extension (24) being arranged at an axial end (26) of a bearing (28) of the wheel bearing arrangement and at an axial end (30) of the wheel bearing arrangement, and the extension (24) extending axially further from a center of mass (32) of the wheel bearing arrangement than each of the rings (34, 36) of the bearing, wherein a hole (38) of the through hole is located between the extension and the axial end of the bearing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a wheel bearing arrangement and a procedure for producing a wheel bearing arrangement. Background Art

[0002] To produce a wheel bearing arrangement, it is known to attach two tapered roller bearings to a wheel hub. For example, the inner rings of the bearings are connected by a shim.

[0003] Another known wheel bearing arrangement comprises two tapered roller bearings with a common outer ring. In a certain space close to the drive shaft there is oil. If the seal of the bearing leaks, the oil can enter the space axially outside the bearing towards the inside. In order to prevent further distribution of the oil, a guide plate guides the oil towards a through hole to the space outside the bearing arrangement. Here one can notice and thus become aware of the seal leakage.

[0004] In application CN106641196, a main bevel gear unit for a vehicle main reducing gear is described. The main bevel gear unit comprises a bearing seat that can be reliably fixed to the main reducing gear housing, and double-row tapered roller bearings that can be arranged in a back-to-back manner on both sides of a blocking shoulder, wherein the blocking shoulder protrudes along the diameter in the bearing seat. At least one row of the double-row tapered roller bearings has an inner ring extension structure, and the inner ring extension of the double-row tapered roller bearing can ensure that the double-row bearings are correctly preloaded in a manner that the inner rings directly abut each other. The application also provides a double-row tapered roller bearing, in a state where a rated preload is applied, the sum of the protrusions of the inner ring of the bearing in the axial direction beyond the inner end face of the corresponding outer ring is just equivalent to the axial size of the blocking shoulder. The main bevel gear unit of the above structure is precisely preloaded in a manner that the inner rings of the two rows of tapered roller bearings directly abut against each other, avoiding the need to adjust the axle base of the bearings during the assembly stage, completely eliminating the many inconveniences caused by the use of spacers, and significantly improving the assembly efficiency of the system. Summary of the invention

[0005] In particular, the object of the invention is to achieve a high efficiency. According to the invention, this object is achieved by the features of claim 1 and by the features of claim 9, while advantageous features and further developments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims.

[0006] A wheel bearing arrangement is proposed, comprising a hub, a through hole and a prolongation, the prolongation being arranged at an axial end of a bearing of the wheel bearing arrangement and being arranged at an axial end of the wheel bearing arrangement and extending axially further away from the center of mass of the wheel bearing arrangement than each of the rings of the bearing, wherein the aperture of the through hole is located between the prolongation and the axial end of the bearing. As a result, a high efficiency can be achieved. In particular, the number of structural elements can be reduced and structural space can be saved in the axial direction and also in the radial direction towards the center axis.

[0007] Preferably, the extension is annular and narrows as it extends axially away from the center of mass of the wheel bearing arrangement.Thereby, oil leaking from the bearing can be directed towards the through hole.

[0008] Advantageously, the extension comprises a tapered radial inner surface. In this way, a simple and effective structure can be achieved.

[0009] Furthermore, it is proposed that the axial length of the through hole is greater than 15%, preferably greater than 30% of the total axial length of the wheel bearing arrangement. Thus, the aperture of the through hole can be close to the seal of the bearing.

[0010] Furthermore, it is proposed that the through hole starts at a first axial side of the wheel bearing arrangement and ends at a second axial side of the wheel bearing arrangement. In this way, leaking oil can be effectively conducted to the exterior.

[0011] Preferably, the extension is formed as an integral piece with the wheel hub, thereby reducing the work for assembling the wheel bearing arrangement.

[0012] In addition, it is proposed that the through hole is at least partially a part of the hub. This allows a structurally simple design.

[0013] Furthermore, it is proposed that the complete through hole is part of the hub. Thus, the through hole can be formed very easily.

[0014] In particular, the wheel bearing arrangement does not comprise a wheel rim.

[0015] In addition, a process ( / step / method) for manufacturing a wheel bearing arrangement is proposed, comprising: attaching a first bearing outer ring and a second bearing outer ring to a wheel hub, then measuring the distance from the raceway of the first bearing outer ring to the raceway of the second bearing outer ring, selecting a first bearing inner ring and a first set of rolling elements and a second bearing inner ring and a second set of rolling elements, wherein all mentioned selections are based on the measured distances to achieve a predetermined preload range for the combination of the first bearing and the second bearing by attaching the first bearing inner ring and the first set of rolling elements to the first bearing outer ring and attaching the second bearing inner ring and the second set of rolling elements to the second bearing outer ring and fixing the inner rings to each other. In this way, a high efficiency can be achieved. In particular, a wheel bearing arrangement with a very small preload deviation from the expected preload can be assembled with a single bearing component that does not need to have very high precision, wherein the very small preload range leads to a long service life of the first bearing and the second bearing. In particular, a reduction of the preload range by 75% compared to the prior art can be achieved.

[0016] Further advantages emerge from the following description of the drawings. The drawings show examples of the invention. The drawings, the description and the claims contain many combinations of features. For a person skilled in the art, it is suggested to consider these features individually and to combine them into useful further combinations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 shows a front view of a wheel bearing arrangement according to the invention,

[0018] Figure 2 Shown according to Figure 1 Section II-II of the wheel bearing arrangement, and

[0019] Figure 3 A perspective view of a wheel hub showing a wheel bearing arrangement.

[0020] Reference numerals list

[0021]

[0022] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Figure 1 and Figure 2A wheel bearing arrangement is shown with a hub 20 in which a first bearing 28 and a second bearing 29 are arranged and which comprises a flange 72 for fixing a wheel or a brake drum. The first ring 36 of the first bearing 28, i.e. the bearing outer ring 52, is pressed into the hub 20 of the wheel bearing arrangement from a first axial side 46 of the bearing arrangement. Furthermore, the bearing outer ring of the bearing 29 is pressed into the hub from a second axial side 48 of the bearing arrangement. The first axial side 46 of the wheel bearing arrangement is the inboard side of the wheel bearing arrangement and the second axial side 48 of the wheel bearing arrangement is the outboard side of the bearing arrangement. The hub 20 comprises a prolongation 24 which is arranged at the axial end 26 of the bearing 28 and at the same time at the axial end 30 of the bearing arrangement. The prolongation 24 extends axially further away from the center of mass 32 of the wheel bearing arrangement than each of the rings 34, 36 of the bearing 28. Furthermore, bearing 28 is arranged at axial side 46, while bearing 29 is arranged at axial side 48. Furthermore, the hub comprises a through hole 22 having an aperture 38 (aperture) ( / through hole 22 having an aperture at 38), the aperture 38 being arranged between extension 24 and an axial end of bearing 28.

[0024] The extension 24 is annular and narrows as the extension extends axially away from the center of mass 32. The radial inner surface 40 of the extension 24 is conical. At the axial end of the bearing 28, there is a cartridge seal 68 of the bearing 28, which should (be considered to) seal the inner area of ​​the bearing 28. The bearing 28 is lubricated with grease ( / lubricating grease). If the cartridge seal 68 fails, the oil passes through the cartridge seal 68 away from the center of mass 32 and reaches the inner surface 40 of the extension 24. Since the hole 38 is located between the seal 68 and the inner surface 40 and the inner surface 40 is conical, the oil is forced into the hole 38 and through the through hole 22 under the action of centrifugal force. The area of ​​the through hole 22 closest to the central axis 70 of the bearing arrangement is the hole 38. After passing through the through hole 22, the oil reaches the axial side 48, where the oil can be noticed by a person observing the wheel bearing arrangement from the outside and can notice that there are some problems with the sealing of the bearing 28. Then, a replacement of the bearing 28 can be performed.

[0025] The extension 24 can also store a certain amount of oil at a region away from the through hole 22 in the circumferential direction and thus acts as an oil reservoir. In addition, in the fully assembled state, the extension prevents leaking oil from flowing to the brake system located on the inside and axially away from the wheel bearing arrangement.

[0026] The axial length 42 of the through hole 22 is greater than 15% of the total axial length 44 of the wheel bearing arrangement, preferably, the axial length 42 of the through hole 22 is greater than 30% of the total axial length 44 of the wheel bearing arrangement. The through hole 22 starts at an axial side 46 and ends at an axial side 48. The through hole 22 is formed only by the wheel hub and not by other structural elements of the wheel bearing arrangement. In addition, the extension 24 is formed as a single piece with the wheel hub 20.

[0027] When manufacturing the bearing arrangement, the outer rings 50, 52 are first pressed into the wheel hub, and then the distance from the raceway 54 of the outer ring 52 to the raceway 56 of the outer ring 52 is measured. Based on the results of this measurement, the inner ring 58 of the bearing 29 and the inner ring 60 of the bearing 28 are selected from a set of inner rings, and the rolling elements 62 of the bearing 29 and the rolling elements 64 of the bearing 28 are selected from a set of rolling elements, wherein the set of inner rings and the set of rolling elements contain inner rings and rolling elements of slightly different geometric structures. All the above-mentioned selections of the inner rings 58, 60 and the rolling elements 62, 64 are done in such a way that a specific preload of the combined bearing 28 and the bearing 29 is established in a predetermined small preload range. After the rolling elements 62, 64 and the inner rings 58, 60 are assembled, the inner rings 58, 60 are fixed to each other by a ring 66 in a form-fit manner.

[0028] It is also possible to define specific tolerance variations of the outer rings 50, 52 to reduce the raceway distance range. Furthermore, during the design phase of the wheel bearing arrangement, the raceway distance itself can be calculated by means of the FEM (Finite Element) method.

[0029] The wheel bearing arrangement has a life performance of 1,000,000 km. Conventional wheel bearing arrangements can be made larger to achieve this life performance.

Claims

1. A wheel bearing arrangement having a hub (20), a through hole (22) and an extension (24), the extension (24) being arranged at an axial end (26) of a bearing (28) of the wheel bearing arrangement and at an axial end (30) of the wheel bearing arrangement, and the extension (24) extending axially further away from a center of mass (32) of the wheel bearing arrangement than each of the rings (34, 36) of the bearing, wherein The through hole (38) is located between the extension and the axial end of the bearing.

2. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The extension is annular and narrows as the extension extends axially away from the center of mass of the wheel bearing arrangement.

3. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The extension includes a tapered radial inner surface (40).

4. A wheel bearing arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 3, It is characterized in that The axial length (42) of the through hole is greater than 15% of the total axial length (44) of the wheel bearing arrangement, preferably, the axial length (42) of the through hole is greater than 30% of the total axial length (44) of the wheel bearing arrangement.

5. A wheel bearing arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 3, It is characterized in that The through hole starts at a first axial side (46) of the wheel bearing arrangement and ends at a second axial side (48) of the wheel bearing arrangement.

6. A wheel bearing arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 3, It is characterized in that The extension portion is formed as an integral piece with the hub.

7. A wheel bearing arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 3, It is characterized in that The through hole is at least partially part of the hub.

8. The wheel bearing arrangement according to claim 7, It is characterized in that The complete through hole is part of the hub.

9. A process for manufacturing a wheel bearing arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising: A first bearing outer ring (50) and a second bearing outer ring (52) are attached to a wheel hub, and then the distance from the raceway (54) of the first bearing outer ring to the raceway (56) of the second bearing outer ring is measured, and a first bearing inner ring (58) and a first set of rolling elements (62) and a second bearing inner ring and a second set of rolling elements (64) are selected, wherein all mentioned selections are based on the measured distances to achieve a predetermined preload range for the combination of the first bearing and the second bearing by attaching the first bearing inner ring and the first set of rolling elements to the first bearing outer ring and attaching the second bearing inner ring and the second set of rolling elements to the second bearing outer ring and fixing the inner rings to each other.

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