LOCKING NUT WITH LOCKING ELEMENT

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a locking nut with a securing element according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] To axially secure attachment elements of a shaft, for example a wheel hub with a wheel bearing on a drive shaft joint of a motor vehicle, a caulking nut can be screwed onto the shaft to prevent the attached attachment element from accidentally coming loose. For this purpose, the shaft has a threaded shaft section, in particular a type of axle journal with an external thread. Furthermore, known shafts have radial recesses, particularly in the threaded shaft section. After tightening the caulking nut and clamping the attachment element on the shaft, in particular by positively and rotationally clamping the wheel hub on the axle journal, the caulking nut itself can be deformed into the recesses of the shaft by applying radial force.Alternatively or additionally, a securing element, in particular a clamping ring, can be used which secures the caulking nut in the recess in a form-fitting manner and in a rotationally fixed manner on both sides by means of plastic deformation, in particular caulking.

[0003] A fastening method using plastic deformation of the caulking nut or a locking element is comparatively complex and requires numerous steps, particularly manual labor, and special tools. Furthermore, due to the positive connection to the shaft, loosening the caulking nut, for example, for repair and / or replacement purposes, is very difficult. Furthermore, the plastic deformation and the associated material weakening can lead to subsequent corrosion problems.

[0004] Alternatively, a type of cotter pin or locking bolt can be used as a securing element. This cotter pin is inserted into a recess in the shaft, designed as a bore, and a radial slot in a castle nut, in order to fix the castle nut in a screwed-on state on the shaft. A castle nut of this type with a cotter pin is known, for example, from DE 69 106 939 T2. For securing purposes, the castle nut usually has 6-8 slots with an angular spacing of 45° to 60° in the circumferential direction. In order to bring such a slot into radial overlap with the recess, in particular the bore, within the shaft, this can lead to overtightening of the castle nut or excessive axial play with the attachment element. Incorrect torque on the castle nut can lead to damage to the shaft itself and / or an attachment element, particularly in the case of alternating loads during operation of the shaft.Installing the cotter pin is also time-consuming and labor-intensive. Furthermore, reuse of a disassembled castle nut cannot be ruled out, which poses a potential safety risk if the castle nut itself is damaged.

[0005] In particular, since the aforementioned locking elements secure the caulking nut or castle nut in a form-fitting manner not only in the loosening direction but also in the screwing direction, the caulking nut or castle nut cannot be readjusted after the fastening process. This can lead to an increase in the axial play with the attachment element during operation of the shaft, particularly due to changing loads, and potentially resulting in damage.

[0006] Document DE 10 2010 053 595 A1 shows a locking nut with a closed retaining ring, which forms a first mutual locking toothing with the locking nut on an outer side. On an inner side, the retaining ring forms a second mutual locking toothing with a shaft. The first locking toothing is sawtooth-shaped, with the tooth flanks of the first locking toothing intended to slide against one another in a screwing-on direction. It can be assumed that during rotation along the screwing-on direction, the tooth flanks of the external toothings of the retaining ring can deform and / or become worn through contact with the toothing of the locking nut. This wear can influence fixation counter to the screwing-on direction and, in particular, lead to unintentional loosening of the locking nut.Furthermore, deforming the tooth flanks can require considerable force, which prevents easy assembly, especially by hand. In particular, the production of deformable tooth flanks of the retaining ring, for example, in the form of flared sheet metal strips, requires increased manufacturing precision to create a non-rotating locking nut. In addition, deformable tooth flanks have reduced strength, which can lead to individual tooth flanks breaking off and the locking nut becoming loose, particularly under cyclical continuous loading.

[0007] CN 105 257 670 A shows a non-removable anti-theft screw device with a locking screw, a locking nut and a locking element, wherein a recess is formed in a threaded rod of the locking screw and a recess is formed in the locking nut; a group of locking lugs are arranged on the inner wall of the recess; the locking element has a fastening end and a resistance end; the locking element can be loosely inserted into the recess, wherein the locking element, in the assembled state, enables locking of the screw device.

[0008] CN 2 646 463 Y discloses a lockable screw connection comprising a screw, a nut, and a locking element. The screw is provided with a vertical groove; the upper and lower surfaces of the nut are provided with serrated projections periodically spaced along the circumference; the inner diameter of the locking element is provided with a conical protrusion that engages the vertical groove of the screw. When assembled, the serrated projections of the nut clamp onto the surface of the locking element, enabling a cost-effective anti-theft device.

[0009] US 4,824,303 A discloses a locking wedge device for securing a printed circuit board. The device comprises an elongated center wedge with beveled surfaces and two end wedges that bear against the opposing beveled surfaces of the center wedge. The two end wedges are connected by a screw that engages a threaded hole in the distal end wedge. A friction nut is attached to a portion of the distal end of the screw that extends beyond the distal end wedge, and the device is configured to have a pair of low-friction abutting surfaces between the nut and the distal end wedge. This ensures that when the screw is fully loosened, the frictional torque exerted by the end wedge on the nut is exceeded by the frictional torque exerted by the screw on the nut.

[0010] The present invention is based on the object of proposing a locking nut which, while avoiding the problems known from the prior art, is particularly easy to assemble and manufacture and at the same time ensures a high degree of operational reliability.

[0011] This problem is solved by the features of claim 1.

[0012] Advantageous embodiments are the subject of the subclaims.

[0013] According to the invention, a locking nut with a securing element is proposed as an axial securing means for an attachment element of a shaft, in particular a bearing of a transmission shaft or a wheel bearing of a cardan shaft, wherein the locking nut can be screwed onto a threaded shaft section, in particular at the end, of the shaft in a screwing-on direction in order to clamp the attachment element axially and along a screw axis on the shaft in the assembled state, wherein the securing element has an engagement section which, in the assembled state, engages in a recess in the shaft and holds the locking nut along a loosening direction of rotation, in particular in a form-fitting manner. The locking nut supports the securing element along the screw axis, wherein the locking nut can be rotated unidirectionally relative to the locking element along the screwing-on direction of rotation.

[0014] Furthermore, according to the invention, it is provided that the locking nut forms mutually engaging locking teeth in the radial direction with the securing element along the loosening direction of rotation and the securing element can be inserted into the locking nut and its locking teeth along the screw axis, wherein the securing element is designed as a circumferentially open locking ring which is elastically deformable on one side along the screwing direction of rotation in such a way that the locking nut can be rotated, in particular slidingly, along the screwing direction of rotation relative to the securing element.

[0015] Preferably, the securing direction is elastically deformable in the radial direction.

[0016] Preferably, the recess is formed in the shaft along the screw axis, in particular in the form of at least one longitudinal groove, in order to ensure guidance of the engagement portion of the securing element during screwing on of the locking nut.

[0017] The invention surprisingly recognized that by using a locking nut with a unidirectionally rotatable locking element, the locking nut can be screwed onto the shaft to secure the attachment element independently and unhindered by the locking element, and it secures itself in the opposite direction of loosening. This self-locking mechanism requires no additional steps or special tools. Due to the mounting of the locking element, it is adjusted linearly along the screw axis together with the locking nut. The locking nut can thus be screwed onto the shaft like a conventional nut, allowing it to move freely, in a particularly simple manner, particularly without special tools and preferably by hand.Opposite the screwing direction and along the loosening direction, the locking nut cooperates in a self-locking manner with the securing element which is fixed in the circumferential direction when mounted, which is why loosening of the locking nut is hindered or blocked by a preferably positive-locking stop of the engagement element in the recess of the shaft.

[0018] In other words, in contrast to known caulking nuts or castle nuts with a locking pin, the locking nut can screw itself on in a self-locking manner in the unscrewing direction, preferably when assembled, and can simultaneously lock itself along the loosening direction.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, the locking nut forms mutually engaging locking teeth with the securing element along the loosening direction of rotation, wherein at least one of the locking teeth is elastically deformable such that the locking nut can be rotated, in particular slidingly, relative to the securing element along the screwing-on direction of rotation. By elastically deforming one of the locking teeth, unilateral free rotation of the locking nut in the unscrewing direction of rotation is enabled, wherein individual teeth of the locking teeth slide off or jump over one another while the locking nut is being screwed on. In the reverse loosening direction of rotation, the locking teeth engage with one another, thus preventing the locking nut from being unscrewed and preventing accidental release of the clamping with the attachment element in the assembled state.

[0020] Preferably, the locking toothing and / or the elastically deformable securing element are designed such that the locking nut can be screwed on manually along the screwing direction, in particular with a torque of approximately 1 Nm to 6 Nm. Further preferably, the locking toothing is designed such that the engagement section acts as a type of weakest link. Disassembly of the locking nut is preferably only possible by destructively breaking off the engagement section of the securing element. Particularly preferably, the torque required for disassembly is between 70 Nm and 90 Nm, preferably 80 Nm. The shape and / or material of the engagement section is preferably designed such that the shaft is not damaged during disassembly, in particular with a lower hardness and / or strength.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment, the locking teeth of the locking nut and the locking teeth of the securing element are formed in a radial direction, and the securing element can be inserted into the locking nut and its locking teeth along the screw axis. In other words, the securing element is designed as a type of toothed disc, which preferably engages with an internal toothing of the locking nut.

[0022] Radial locking teeth are advantageous because, in this arrangement, elastic deformation can advantageously be achieved by the locking element itself and not by individual web-shaped teeth. Furthermore, the locking element can move along the screw axis in a guide section, with the radial locking teeth having a minimum contact pressure to prevent tooth loss. Movement of the locking element along the screw axis facilitates, in particular, screwing on the locking nut and engaging the engaging section of the locking element in the recess of the shaft. The ability of the locking element to move along the guide section results in self-alignment of the engaging section with respect to the recess of the shaft.

[0023] In other words, in a further development, it can preferably be provided that the securing element is movable along the screw axis in a guide section in order to facilitate engagement of the engagement section in the recess, wherein the radial locking toothing has a minimum contact pressure in order to prevent loss of toothing.

[0024] In a preferred assembly method, the locking nut is screwed onto the shaft, wherein the securing element rotates with the locking nut about the screw axis and is adjusted along the screw axis. If the engagement section is not aligned with respect to the recess in the shaft, the engagement section rests against an end face of the shaft upon contact with the shaft. Further rotation of the locking nut leads to a relative adjustment of the securing element with respect to the locking nut within the guide section until the engagement section engages in the recess in the shaft, in particular as a tongue and groove connection. A length of the guide section is preferably designed such that an engagement section of the securing element rotated by up to 180° relative to the recess can be engaged for self-alignment and without jamming.In other words, the guide section acts as a kind of tolerance zone along the screw axis if the engagement section of the locking element is not aligned with the shaft recess from the outset. This guide section advantageously enables particularly simple assembly.

[0025] In this context, the securing element can preferably be designed as a securing ring with radial locking teeth that is open in the circumferential direction and elastically deformable in a preferably radial direction. The elastically deformable securing ring is preferably designed such that, in the assembled state, the minimum contact pressure of the radial locking teeth is ensured in order to prevent tooth loss in the undeformed state. As soon as the locking nut rotates relative to the securing element along the screwing direction, the locking teeth slide against one another and deform the securing element in the radial direction and / or in the circumferential direction such that the locking nut can rotate essentially unhindered and freely. The rigidity of the securing element is preferably designed such that the elastic deformation and rotation of the locking nut can be manually controlled by an operator.Advantageously, a ratchet-like rotation of the locking nut in the screwing direction relative to the securing element generates an operating noise, particularly due to sliding and / or skipping locking teeth, which can indicate to the operator that the locking nut is functioning correctly and securely. In particular, a ratchet-like operating noise characteristic of skipping locking teeth indicates correct engagement of the locking teeth. For example, a lack of minimum radial contact pressure of the locking teeth would affect the operating noise and weaken a ratchet-like noise characteristic; whereas a functioning locking ring, following elastic deformation and the sliding of individual locking teeth, jumps back into a toothed position, thereby triggering an operating noise.

[0026] Particularly preferably, the engagement portion is designed to cooperate with the recess in the shaft in such a way that a gap is formed between the engagement portion and the recess in the radial direction in order to enable deformation of the securing element in the radial direction.

[0027] In In a further preferred embodiment, the engagement portion forms a tongue-and-groove connection with the recess when the locking nut is mounted, such that the engagement portion breaks off when an increased torque is applied to the locking nut along the loosening direction of rotation. The engagement portion thus advantageously forms a weakest link, preventing damage to the shaft. At the same time, the toothing between the securing element and the locking nut can be designed to be particularly rotationally secure, since the locking nut does not have to be loosened to release it.

[0028] Particularly in connection with the aforementioned gap between the engagement section and the recess, a tongue and groove connection has the advantage that, compared to a locking tooth system, force transmission is maintained, particularly through a positive connection. In contrast, a gap between locking tooth systems could pose the risk of the tooth flanks damaging each other due to insufficient engagement and also sliding off each other along the release direction.

[0029] Further preferably, the locking toothing of the locking nut and / or the locking toothing of the securing element has asymmetrical tooth flanks which are aligned such that flat first tooth flanks abut one another along the screwing direction of rotation, in particular in order to enable one-sided sliding of the locking nut and elastic deformation of the securing element, and wherein steep second tooth flanks abut one another along the loosening direction of rotation in order to lock the locking nut to the securing element on one side.

[0030] In particular, due to the mutual contact of the first flat tooth flanks in a screwing-on direction, the first tooth flanks slide against one another, in particular by the locking element becoming elastically deformable in the radial and / or circumferential direction. This results in a type of ratchet-like movement, with the locking nut acting as a type of ratchet on one side along the screwing-on direction. Along the loosening direction, relatively steep second tooth flanks bear against one another, with a transmitted force component acting essentially in the circumferential direction and a force component in the radial direction being insufficient to deform the locking element. Therefore, the toothings engage with one another and thus secure the locking nut against loosening rotation.

[0031] Particularly with a radial arrangement of the locking teeth in conjunction with the aforementioned asymmetrical tooth flanks, at the same torque, a radial force component acting on the first flat tooth flank in the tightening direction is greater than a radial force component acting on the second steep tooth flank in the loosening direction. This promotes elastic deformation of the locking element in the radial direction due to the interaction of the first flat tooth flanks and the sliding of the first tooth flanks along the tightening direction.

[0032] Particularly preferably, the first flat tooth flank has a radius of 4 mm to 6 mm, preferably 5 mm, and / or a flank height, in particular of a straight first flat tooth flank, in the radial direction of 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm, preferably 1 mm, and / or the second steep tooth flank has a radius of 0.4 mm to 0.8 mm, preferably 0.5 mm or 0.75 mm. In particular, the relatively small radius of the steep second tooth flank results in a locking toothing in the release direction, which essentially has a locking effect in the circumferential direction.

[0033] Preferably, the first flat tooth flank can be produced with the above-specified radius using a milling process. Alternatively or additionally, the first flat tooth flank can preferably also be formed in a straight line, in particular in a straight line within the specified flank height.

[0034] More preferably, the locking toothing has toothings spaced at 15° angles in the circumferential direction, preferably with a number of teeth between 22 and 26, particularly preferably 24. This number of teeth is particularly preferred for a locking element with an outer diameter of 29 mm to 31 mm. This fine adjustment of the number of teeth allows the attachment element to be secured without play or overtightening along the screw axis, particularly compared to castle nuts with a cotter pin lock.

[0035] In this context, it is particularly preferred that the locking teeth in the locking nut form toothless sections, in particular three sections evenly distributed along the circumference, which preferably reduce the total number of teeth by 35% to 40%. The formation of toothless sections can promote sliding along the screwing direction and thus reduce the torque required for unscrewing, in particular to enable manual unscrewing.

[0036] Preferably, the locking nut supports the locking element in an internal radial recess, wherein the locking nut has a deformed section adjacent to the recess, which, in the deformed state, holds the locking element along the screw axis. In other words, this deformed section forms a stop along the screw axis with the locking element, so that the locking element is guided along the screw axis when screwed onto the shaft.

[0037] In a preferred embodiment, the locking nut additionally supports, preferably captively, a freely rotatable sliding disk along the screw axis for contact with the attachment element, particularly in a form-fitting manner, in order to reduce the coefficient of friction between the locking nut and the attachment element in the assembled state. This allows the attachment element to be clamped onto the shaft along the screw axis without experiencing a force component in the circumferential direction.

[0038] Furthermore, the invention also relates to a shaft with at least one locking nut with a securing element as described above, wherein the at least one locking nut is screwed onto at least one threaded shaft section of the shaft and the shaft forms at least one recess, in particular in the form of a longitudinal groove, along the screw axis, into which recess the securing element engages with at least one engagement section, in particular in a tongue and groove connection, in order to hold the at least one locking nut on the shaft, in particular in a form-fitting manner, along a loosening direction of rotation in the assembled state and to clamp an attachment element on the shaft. In the sense of the invention, a shaft can be understood in particular as a transmission shaft or a cardan shaft for a wheel bearing.Particularly when using multiple attachment elements and a shaft with multiple threaded shaft sections, multiple locking nuts can be inserted and screwed onto the shaft to clamp each attachment element. To enhance the locking effect of the locking nut, two recesses can preferably be arranged in the shaft, with the locking element engaging the shaft with two engagement sections.

[0039] In a preferred manufacturing method for one of the aforementioned embodiments of the locking nut, a radial recess with a toothing contour is formed in a locking nut blank along the screw axis, in particular by means of a stamping process, above an internal thread. Preferably, an end-side forming section is subsequently formed further above the toothing contour along the screw axis. Preferably, a centering section is formed along the screw axis between the internal thread and the locking toothing in order to center the locking nut blank with respect to a stamping tool and to guide it along the screw axis. Further preferably, the centering section has a larger internal diameter than the internal thread in order to form a stop to the internal diameter along the screw axis.

[0040] Additionally or alternatively, the centering section can also form a defined distance between the internal thread and the locking toothing in order to adapt the locking nut to a predefined shaft geometry. Thus, the recess can be formed in the shaft end, and an attachment element can be arranged at a distance from the recess along the screw axis. A length of the centering section is designed such that the locking nut with internal thread can be screwed onto the shaft, the attachment element can be clamped, and simultaneously the locking element engages in the recess at the end of the shaft.

[0041] The locking nut is preferably designed as a round body extending along the screw axis, which has an engagement or engaging outer contour for fastening tools, particularly hexagonal tools, particularly in the area of the internal thread. The outer contour is preferably cylindrical in the area of the locking teeth and the centering section, particularly without a hexagonal geometry, in order to preferably guide a stamping and / or forming tool along the outer contour.

[0042] In In a preferred assembly method for the locking nut, the locking element is inserted into the radial recess within the locking nut along the screw axis, and the locking teeth in the locking nut are engaged with those of the locking element. To axially secure the locking element, the formed section is formed radially inward in a next step, in particular, flanged, to form an axial stop with the locking element.

[0043] Preferably, the locking nut with the securing element can then be screwed onto the shaft, wherein the engagement portion of the securing element is brought into an engagement position with the recess in the shaft, in particular a longitudinal groove, by rotation of the locking nut and preferably engages in a form-fitting manner in the circumferential direction. In particular, by further rotation of the locking nut along the screwing direction, as already described above, the locking nut can be screwed on to clamp the mounting element relative to the stationary securing element, wherein the securing element acts as a self-locking device in a release rotation direction for the locking nut.

[0044] Further advantages and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention and from purely schematic drawings.

[0045] They show: Fig. 1a: a sectional side view of a locking nut with locking element in the screwed-on state with a shaft, Fig. 1b: a top view of the locking nut with shaft according to the Fig. 1a , Fig. 2a:Sectional view of the locking nut with locking element according to the Fig. 1a , Fig. 2b: Top view of the locking nut with locking element according to the Fig. 1b Fig. 3: perspective view of the shaft with a threaded shaft section according to the Fig. 1a , Fig. 4a to Fig. 4d:Views of the locking nut according to the Fig. 1a bis Fig. 2b Fig. 5a and Fig. 5b:Side and top view of the securing element according to the Fig. 1a , Fig. 6: Top view of the locking nut with locking element according to the Fig. 4c and Fig. 5b , Fig. 7a to Fig. 7c:Views of a sliding disc according to the Fig. 1a .

[0046] Identical elements or elements with the same function are provided with the same reference numbers in the figures.

[0047] In the Fig. 1a and the Fig. 1b 1 shows a locking nut 10 with a securing element 18 in the mounted state on a shaft 14, in particular an exemplary end section of a drive shaft joint of a motor vehicle. The locking nut 10 is screwed with an internal thread section 11 onto a threaded shaft section 16 of the shaft 14 in a screwing direction of rotation D1 and clamps a schematically shown attachment element 12, for example a wheel bearing, on the shaft 14 axially along a screw axis S. Above the internal thread section 11 of the locking nut 10, an internal recess 30 is formed, preferably in the radial direction, in which the securing element 18 is mounted along the screw axis S. The securing element 18 has an engagement section 22 which projects in the direction of a recess 24 in the shaft 14 and, in the screwed-on state shown here, engages in the recess 24, preferably in a form-fitting manner.In the unscrewing direction D1, the locking nut 10 can be rotated unilaterally relative to the locking element 18 engaging with the shaft 10. In a loosening direction D2, the engagement portion 22 blocks a loosening rotation of the locking nut 10 by means of a preferably positive-locking stop with the recess 24. Thus, the locking nut 10 can lock in a self-locking manner against a loosening rotational movement.

[0048] In order to enable one-sided rotation, the locking nut 10 is preferably operatively connected to the securing element 18 by means of locking teeth 20a, 20b, wherein the securing element 18 preferably deforms elastically upon rotation in the screwing direction D1 and the locking teeth 20a, 20b slide against one another in a ratchet-like manner.

[0049] The Fig. 2a and the Fig. 2b again show the locking nut 10 in the unassembled state, wherein the securing element 18 is mounted in the radial recess 30 by a forming section 32 along the screw axis S.

[0050] In the Fig. 3 the shaft 14 and in particular the recesses 24 are shown, which are preferably designed as at least one longitudinal groove, here two longitudinal grooves, along the screw axis S. The engagement section 22 of the securing element 18 can engage in the recess 24 as a tongue and groove connection during an assembly and screwing-on process of the locking nut 10 and can be guided along the screw axis S. The securing element 18 is held within the recess 30, in particular by the forming section 32. A torque on the locking nut 10 in the loosening direction D2 can be transmitted to the securing element 18 and thus the shaft 14 in the region of the recess 24 by means of the locking teeth 20a, 20b and can be secured against unscrewing.Preferably, the recess 24 is formed at the end of the shaft 14 and open towards an end face 40 of the shaft 14, wherein a radial depth of the recess 24 in a transition section, in particular to the threaded shaft section 16 of the shaft, preferably does not decrease in a step-like manner, in particular convexly.

[0051] The recess 30 is preferably formed along the screw axis S with a height greater than the thickness t of the securing element 18 in order to form a guide section with limited translational capability of the securing element 18 along the screw axis S and a type of bearing play relative to the locking nut 10. This translational capability allows the engagement section 22 of the securing element 18 to align itself during an assembly step. As soon as a non-aligned engagement section 22 bears against an end face 40 of the shaft 14 during assembly, the securing element 18 can move within the recess 30 along the screw axis S until the engagement section 22 overlaps and engages the recess 24 in the shaft 14 through further rotation of the locking nut 10.A locking of the engagement section 22 can be particularly favored if the securing element 18 forms a gap to the forming section 32 at the beginning of the assembly.

[0052] In the Fig. 4a bis Fig. 4d The locking nut 10 is shown as a locking nut blank with an unmachined forming section 32. To mount the securing element 18 in the recess 30, the securing element 18 is first inserted and then the forming section 32 is formed or flanged to form a stop according to the Fig. 1a or Fig. 2a for the securing element 18 along the screw axis S.

[0053] As the Fig. 4b and the Fig. 4d As shown, the locking nut blank preferably has a cylindrical base body with a hexagonal outer contour for fastening tools. The hexagonal outer contour is preferably formed in the region of the internal thread 11. Above the internal thread 11 along the screw axis S, the outer contour is preferably cylindrical to allow the engagement of stamping and / or forming tools.

[0054] In particular, the Fig. 4c shows that the locking teeth 20a in the locking nut 10 are preferably formed in the radial direction in the recess 30 and preferably have an asymmetrical tooth contour.

[0055] According to the Fig. 4a A centering section 42 is formed between the internal thread 11 of the locking nut 10 and the locking teeth 20a along the screw axis S in order to adjust a distance between the locking teeth 20a and the internal thread 11, in particular to enable engagement in a predefined end recess 24 of a shaft 14 and / or to guide and center the locking nut blank in a stamping process of the locking teeth 20a along the screw axis S relative to a stamping tool. The centering section 42 preferably has a larger internal diameter than the internal thread 11, in particular to form a stop to the internal thread 11 and to prevent damage to the internal thread 11 during the manufacturing process.

[0056] The Fig. 5a and the Fig. 5b show the securing element 18 in detail, which is preferably designed as a circumferentially open securing ring and corresponding to the locking nut 10, according to the Fig. 4c , also has radial locking teeth 20b on an outer circumference. In particular, such an opened locking ring allows elastic deformation, in particular in the radial direction, in order to enable, in the deformed state, a release, in particular a ratchet-like sliding, of the locking teeth 20a, 20b in the screwing direction D1. In order for the locking element 18 designed as a locking ring to also deform elastically in the mounted state, a Fig. 1b The gap 34 shown in the assembled state is formed between the engagement portion 22 within the recess 24.

[0057] In the Fig. 6 the securing element 18 is shown in dashed lines in an inserted state within the locking nut 10, with a non-machined forming section 32 according to the Fig. 4c , wherein in the screwing direction of rotation D1, here clockwise, preferably flat first tooth flanks 21a abut one another. Opposite the screwing direction of rotation D1 and in the loosening direction of rotation D2, preferably steep second tooth flanks 21b abut one another. Due to the different pitches of the two tooth flanks 21a, 21b, force components in the radial direction are of varying strength depending on the direction of rotation. Along the screwing direction of rotation D1, a relatively high radial force component deforms the securing element 18, in particular radially, and enables the locking nut 10 to slide off to one side. In the opposite direction, the steep tooth flanks 21b oppose one another in a form-fitting manner and tilt or lock essentially in the circumferential direction, wherein a radial force component is preferably not large enough to radially deform the securing element 18.

[0058] Preferably, the first flat tooth flank 21a, in particular the locking toothing 20a of the locking nut 10, according to the Fig. 4c , have a radius R1 of 4 mm to 6 mm, particularly preferably 5 mm and / or a flank height F in the radial direction of 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm, preferably 1 mm. Preferably, the first flat tooth flank 21a of the securing element 18, according to the Fig. 5b , a straight, preferably linear pitch within the radial flank height F. The flank height F corresponds to the height of a toothing in the radial direction. In particular, a linear pitch enables particularly smooth sliding of the flat locking teeth 21a. Further preferably, the steep second tooth flank 21b has a radius R2 of 0.4 mm to 0.8 mm, preferably 0.5 mm for the second tooth flank 21b of the securing element 18 and 0.75 mm for the second tooth flank 21b of the locking nut 10.

[0059] Preferably, toothings are arranged in angular sections of 12° to 18°, in particular 15°, in the circumferential direction. Further preferably, several toothless sections 36, in particular three, are arranged within the locking toothing 20a of the locking nut 10, which reduce the total number of teeth preferably by 35% to 40%. This allows the number of engaged toothings to be reduced, the screwing-on torque to be reduced, and deformation of the locking element 18 to be facilitated, in particular to enable manual assembly of the locking nut 10.

[0060] The dimensions of the securing element 18, in particular those in the Fig. 5a The thickness t shown, in conjunction with the locking teeth 20a, 20b, is selected such that upon disassembly of the locking nut 10, the engagement section 22 breaks off, thus forming a kind of weakest link. The securing element 18 preferably has a thickness t between 1 mm and 2 mm, particularly preferably 1.5 mm.

[0061] In the Fig. 1a and the Fig. 7a bis Fig. 7c A sliding disk 26 is shown, which is freely rotatable and positively mounted in the locking nut 10 along the screw axis S for contact with the attachment element 12. The sliding disk 26 serves to reduce friction during clamping of the attachment element 12 on the shaft 14 and thus simplifies screwing on the locking nut 10.

[0062] From a summary of the Fig. 1a , Fig. 4a and Fig. 7a The sliding disc 26 is mounted on a sliding surface 35 of the locking nut 10. Subsequently, a Fig. 4a A sliding forming section 37 formed along the screw axis S is formed, in particular by means of a flanging process, onto a preferably conical inner contour 38 of the sliding disk 26. This forms an undercut which, according to the Fig. 1a the sliding disc 26 is rotatably mounted along the screw axis S.

[0063] In In a preferred manufacturing process, the locking teeth 20a of the locking nut 10 are formed according to the Fig. 4a or the Fig. 4c embossed along the screw axis S in order to realize a particularly fast and cost-effective manufacturing process.

[0064] The locking nut 10 described so far can be modified or altered in a variety of ways without deviating from the inventive concept. For example, it is conceivable that the locking teeth 20a and 20b are also formed along the screw axis S and interact with each other. In this case, a unilateral loosening of the teeth 20 could occur through elastic deformation of individual tooth flanks 21, in which case play along the screw axis S would have to be prevented. List of reference symbols

[0065] 10Locking nut 11Internal thread of the locking nut 12Attachment element 14Shaft 16Threaded shaft section 18Securing element 20aLocking teeth of the locking nut 20bLocking teeth of the locking element 21aFirst flat tooth flank 21bSecond steep tooth flank 22Engaging section 24Recess in the shaft 26Sliding disk 30Recess in the locking nut 32Forming section 34Gap between engagement section and recess 35Sliding surface 36Toothless sections of the locking nut 37Sliding forming section 38Inner contour of the sliding disk 40End face of the shaft 42Centering section A,B,C,ESecture views D1Screwing direction D2Loosening direction FFlank height SScrew axis R1Radius of the first flat tooth flank R2Radius of the second steep tooth flank tThickness of the locking element

Claims

1. A pawl nut (10) having a securing element (18) as an axial securing mechanism for a topper element (12) of a shaft (14), in particular a bearing of a gear shaft or a wheel bearing of a Cardan shaft, the pawl nut (10) being screwed on a, in particular frontal, thread-shaft section (16) of the shaft (14) in a tightening direction (D1) in order to axially brace the topper element (12) on the shaft (14) along a screwing axis (S) in the mounted state, the securing element (18) having an engagement section (22) which engages in a recess (24) of the shaft (14) and holds the pawl nut (10) along a loosening direction (D2) in the mounted state, the pawl nut (10) mounting the securing element (18) along the screwing axis (S), the pawl nut (10) being twisted in one direction along the tightening direction (D1) in relation to the securing element (18), the pawl nut (10) together with the securing element (18) forming pawl indentations (20a, 20b), which mutually engage along the loosening direction (D2), in the radial direction and the securing element (18) being inserted in the pawl nut (10) and its pawl indentations (20a) along the screwing axis (S), the securing element (18) being formed as a securing ring which is open in the circumferential direction and is elastically deformable in such a manner in one direction along the tightening direction (D1) that the pawl nut (10) is rotatable along the tightening direction (D1) in relation to the securing element (18), in particular in a sliding manner.

2. The pawl nut according to claim 1, characterized in that the engagement section (22) is formed to interact with the recess (24) in the shaft (14) in such a manner that a gap (34) is formed between the engagement section (22) and the recess (24) in the radial direction in the mounted state of the pawl nut to allow a deformation of the securing element (18) in the radial direction.

3. The pawl nut according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the engagement section (22) together with the recess (24) forms a spring-and-groove connection in the mounted state of the pawl nut (10) such that the engagement section (22) breaks off when the pawl nut (10) is subjected to increased torque along the loosening direction (D2).

4. The pawl nut according to any one of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the securing element (18) is moveable in a guide section along the screwing axis (S) to alleviate an engagement of the engagement section (22) into the recess (24), the radial pawl indentations (20a, 20b) having a minimum contact pressure to prevent an indentation loss.

5. The pawl nut according to any one of the claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the pawl indentation (20a) of the pawl nut (10) and / or the pawl indentation (20b) of the securing element (18) have asymmetrical indentation flanks (21a, 21b) which are aligned in such a manner that first flat indentation flanks (21a) abut against each other along the tightening direction (D1), in particular to ensure a one-directional sliding of the pawl nut (10) and an elastic deformation of the securing element (18), and second steep indentation flanks (21b) abutting against each other along the loosening direction (D2) in order to interlock the pawl nut (10) with the securing element (18) in one direction.

6. The pawl nut according to claim 5, characterized in that the first flat indentation flank (21a) has a radius of 4 mm to 6 mm, preferably 5 mm, and / or a flank height (F), in particular of a straight first flat indentation flank (21a), of 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm, preferably 1 mm, in the radial direction and / or in that the second steep indentation flank (21b) has a radius of 0.4 mm to 0.8 mm, preferably 0.5 mm to 0.75 mm.

7. The pawl nut according to any one of the claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the pawl indentation (20a, 20b) has indentations in 15° angle sections in the circumferential direction, preferably having a number of indentations between 22 and 26, particularly preferably 24.

8. The pawl nut according to any one of the claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the pawl nut (10) mounts the securing element (18) in an interior radial slot (30), the pawl nut (10) having a frontal deforming section (32), which holds the securing element (18) along the screwing axis (S) in the deformed state, adjacent to the slot (30).

9. The pawl nut according to any one of the claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the pawl nut (10) mounts a freely rotatable sliding disk (26) along the screwing axis (S) for abutting against the topper element (12), in particular in a form-fitted mounting, in order to reduce a friction coefficient between the pawl nut and the topper element (12) in the mounted state.

10. A shaft having at least one pawl nut (10) having a securing element (18) according to any one of the claims 1 to 9, the at least one pawl nut being screwed onto at least one thread-shaft section (16) of the shaft and the shaft forming at least one recess, in particular in the form of a longitudinal groove, along the screwing axis (S), the securing element engaging into the recess with at least one engagement section in order to hold the at least one pawl nut (10) on the shaft (14) along a loosening direction (D1) and to brace a topper element (12) on the shaft (14).