Two-Material Wheel End Assembly With Single-Surface Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wheel end assemblies face challenges in achieving a reliable water-tight seal due to the use of different materials for the hub casing, which complicates the sealing process and reduces the efficiency of the enclosure.
Innovation Solution
A wheel end assembly design featuring a hub casing composed of two materials with different axial extensions, where an annular seal is applied only to one material, allowing for a more controlled and effective sealing mechanism by positioning the seal radially from the wheel end bearing towards and into contact with either the external body or the tubular core, thereby sealing off the interface between them.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If a hub casing is made of two different materials joined together to reduce weight, then the weight of the moving object is reduced, but the reliability of the sealing is worsened due to the complexity of sealing against two different materials
Solution Approach 1:
The hub casing is segmented into two different materials (first material and second material) with different axial extensions, allowing the seal to contact only one material surface at a time, thus maintaining sealing reliability while achieving weight reduction through material optimization
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the hub casing have different material properties - the first material and second material are used in different axial regions, with each material optimized for its specific function, enabling weight reduction while maintaining local sealing quality through controlled contact surfaces
2Reliability
If a seal is designed to contact both materials of the hub casing, then the sealing coverage is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the difficulty of implementing a seal against two different materials
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing approach is segmented to contact only one material at a time rather than attempting to seal against both materials simultaneously, reducing the complexity of the sealing mechanism while maintaining effective sealing coverage through the axial extension difference
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the seal contact both materials (traditional approach), the invention inverts the approach by designing the seal to contact only one material, utilizing the axial extension difference to achieve effective sealing with simpler mechanics
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a wheel end assembly for a vehicle, comprising a wheel end bearing, a hub casing including a first material and a different second material joined together as a single piece, the hub casing comprising a radially external body of said first material and a radially internal tubular core of said second material, the tubular core being provided concentrically around the wheel end bearing, and an annular seal which is concentric with the wheel end bearing and the hub casing, wherein the annular seal has a radial extension from the wheel end bearing towards and into contact with one of the external body and the tubular core, and wherein the annular seal is spaced apart from the other one of the external body and the tubular core. The invention also relates to a wheel end arrangement and to a vehicle.