Wheel Hub Inner Toothing Layout for Lightweight Bearing Units
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wheel bearing units for motor vehicles are not economical and lightweight, with complex production processes and significant material usage.
Innovation Solution
A wheel bearing unit design featuring an inner toothing on the wheel hub's inner circumferential surface extending up to the orifice, with a first and second toothing region, and a section with an inner diameter greater than the tip diameter of the inner toothing, allowing for a larger contact shoulder and reduced material usage, enabling simple and cost-effective production while minimizing tool strain.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the inner toothing is formed on the inner circumferential surface up to the orifice to enlarge the contact shoulder, then the contact shoulder area is increased and structural integrity is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases and tool strain increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inner toothing is divided into two separate toothing regions (first and second toothing regions) along the axial direction. This segmentation allows the contact shoulder to be enlarged while distributing the manufacturing process into manageable sections, reducing tool strain by avoiding continuous toothing formation through the entire passage opening.
Solution Approach 2:
The passage opening is designed with varying inner diameters at different axial positions, creating local quality variations. The first toothing region is formed in a section with a smaller inner diameter, while the second toothing region is formed in a section with a larger inner diameter. This local quality approach allows the contact shoulder to be enlarged without uniformly increasing the entire passage opening diameter, thus maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
2Area of stationary object
If the inner toothing extends up to the orifice to maximize contact shoulder, then the contact surface area is increased, but the material usage increases and weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The passage opening has different inner diameters at different axial positions, with the first section having a smaller diameter and the second section having a larger diameter. This allows the contact shoulder area to be maximized in the first toothing region while avoiding unnecessary material usage in the second toothing region, thus reducing overall weight while maintaining contact surface area.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of uniformly increasing the passage opening diameter along the entire axial length to maximize contact shoulder, the invention uses axial dimension variation (different diameters at different axial positions) to achieve the same goal. This dimensional approach allows contact shoulder enlargement without proportional material increase throughout the entire structure.
3Ease of manufacture
If the passage opening has a uniform inner diameter to simplify manufacturing, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the contact shoulder area is reduced and structural integrity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The passage opening is designed with local quality variations, having different inner diameters at different axial positions. The first section has a smaller diameter suitable for the first toothing region, while the second section has a larger diameter for the second toothing region. This local differentiation maximizes contact shoulder area and structural integrity while keeping the manufacturing process relatively simple by only requiring two distinct diameter sections rather than complex continuous variations.
4Force
If the inner toothing is formed continuously through the passage opening, then the torque transmission is maximized, but the tool strain increases and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous toothing is segmented into two separate toothing regions (first and second toothing regions) spaced apart in the axial direction. This segmentation reduces tool strain by avoiding continuous toothing formation through the entire passage opening, thereby improving production efficiency and reducing costs. Torque transmission is maintained through the distributed toothing regions that collectively provide sufficient engagement surface area.
Data Source
AI summary
A wheel bearing unit for a motor vehicle, having a wheel hub, a wheel bearing flange, and a wheel bearing for pivot mounting of the wheel hub on the wheel bearing flange. The wheel hub has a passage opening for mounting a shaft journal attached to the wheel hub by a screw connection element, and an inner toothing is formed, on an inner circumferential surface delimiting the passage opening, for rotationally fixed interaction with an outer toothing of the shaft journal, and the passage opening extends through a contact shoulder, which is formed so as to have contact with a contact surface of the screw connection element, with the formation of an orifice.