Aktiebolaget Skf

Andreas Knopf

Paolo A Re

Laura Sguotti

Davide Antonio Olivieri

Alessandro Ferrero

Marco Gemello

Carmelo Gulli'

A connecting element serves to connect a flanged ring of a hub-bearing unit to a wheel or a suspension standard of a motor vehicle. The connecting element has an overall crown-like shape and forms, in a single piece, an annular portion and a plurality of parallel, equally angularly spaced pin portions which extend protruding axially from a same side of the annular portion and each have a threaded section.

Connection of a flanged ring of a hub bearing unit to a motor vehicle wheel or suspension standard of a motor vehicle

A flanged bearing ring () for the wheel of a motor vehicle includes a tubular core () and an outer body () around the core. The core () and the outer body are made of two different materials and joined as a single piece. The outer body forms a radial flange () and is made of a lighter material than that of the core. At both axial ends of the ring, the radially outer surface of the core provides a succession of depressions () and ridges () which extend in a circumferential direction, and cause the formation of complementary recesses and reliefs in the outer body (). This results in a long meander-like path that opposes or at least delays the entrance of contaminant or corrosive agents between the outer body () and the core ().

Flanged bearing ring for the hub of a motor vehicle wheel

A flanged bearing ring () for the wheel of a motor vehicle includes two different materials joined as a single piece: a tubular core () and an outer body () around the core. The outer body forms a radial flange () and is made of a lighter material than that of the core. At the axially outer end of the ring, at the side where the flange () is provided, the interface surfaces between the external body () and the core () terminate in a groove () formed partly in the outer body and partly in the core. The groove () accommodates a sealing ring of polymeric material () which is cast and continuously covers a circular separation line () at the axially outer end of the interface between the core () and the outer body ().

Flanged bearing ring for the hub of a motor vehicle wheel and a method of manufacturing same

A flanged bearing ring for a motor vehicle wheel includes two different materials joined as a single piece: a tubular core and an outer body around the core. The outer body forms a radial flange and is made of a lighter material than that of the core. The ring further includes an element of generally tubular shape, which contacts both the outer body and the inner core to cover and seal with continuity a circular line of separation at the end of the interface surface between the core and the outer body at the axially outer side of the ring. The tubular element further forms a cylindrical axial edge which extends in an axially inner direction and is fixed in the axially outer end of the core cavity, and a cylindrical tubular portion, projecting in an axially outer direction beyond the flange, for centering the vehicle wheel.

A hub bearing assembly for a motor vehicle wheel comprises a flanged ring and a set of pin connection elements. The flanged ring defines a central axis of rotation and comprises a tubular core made of steel and an outer flange of light metallic material having axial bores formed therethrough. Each pin connection element includes a head portion and an axial cylindrical shank defining a respective longitudinal axis parallel to the axis of rotation and is accommodated in one of the bores, and a threaded cylindrical surface for connecting the flanged ring to a wheel or to a suspension standard of the vehicle. Each head portion is shaped differently from that of a solid of revolution generated about the longitudinal axis of the shank portion. Each head portion is accommodated in a respective recess of corresponding shape, formed in one of the two radial opposite faces of the flange.

A bearing ring () has a tubular steel core () around which is formed an outer body () of lightweight material. The outer surface of the core forms a circumferential shoulder (), a first side of which is subjected to a turning finishing process and provides an undercut surface () defining part of an annular groove (). An axially opposite, second side of the shoulder (), not subjected to a turning finishing process, has a non-circular portion () with radial recesses () that act as anti-rotation means cooperating with complementary portions formed by the outer body ().

Form-coupling arrangement in a bearing ring for a motor vehicle wheel

The ring () is provided with a tubular radially inner steel core () and an outer body () of lightweight metal formed around the core with a radial flange (). The outer surface of the core includes a conical surface () which tapers in the axially inner direction, having a straight profile, when viewed in axial section. The conical surface () is perpendicular to a median line which bisects an axially inner raceway () and which corresponds to the row () of bearing balls against the axially inner raceway ().

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Würzburg, Germany

Andreas Knopf