American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc.

Daniel R Bankovic

Douglas Hanes

Martin J Fannin

Joshua J Shelander

Thomas George Kaveney, Ii

Satyanarayanan Raghavan

A helical sector gear having a body and a gear segment having a plurality of helical teeth. The gear segment has a toothed sector, on which all of the helical teeth are formed, and spacing segments on the opposite circumferential ends of the toothed sector. Each of the spacing segments has a circumferential surface, which is longer than a pitch of the helical teeth, and a radial surface that is formed in a helical manner that conforms to the helix angle of helical teeth. A die set for forming the helical sector gear and a related method are also provided.

Tooling and method for fabricating helical sector gear and related helical sector gear

An actuator includes a first ball-ramp plate, a second ball-ramp plate, and a plurality of balls. The first ball-ramp plate is formed of compressed powdered metal with ramps having a higher density than at least part of a remainder of the ball-ramp component. A method of manufacturing the actuator includes compacting a metal powder to form a blank of the first ball-ramp plate including an annular body disposed about an axis and a plurality of ramps fixedly coupled to the annular body and spaced circumferentially about the axis, and locally densifying the ramps of the blank by applying force to a ramped surface of each ramp.

Actuator with powdered metal ball ramp and method of selective surface densification of powdered metal ball ramp

A valve body element having a central bore. The valve body element includes first and second structures that are each formed of a compacted powdered metal material. The first structure has a plurality of L-shaped first passage portions that extend radially outwardly from a first portion of the central bore and intersect an axial end of the first structure. The second structure defines a remaining portion of the central bore and includes a flange. The flange defines a joining section, into which the axial end of the first structure is received, and a plurality of second passage portion. Each of the second passage portions is coupled in fluid communication to a corresponding one of the first passage portions. The remaining portion of the central bore in the second structure is in fluid communication with the first bore portion of the central bore in the first structure.

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Kersey, PA, United States of America

Daniel R Bankovic