Aktiebolaget Skf

Marco Gemello

Daniele Duch

Alessandro Ferrero

Giorgio Missiaggia

Paolo A Re

Francesco Lamboglia

Andreas Knopf

Aurelien Mesnager

Fabio Bogliacino

Philip Engelen

Zhengjiang Wu

Giampaolo Magli

Steffen Krines

Carmelo Gulli'

A bearing unit for a wheel hub assembly for motor vehicles, the bearing unit having an axis of rotation (X) and having two radially outer raceways, two radially inner raceways, two rows of rolling bodies, the bearing unit having tribological parameters whose values affect the magnitude of the frictional forces between the respective raceways and rolling bodies of the rows of rolling bodies, wherein at least one value of a tribological parameter is minimized or maximized to reduce the magnitude of the frictional forces as a function of the relative position along the axis (X) of a line of action (W) of loads acting on the bearing unit and of the plane of axial symmetry (Z).

Wheel hub assembly having low friction and high performance

A bearing unit may be provided with at least one row of rolling bodies and at least one cage for retaining the rolling bodies. The at least one rolling cage may include a base rib; a plurality of fingers spaced circumferentially and extending at least from one side of the base rib; and a plurality of partially spherical cavities for holding the rolling bodies, each cavity being defined by the partially spherical concave surfaces of a pair of fingers of the plurality of fingers and of the base rib. The rolling bodies and the cages are in contact with each other via a plurality of protrusions formed on the partially spherical concave surfaces of the fingers and of the base rib. At least one lateral protrusion may be formed along the surface of each finger of the plurality of fingers of the retaining cage.

Bearing unit with retaining cage

Wheel bearing assembly for motor vehicles, the assembly being provided with a wheel hub and a bearing unit in turn provided with a radially outer ring and at least one radially inner ring provided, respectively, with a first raceway and at least one second raceway, with at least one row of rolling bodies arranged between the radially outer ring and the at least one radially inner ring, and with a cage for containing the at least one row of rolling bodies; the wheel bearing assembly is moreover provided with sealing means integrated in the cage and provided with at least two radial contact lips made of elastomeric material, with at least one first radial lip in contact with the radially inner ring and with at least one second radial lip in contact with the radially outer ring.

Wheel bearing assembly with integrated seal

Detection device for a wheel hub assembly provided with a rolling bearing, the detection device having a phonic wheel made of magnetized material and mounted on a rotating ring of the bearing, a shaped support element angularly constrained to the rotating ring of the bearing arranged directly between the phonic wheel and the rotating ring so as to angularly lock together the phonic ring and the rotating ring, and a sensor facing the phonic wheel; a protection device being integral with the rotating ring of the bearing so as to protect simultaneously both the phonic wheel and the sensor from external contaminants.

Detection device for wheel hub assembly

Bearing unit provided with at least one ring of rolling bodies and, for retaining the rolling bodies, at least one retaining cage which has a cage bar, a plurality of circumferentially spaced cage arms that extend from one side of the cage bar, and a plurality of partially spherical cavities for retaining the rolling bodies; contact points between the rolling bodies and the cage being positioned in the vicinity of a polar region of each rolling body. The minimum number of contact surfaces for containing the rolling bodies in the direction of rotation of the bearing and ensuring contact only in the polar region is equal to two for each rolling body, namely one upper contact surface and one lower contact surface.

A speed measuring device for a wheel-hub unit provided with a rolling bearing, the measuring device having an encoder wheel made of magnetized elastic material and assembled on a rotating ring of the bearing; mechanical supporting means that are directly placed between the encoder wheel and the ring so that the encoder wheel and the ring are angularly constrained to each other; and mechanical locking means for axially locking the encoder wheel inside a seat defined by the mechanical locking means together with the mechanical supporting means.

Encoder wheel for wheel-hub unit

A rolling bearing constituting a vehicle hub bearing unit, including an outer ring, an inner ring, a plurality of rolling bodies interposed between the inner and outer rings, and a cover driven with axial and radial interference on a first end of the outer ring, which it fluid-tightly closes; wherein the cover is formed by a plastic made body, made of a synthetic plastic material, and by a cylindrical metal sleeve co-molded with the plastic made body; between the cover and the outer ring there being arranged an annular sealing element housed with axial clearance in a seat of the outer ring made at least in part on the radially inner surface of the outer ring; a sealant being arranged between the metal sleeve and the plastic body.

Rolling bearing, in particular vehicle hub bearing unit, having a sealing cover

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 ().

Growing community of inventors

Nichelino, Italy

Marco Gemello