The Timken Company

Peter Holland

Douglas H Smith

Peter Standring

Larry L Bahney

Alan Charles Webb

John D Dougherty

A hub ( ) includes a spindle ( ) which projects through a housing ( ) and rotates relative to the housing ( ) on a bearing ( ) that is located between the spindle ( ) and the housing ( ). The bearing ( ) has two sets of raceways ( ) that are oblique to the axis x, and in addition rolling elements ( ) arranged in two rows between the sets of raceways ( ). The inner raceways ( ) that fit around the spindle ( ) and have back faces ( ), with the back face ( ) for one of the races ( ) being against a shoulder ( ) from which the spindle ( ) projects. Initially, the end of the spindle ( ) projects straight beyond the back face ( ) of the outer race&mdash;indeed, so that the races ( ) can be installed over the spindle ( ). But once the housing ( ) and races ( ) are in a position around the spindle ( ), the projecting end portion of the spindle ( ) is deformed radially and axially in a rotary forming operation such that it transforms into a formed end ( ) that lies behind back face ( ) of the race ( ). With the two races ( ) between the formed end ( ) and the shoulder ( ). During the rotary forming operation the hub ( ) rotates, and the end of its spindle ( ) is forced against a rotating forming tool and the force is monitored. The housing ( ) is restrained and the torque transferred from the rotating hub ( ) to the housing ( ) is monitored.

Component assembly with formed spindle end portion

Deformable spindle end portion

Process and machine for uniting rotatable machine components

Spindle and component assembly with formed spindle end portion

A hub assembly includes a hub having a spindle with a flange and a shoulder at one end of the spindle and a formed end turned outwardly at the other end of the spindle. In addition, the hub assembly includes a bearing having two cones set end to end and an outer race in the form of a housing located around the cones, and tapered rollers arranged in two rows between the outer race and cones. Initially the formed end of the spindle exists as an axially directed end portion of the spindle. The bearing is installed over this end portion and moved further along the spindle to bring the back face of one of its cones against the shoulder on the flange. The back face of the other cone lies at the end of a spline that leads out to the end portion on the spindle. A coupler ring having exterior and interior splines is installed over the spindle end porotion with its interior spline engaged with the spindle spline. Thereupon a circular clip is installed over the skpindle end portion and brought against the end of the interior spline on the coupler ring. The clip has circular cross-section, and this presents a contoured surface of generous radius beyond the interior spline. Finally, by rotary forming the spindle end portion is deformed over the contoured surface of the clip and against the end face of the coupler ring to create the formed end, so that the coupler ring and cone of the bearing lie captured between the formed end and the shoulder. Torque is transferred to the hub through the coupler ring when the ring is engaged with a drive train.

Hub assembly having a captured ring and process for assembling the same

Growing community of inventors

Nottingham, United Kingdom

Peter Holland