Caterpillar Inc.

Stephen Dockstader

Jason Weber

Joshua D Jensen

Benjamin Thomas Nelson

John B Salomon

A machine axle housing includes a central body having an oil reservoir and a pair of axle legs. The central body includes a ring gear, an oil channel, and oil port for conveying oil through an oil conduit to each leg. Machine brakes within the central body include at least one disc rotatably adapted to centrifugally move oil radially outwardly of the brakes. A second oil channel collects oil from the disc, and a passageway extends from the second oil channel back to the central body to return oil from the legs back to the central body. The ring gear, first oil channel and first oil conduit define a first oil lubrication sub-system for moving oil from the central body to right and left legs, and the disc, second oil channel, and passageway define a second oil lubrication sub-system for moving oil from the legs back to the central body.

Machine axle housing with integrated oil circulation system

An axle assembly and method for assembling such axle assembly for a vehicle are disclosed. The axle assembly may comprise meshed ring and pinion gears, a center housing portion, and left and right leg housing portions. The center housing portion may include a center housing defining a center cavity in which the bevel gear is disposed, and at least one channel having an entrance port into the center cavity. The axle assembly may include a first conduit configured to branch off of the first channel in a first direction and a second conduit configured to branch off of the first channel in a second direction. Such channels and conduits may be integral to the center housing or substantially external to the center housing.

Axle porting to legs

A brake assembly integrates both an impeller brake and a friction brake into an integrated brake assembly that provides for retarding and/or friction braking in response to a single braking action on a single brake assembly by the operator. In neutral, the impeller brake and the friction brake are disengaged from a brake hub. In a first braking position under a first applied fluid pressure, the brake hub engages the impeller brake for retarding axle rotation. In a second braking position under a second applied fluid pressure, the brake hub frictionally engages the friction brake for frictionally braking axle rotation.

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Peoria, IL, United States of America

Stephen Dockstader