Ntn Corporation

Tetsuya Hashimoto

Kazuo Komori

Akira Fujimura

Kazunori Kubota

Hiroshi Matsunaga

Masahiro Kiuchi

Jun Numamoto

Keiji Saitou

A method of manufacturing a wheel support bearing assembly having a plastically deformed portion engageable with an inclined surface portion of an annular stepped area in the inner race segment. The method includes that the plastically deformed portion, which is of a cylindrical configuration before it is deformed, is formed by pressing a crimping punch, of which front end portion outer peripheral surface is a tapered shape, axially into an inner peripheral surface of the inboard end portion of the hub axle to allow the cylindrical plastically deformed portion to be crimped in the diameter expanded condition.

Method of manufacturing wheel support bearing assembly

A support bearing assembly includes a plural rows of rolling elements between opposed raceway surfaces of outer and inner members, respectively. The inner member is formed from a hub unit and an inner ring mounted on an outer periphery of an inboard end portion thereof. An annular stepped area is provided in an inner periphery of the inboard side of the inner ring. A crimped portion engageable with the stepped area is provided on an inboard end of the hub unit and has a cylindrical shape prior to a crimping process. By setting the amount of change in an inner diameter of the inboard end of the crimped portion within a preset range when a crimping punch is driven in, the amount of radially outward augmentation of the crimped portion is regulated.

Method of making wheel support bearing

A wheel support bearing assembly includes an outer member, an inner member and double row balls. The inner member includes a hub unit, which has a wheel mounting flange defined in an outer periphery thereof, and an inner ring mounted on the outer periphery of the inboard end of the hub unit. A shoulder is provided in an inner peripheral edge of the inboard end face of the inner ring. A crimped portion, engageable with a stepped face of the shoulder, is provided in the inboard end of the hub unit by diameter expansion. The crimped portion is formed by crimping such diameter expanded portion which is thin walled by providing a hub inner diameter setback in the inner periphery of the inboard end of the hub unit. This thin walled portion is positioned on a side inboardly of the straight line defining a ball contact angle in the inboard raceway surface.

Wheel support bearing assembly

To provide a wheel support bearing assembly, in which the sufficient proof strength of an inner race during assemblage onto the vehicle body can be secured without its function being lowered, the wheel support bearing assembly includes an outer member, an inner member, and rows of rolling elements interposed therebetween. The inner member includes an hub axle having a flange and an inner race on an inner race mount, with raceways defined in the hub axle and the inner race. The inner race has a counterbore at its inboard end. The hub axle has a plastically deformed portion which engages an axially oriented surface of the counterbore when radially outwardly crimped and does not protrude outwardly beyond an inboard end face of the inner race. The difference P between the inner race mount and an outer peripheral face of the plastically deformed portion is 0.13 mm or more.

Growing community of inventors

Iwata, Japan

Tetsuya Hashimoto