An axle system (150) for a vehicle comprises: —a differential unit (10) including a first housing (24) and a second housing (20) which rotationally receives at least part of said first housing; —at least one drive shaft (11) having one end configured to be connected to a wheel of the vehicle and one end connected to the differential unit (10) and rotationally received in the first housing (24), the drive shaft (11) including at least one joint (110) connecting two portions (114a, 114d) of the drive shaft (11) to transmit rotary motion between said portions; —a first bearing (30) secured around the drive shaft (11), placed between the drive shaft and the first housing (24), having an outer diameter (D30) smaller than the radial dimension (D) of the joint (110); —a second bearing (40) placed between the first housing (24) and the second housing (20); —at least one tightening member (50) to axially lock the first bearing outer ring (32) relative to the first housing (24). The tightening member comprises at least one manoeuvring portion (51) which is arranged in an offset relation relative to the joint (110), when looking axially towards the differential unit (10), so that the tightening member manoeuvring portion (51) is visible and accessible, at least during a tightening phase of an axle system mounting process.

A compact planetary differential gear set includes first (130A) and second (130B) sun gears, a first set (200A) and a second set (200B) of planet gears (220), and a carrier (160) with a ring gear (190). Enmeshing gear pairs (210) are formed from one planet gear from each set. The first and second planet gear sets enmesh the first and second sun gears, respectively. The ring gear does not extend into an annular region containing the planet gears thereby allowing four or more gear pairs to compactly fit into the annular region. The carrier is a weldment and substantially encloses the sun gears and the planet gears permanently. The differential requires no fasteners or post-weld machining and may have a higher capacity, lower cost, smaller size, lower part number count, and/or lower amounts of material compared with conventional differentials. The differential is suited for motor vehicle applications.

A method for joining components of a vehicle drive axle assembly. The method includes heating an axle housing to a first predetermined temperature and cooling a pinion cartridge to be installed with the housing to a second predetermined temperature. Removing the axle housing from exposure to the first predetermined temperature and removing the pinion cartridge from the second predetermined temperature and rapidly installing the pinion cartridge within the axle assembly before the axle assembly and the pinion return to ambient temperature provides a frictional fit, joining the two components without use of additional fastening devices.

A differential device includes a differential case (10) that has a flange portion (11) and a differential ring gear (40) that has a tooth portion, a fixed and supported portion (45), and a coupling portion. The differential case (10) has a first abutting surface (10a) and a restricting portion (10b). The differential ring gear (40) has a second abutting surface (40a) and an abutting portion (40b). A welding portion that is formed by welding the flange portion (11) of the differential case (10) and the fixed and supported portion (45) of the differential ring gear (40) is disposed at a position that is different from an abutting part between the first abutting surface (10a) and the second abutting surface (40a) and an abutting part between the restricting portion (10b) and the abutting portion (40b).

A method of joining two ferrous alloy component parts. The method includes hot metal casting a portion of a first ferrous alloy component part onto a first joining surface of a low carbon intermediate element; friction fitting a joining surface of a second ferrous alloy component part against a second joining surface of the low carbon intermediate element; and fusion welding with a concentrated energy source the intermediate element to the second ferrous alloy component part. The hot metal casting includes flowing a molten ferrous alloy onto the textured first joining surface, wherein the molten ally encompasses tabs extending from the first joining surface and filling apertures defined in the intermediate element. Then cooling the molten ferrous alloy such that a metallurgical and mechanical bond is formed between the portion of the first ferrous alloy component part and the first joining surface of the low carbon intermediate element.

A differential gear including a rotatably mounted differential housing and a final driven gear mounted rotationally fixed to the differential housing. The differential housing, on the outer circumferential surface thereof, includes two mating surfaces and that the final driven gear, on the inner circumferential surface thereof, includes two radially opposite mating surfaces. The mating surfaces formed on the outer circumferential surface of the differential housing and the mating surfaces formed on the inner circumferential surface of the final driven gear are each designed as separate mating surfaces which, when viewed in axial direction (a), are arranged geometrically separated from each other by a spacing.

A differential gear includes a holder which is provided between first and second pinion gears in a differential case and through which a differential pinion shaft is inserted. An insertion hole is radially formed in the differential pinion shaft. The holder is formed with a fixing hole facing the insertion hole when the differential pinion shaft is inserted through the holder. Due to insertion of a fixing pin through the fixing hole and the insertion hole, the differential pinion shaft and the holder are relatively non-rotatable. Due to the holder being held between first and second side gears, relative rotation of the holder with respect to the differential case is restricted, and the differential pinion shaft is non-rotatable relative to the differential case.

A method for controlling a process for manufacturing a bevel gear includes forming, via a first process, a ring gear and determining a first set of parameters associated with the ring gear, and forming, via a second process, the pinion gear, and determining a second set of parameters associated with the pinion gear. The ring gear and the pinion gear are paired, and a single-flank test is executed on the paired ring gear and pinion gear to determine a third set of parameters. The paired ring gear and pinion gear are assembled into a final assembly, and an end-of-line noise/vibration analysis of the final assembly is executed. The noise/vibration analysis, the first set of parameters, the second set of parameters, and the third set of parameters are evaluated, and one of the first process, the second process, the pairing process, and the assembly process are adjusted based thereon.

A method of joining parts, where at least one of the parts has a faying surface defining grooves therein. One of the parts is formed of a majority of titanium, and the other part is formed of a majority of iron. The method includes providing a set of opposed welding electrodes disposed on a side of each part and applying pressure to and heating the parts via the set of electrodes to form a joint between the parts. A bonded assembly includes a first part formed of a majority of titanium and a second part formed of a steel alloy. The first and second parts having a bond that includes a portion of the first part directly in contact with and attached to a portion of the second part. The parts may be a titanium-containing differential carrier case bonded to a steel gear.

A method for forming an assembly having a housing and first and second components. The first and second components are movable relative to one another in the housing. The method includes: providing first and second workpieces; moving the first and second workpieces relative to one another in a predetermined manner that produces relative sliding contact between the first and second workpieces while performing a superfinishing operation on the first and second workpieces to form the first and second components, respectively, wherein the superfinishing operation does not comprise a lapping operation; and mounting the first and second components in the housing such that the first and second components are engaged to one another and are movable relative to one another in the predetermined manner.