An axle assembly having a wheel end disconnect and a method of control. The axle assembly may include a friction clutch and a locking clutch that may be received in a hub assembly. The friction clutch may be moveable between an engaged position and a disengaged position. The locking clutch may be moveable between a locked position and an unlocked position and may actuate the friction clutch to the disengaged position.

An axle assembly having a drive pinion that may be rotatably supported by first and second sets of roller bearing elements. A preload element may exert a preload force on at least one of the first and second sets of roller bearing elements. The preload element may be disposed on the drive pinion in an inboard direction from the yoke.

An outer joint member 31 and a hub wheel 16 are coupled so as to be able to transmit torque by meshing face splines 51 and 52 respectively provided and applying a tightening force in an axial direction between both the face splines 51 and 52. Shapes of tooth surfaces of both the face splines 51 and 52 are determined such that, in a process of bringing both the face splines 51 and 52 close to each other in the axial direction and meshing with each other, tooth surfaces 51a and 51b of both the face splines 51 and 52 first come into contact with each other in, among an outer diameter portion Ea of a meshing region X between both the face splines, an inner diameter portion Ec, and an intermediate portion Eb sandwiched between the outer diameter portion and the inner diameter portion, the intermediate portion Eb.

A drive axle assembly includes a differential assembly, a wheel hub assembly, an axle shaft, and an actuator mechanism. The actuator mechanism is adapted to move the axle shaft between a first axial position in which the axle shaft is engaged with the wheel hub assembly, and a second axial position in which the axle shaft is disengaged from the wheel hub assembly.

An axle assembly having a drive pinion that may be rotatably supported by first and second sets of roller bearing elements. A preload element may exert a preload force on at least one of the first and second sets of roller bearing elements. The preload element may be disposed on the drive pinion in an inboard direction from the yoke.

An axle assembly having a drive pinion that may be rotatably supported by first and second sets of roller bearing elements. A preload element may exert a preload force on at least one of the first and second sets of roller bearing elements. The preload element may be disposed on the drive pinion in an inboard direction from the yoke.

A driven caster wheel assembly may include a wheel, an axle, a drive assembly, a drive shaft, and a bevel gear. The wheel may be mounted to the axle for rotation about a drive axis and steering about a substantially vertical steering axis. The drive shaft may extend along the steering axis from a first end to a second end, with the first end being connected to the axle and the second end being connected to the drive assembly such that the drive assembly controls rotation of the drive shaft about the steering axis. The bevel gear may connect the first end to the axle such that rotation of the drive shaft about the steering axis controls rotation of the wheel about the drive axis to drive the driven caster wheel assembly in a substantially horizontal direction. Various other assemblies and methods are also disclosed.

Systems and methods for an axle shaft system of an electric vehicle are provided. A reversible axle shaft flange is optionally couplable to the axle shaft such that in a first orientation, the reversible axle shaft flange is coupled to the axle shaft and in a second reverse orientation, the reversible axle shaft flange is decoupled from the axle shaft. The reversible axle shaft flange is detachable in order to reverse an orientation and reinstall in the other orientation. The reversible axle shaft flange couples to a wheel hub via a plurality of fasteners such that torque is transferred from the axle shaft to a wheel via the reversible axle shaft flange in the first orientation. With the axle shaft in a decoupled state, rotation is not transferred from the wheel to an electric machine such that a towing operation with wheels in contact with ground is possible.

A drive module (1, 1a) includes an axle casing (2) and a shaft (3) rotatably mounted in an interior space (11) of the axle casing (2). Two bearing units (6, 6a) lie opposite each other and are secured in the axle casing (2) in an axial direction. Each bearing unit (6, 6a) includes an inner bearing ring (7, 7a) fixedly connected to the shaft (3), an outer bearing ring (8, 8a) fixedly connected to the axle casing (2), and rolling elements (9, 9a) arranged between the inner bearing ring (7, 7a) and the outer bearing ring (8, 8a). A lubricating fluid is present at least in the interior space (11). The lubricating fluid forming a fluid reservoir at a bottom of the interior space (11). The axle casing (2) includes a fluid opening extending, in each case, from the interior space (11) to a respective bearing unit (6, 6a) for conducting the lubricating fluid to the rolling elements (9, 9a). At least one conduction device is fluidically connected to the fluid reservoir and is configured for conducting the lubricating fluid the interior space (11) to the respective fluid opening.

Wheels for use on vehicles and methods of manufacturing vehicle wheels are described in the present disclosure. According to one embodiment, a method includes a step of manufacturing a wheel that includes a rim, a center disk, and a plurality of spokes. The rim may include a substantially-cylindrical barrel adapted to seal a tubeless tire. The center disk may include a central bore adapted for engagement with an axle of a vehicle. Also, the plurality of spokes may be adapted to connect the center disk to the rim. The method further includes the step of deforming outwardly-facing surfaces of the spokes using one or more hammering or punching instruments.