A housing unit for use in an axle end assembly including first and second housing parts, wherein one of the first and the second housing parts are disposed to be mutually rotatable and define a housing interior space, wherein the first housing part for establishing on a hub has a flange, wherein the second housing part for safeguarding against rotation in relation to a stator of a wheel suspension has an engagement portion, wherein a gear wheel assembly is disposed in the housing interior space to transmit a torque of a driveshaft to the first housing part, wherein one of the first and the second housing parts, when dismantling the housing unit from the wheel suspension, are mutually established that the housing interior space remains closed such that at least 70% of the outwardly protruding faces of the housing unit are closed in a fluid-tight manner.

A wheel unit for an electric vehicle with a disengageable drive includes a wheel support, a wheel hub rotatably supported by the wheel support, and a wheel pin carried by a member driven by the electric motor and rotatably mounted within the wheel hub, by means of two rolling bearings. A coupling device connects in a releasable way the driven member to the wheel hub. The two rolling bearings that support in rotation the wheel pin have respective outer rings mounted by interference fit within a cylindrical wall of a central opening of the wheel hub, and respective inner rings rigidly connected together by means of a spacer sleeve having a predetermined length. The wheel-hub unit with the two rolling bearings and the spacer sleeve can be assembled before being mounted on the wheel pin.

A wheel bearing arrangement for a disconnectable wheel assembly which includes a drive shaft that is adapted to be drivingly engaged with or disengaged from a wheel supporting flange and an assembly method are provided. The arrangement includes first and second deep groove ball bearings located between the shaft and the flange. The first inner ring of the first bearing is axially positioned by a shaft shoulder on the shaft and the first outer ring is axially positioned by a first flange shoulder on the flange. The second outer ring of the second bearing has an interference fit with the flange in a radial direction. For some options, a spacer axially separates the first and second inner rings. A nut is engaged to an end of the shaft and clamps the second inner ring, the spacer, and the first inner ring to the shaft shoulder. Alternate arrangements are also provided.

Radially outer ring of a bearing unit for a hub-wheel assembly for motor vehicles, the radially outer ring being provided with: a flange portion having a plurality of axial fixing holes that connect an element of the motor vehicle wheel to the radially outer ring, an almost cylindrical portion which with part of its radially internal surfaces defines raceways for rows of rolling bodies of the bearing unit, an axially internal or axially external surface of the flange portion and a radially external surface of the cylindrical portion connected to each other by a first portion of toroidal surface (St1) and of a second portion of toroidal surface (St2) defined by corresponding first radius (R1) and second radius (R2), a truncated cone surface (Stc) defined by an angle (a) formed with a rotation axis (X) of the radially outer ring is interposed between the first portion of toroidal surface (St1) and the second portion of toroidal surface (St2).

A roller bearing module for a vehicle hub module having an outboard roller bearing and an inboard roller bearing. The roller bearing module provides a spacer coupling the outboard roller bearing to the inboard roller bearing. The spacer is arranged in an axial direction between the outboard roller bearing and the inboard roller bearing. The roller bearing module includes a first sealing structure arranged at an outwards facing side of the outboard roller bearing. The roller bearing module further includes a second sealing structure arranged at an inwards facing side of the inboard roller bearing.

A rolling-element bearing unit for a wheel bearing assembly of a vehicle includes a first rolling-element bearing having an outer bearing ring and an inner bearing ring and rolling elements disposed between the outer bearing ring and the inner bearing ring and a first seal element having a seal-element base body having a first support member mounted to an axial outer surface of the inner bearing ring and a first seal lip pressed against a radial end surface of the outer bearing ring to hold the outer bearing ring in position relative to the inner bearing ring. Also a wheel bearing assembly including two such rolling element bearing units.

A motor vehicle wheel bearing assembly includes a hub configured to be supported by at least one rolling-element bearing and to provide a seat for a wheel. The hub includes a first hollow-cone-shaped element manufactured from light metal and having a first axial end section having a first diameter and a second axial end section having a second, larger, diameter and at least one bearing raceway or raceway support at the first axial end section. The hub also includes a second element extending radially from an end of the first hollow-cone-shaped element, the second element having a radially inner section and a radially outer section. The second axial end section of the first element is connected to the radial outer section of the second element, for example, at a joint.

A wheel assembly includes a spindle; a wheel hub rotatable relative to the spindle; and a seal mounted between the spindle and the wheel hub, the spindle, the wheel hub, and the seal defining a sealed cavity, the seal having a first axial end and a second axial end, the first axial end coupled to the spindle, the second axial end coupled to the wheel hub.

A unitized wheelend is provided. The unitized wheelend includes a hub having an inboard side bounded by an oil seal and an outboard side bounded by a retainer releasably coupled to the hub. The unitized wheelend assembly includes an inboard bearing assembly, a spacer, an outboard bearing assembly, and a spindle nut assembly.

Systems and related methods related to structures with large-scale rotatable elements. Some of the present systems comprise: a tower; a tower hub coupled to the tower and having a transverse dimension of at least 50 feet; an observation wheel rotatably coupled to the tower and having a central wheel hub; a plurality of roller bearings disposed between the tower hub and the wheel hub to rotatably support the observation wheel relative to the structure, the roller bearings each having a diameter that is less than one quarter of the transverse dimension of the wheel hub.