Axle means, method for producing the same and motor vehicle

Abstract

An axle device for a motor vehicle includes an axle shaft, a wheel receiving unit fixed on an end of the axle shaft, and a support body on which the wheel receiving unit is supported from rotation fixed about an axis of rotation. A bearing unit is arranged between the support body and the wheel receiving unit. The bearing unit includes an inner bearing shell at least partially formed by a surface portion of the wheel receiving unit, an outer bearing shell at least partially formed by a sleeve body abutting the support body, and a bearing assembly arranged between the inner bearing shell and the outer bearing shell.

Claims

1. An axle device for a motor vehicle comprising: an axle shaft; a wheel receiving unit fixed on an end of the axle shaft; a support body on which the wheel receiving unit is supported for rotation about an axis of rotation; a bearing unit arranged between the support body and the wheel receiving unit, the bearing unit having a plurality of bearings journally supported upon and directly engaging a surface portion of the wheel receiving unit absent an inner bearing shell and an outer bearing shell at least partially formed by a sleeve body abutting the support body; and a locking element fixed on the support body and cooperating with a stop element to fix the sleeve body against movement in an axial direction, the locking element having a locking ring which, on the side of the bearing unit facing the axle shaft, abuts the sleeve body such that a protrusion formed on the support body engages in a radially extended groove formed in the sleeve body.

2. The axle device according to claim 1, wherein the stop element engages the support body and the sleeve body and limits axial movement of the sleeve body relative to the support body.

3. The axle device according to claim 1, wherein the wheel receiving unit comprises a wheel receiving portion configured to secure a wheel unit to the axle device, a hub portion on which the surface portion is formed, and a rotary head receiving an end of the axle shaft.

4. The axle device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of bearings comprises a plurality of bearings arranged in first and second rows with respect to the axis of rotation.

5. The axle device according to claim 4 wherein the plurality of bearings in the first row have a first diameter and the plurality of bearings in the second row have a second diameter which is different than the first diameter.

6. The axle device according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of bearings are selected from the group consisting of ball bearings, cylinder bearings, needle bearings, spherical roller bearings or cone bearings.

7. The axle device according to claim 1, wherein the support body is at least partially formed from aluminum and the sleeve body is formed from bearing steel.

8. The axle device according to claim 1, wherein the wheel receiving unit comprises a closure element that axially extends on the surface portion on a side adjacent the axle shaft and axially forms a back engagement for the plurality of bearings with a forming portion of the wheel receiving unit, which abuts the closure element on the side facing away from the surface portion.

9. A method for producing the axle device according to claim 4, the method comprising: fixing the sleeve body in the support body to form the outer bearing shell; measuring a first bearing position and a second bearing position of the surface portion; pressing a first shaft sealing ring onto the wheel receiving unit; encasing the bearings corresponding to the first row of bearings in a first bearing cage and arranging the first bearing cage equipped with the first row of bearings in the first bearing position of the wheel receiving unit; transferring the wheel receiving unit into the sleeve body; encasing the bearing corresponding to the second row of bearings in a second bearing cage and arranging the second bearing cage equipped with the second row of bearings in the second bearing position of the wheel receiving unit; pressing a second shaft sealing ring onto the wheel receiving unit; and fixing the sleeve body on the support body.

10. A motor vehicle comprising at least one axle device according to claim 1 and a wheel unit secured to the wheel receiving unit.

11. An axle device for a motor vehicle comprising: an axle shaft; a wheel receiving unit fixed on an end of the axle shaft; a support body on which the wheel receiving unit is supported for rotation about an axis of rotation; and a bearing unit arranged between the support body and the wheel receiving unit, the bearing unit having a plurality of bearings journally supported upon and directly engaging a surface portion of the wheel receiving unit absent an inner bearing shell and an outer bearing shell at least partially formed by a sleeve body abutting the support body; and, wherein the wheel receiving unit has a closure element that extends axially on the surface portion on a side adjacent the axle shaft and axially forms a back engagement for the plurality of bearings with a forming portion of the wheel receiving unit, which abuts the closure element on the side facing away from the surface portion.

12. The axle device according to claim 11, wherein the bearing unit further comprises a stop element engaging the support body and the sleeve body and limiting axial movement of the sleeve body relative to the support body.

13. The axle device according to claim 12, further comprising a locking element fixed on the support body and cooperating with the stop element to fix the sleeve body against movement in axial direction.

14. The axle device according to claim 13, wherein the locking element comprises a locking ring which, on a side of the bearing unit facing the axle shaft, abuts the sleeve body such that a protrusion formed on the support body engages in a radially extended groove formed in the sleeve body.

15. The axle device according to claim 11, wherein the wheel receiving unit comprises a wheel receiving portion configured to secure a wheel unit to the axle device, a hub portion on which the surface portion is formed, and a rotary head receiving an end of the axle shaft.

16. The axle device according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of bearings comprises a plurality of bearings arranged in first and second rows with respect to the axis of rotation.

17. The axle device according to claim 16, wherein the plurality of bearings in the first row have a first diameter and the plurality of bearings in the second row have a second diameter which is different than the first diameter.

18. The axle device according to claim 16, wherein the plurality of bearings are selected from the group consisting of ball bearings, cylinder bearings, needle bearings, spherical roller bearings or cone bearings.

19. The axle device according to claim 11, wherein the support body is at least partially formed from aluminum and the sleeve body is formed from bearing steel.

20. A motor vehicle comprising at least one axle device according to claim 11 and a wheel unit secured to the wheel receiving unit.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further features, details and advantages can be taken from the attached patent claims, from the drawing representations and the following description of a preferred exemplary embodiment of the axle device.

(2) FIG. 1 is a sectioned lateral view of an extract of a first embodiment of an axle device;

(3) FIG. 2 is a sectioned exploded lateral view of an extract of a second embodiment of the axle device; and

(4) FIG. 3 is a sectioned lateral detail view of a further embodiment of a locking element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention. Furthermore, there is no intention to be hound by any theory presented in the preceding background of the invention or the following detailed description.

(6) FIG. 1 shows an axle device for a motor vehicle which as a whole is provided with the reference number 2. The same comprises a wheel receiving unit 4, on which a means of rotation 6 (schematically shown in FIG. 1), such as a shaft or an axle, and a wheel unit 8 (schematically shown in FIG. 1) can be fixed. In addition to this, the axle device 2 comprises a support body 10, on which the wheel receiving unit 4 is rotatably fixed about an axis of rotation 12.

(7) In order to make possible rotating of the wheel receiving unit 4 relative to the support body 10 about the axis of rotation 12, a bearing unit 14 is arranged between the wheel receiving unit 4 and the support body 10. The bearing unit 14 comprises an inner bearing shell 16 and an outer bearing shell 18 as well as a plurality of rolling bodies 20, which are arranged between the inner bearing shell 16 and the outer bearing shell 18.

(8) The outer bearing shell 18 is formed by a sleeve body 22, which is fixed on the support body 10. The inner bearing shell 16 is formed by a surface portion 24 of the wheel receiving unit 4 formed as outer bearing ring.

(9) In order to limit movement of the sleeve body 22 in axial direction, the support body 10, on the side facing the wheel unit 8, comprises a stop element 26, which the sleeve body 22 abuts. In addition to this, the axle device 2 comprises a locking element 28 that can be fixed on the support body 10, which on the side of the bearing unit 14 facing the means of rotation 6 abuts the sleeve body 22, and in FIG. 1 is formed by a separate locking ring 40.

(10) In addition to this, the axle device 2 in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 comprises a closure element 30, which axially extends on the surface portion 24 of the wheel receiving unit 4 forming the inner bearing shell 16 of the bearing unit 14 on the side facing away from the wheel unit 8 and axially forms a back-engagement for a row of rolling bodies 20.

(11) In order to limit axial movement of the closure element 30, the closure element 30 on the side facing the wheel unit 8 abuts the wheel receiving unit 4. On the side facing the means of rotation 6 the closure element 30 is axially engaged behind by a forming portion 32 of the wheel receiving unit 4. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the wheel receiving unit 4 comprises a wheel receiving portion 34, on which the wheel unit 8 is fixed, a hub portion 36, on the surface portion 24 of which the outer bearing ring is formed, and a rotary head 38, on which the means of rotation 6 is fixed, as joint component.

(12) In addition to this, the axle device 2 shown in FIG. 1 comprises a double-row bearing.

(13) A method for producing the axle device 2 is described in the following with the help of FIG. 2:

(14) In a first step, the sleeve body (22) forming an outer bearing shell (18) for a bearing unit (14) is fixed in the support body (10). Fixing can comprise fixing realized by casting-in or over-casting and/or forging in or over-forging. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the support body 10 following the joining is fixed by the stop element 26 and by the locking element 28 formed as locking ring 40, both of which are realized by over-forging the support body 10.

(15) In a further step, a first bearing position and/or a second bearing position of the inner bearing shell (16) formed by a surface portion (24) of a wheel receiving unit (4), the outer bearing shell (18) and/or the plurality of rolling bodies (20) is measured in particular axially and radially.

(16) Following this, a first shaft sealing ring (50) is pressed onto the wheel receiving unit (4). During this and during further steps, the wheel receiving unit 4 is held by retaining claws 46.

(17) As a further step, a plurality of rolling bodies (20) corresponding to the bearing shells measured in first position is encased in a first bearing cage (48) and arranged in the first bearing position of the wheel receiving unit (4).

(18) Following this, the wheel receiving unit (4) is transferred into the sleeve body (22).

(19) In a following step, a plurality of rolling bodies (20) measured in the second hearing position and corresponding to the measured bearing shells is encased in a second bearing cage (48) and arranged in the second hearing position of the wheel receiving unit (4).

(20) In a further step, a second shaft sealing ring (50) is pressed onto the wheel receiving unit (4) and the sleeve body (22) fixed on the support body (10) and the closure element (30) on the wheel receiving unit (4).

(21) Fixing the sleeve body 22 on the support body 10 is realized by the locking ring 28. Fixing the closure element 30 on the wheel receiving unit 4 is realized by the re-formed portion 32 of the wheel receiving unit 4. Here, the forming can comprise extruding.

(22) Furthermore, shaft sealing rings 50 are arranged on both sides of the support body 10.

(23) In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the wheel receiving unit 4 comprises a rotary head 38, on which the means of rotation 6 can be fixed.

(24) FIG. 3 shows a detail view in which the locking element 28 is formed by a protrusion 42 of the support body 10. The protrusion 42 engages in a groove 44 formed in the sleeve body 22 and fixes the sleeve body against movement in axial direction.

(25) The characterizing features of the invention shown in the above description, in the claims and in the drawings can be substantial both individually as well as in any combination in realizing the invention and its various embodiments. While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment, it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents.