Wheel hub and method for manufacturing a wheel hub

Abstract

A wheel hub includes a one-piece hub base body configured to surround at least a portion of a rolling-element bearing, the base body having a first axial end region configured to attach to a wheel adapter and/or to a wheel and a second axial end region axially opposite the first axial end region. An annular reinforcing body, which may be a metal band, is mounted on a radially outer surface of the second axial end region and connected to the radially outer surface at a joint.

Claims

1. A wheel hub comprising: a one-piece hub base body configured to surround at least a portion of a rolling-element bearing, the base body having a first axial end region configured to attach to a wheel adapter and/or to a wheel and a second axial end region axially opposite the first axial end region, and an annular reinforcing band mounted on a radially outer surface of the second axial end region and connected to the radially outer surface at a joint, wherein the base body without the reinforcing band is configured to plastically deform upon the application of an amount of force, and wherein the reinforcing band is configured to prevent a plastic deformation of the base body upon the application of the amount of force.

2. The wheel hub according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing band is not a wheel flange.

3. The wheel hub according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing band includes a target for an antilock braking system (ABS).

4. The wheel hub according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing band is an ABS ring.

5. The wheel hub according to claim 1, wherein the radially outer surface is cylindrical or conical.

6. The wheel hub according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing band is attached to the hub base body by a press-fit or by brazing or by friction welding.

7. The wheel hub according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing band is substantially cylindrical.

8. The wheel hub according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing band is configured one-piece.

9. The wheel hub according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing band comprises metal.

10. The wheel hub according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing band has a radially inner surface and a radially outer surface and has an axial width a radial thickness from the inner surface to the outer surface, and wherein the axial width is greater than the radial thickness.

11. The wheel hub according to claim 9, wherein the reinforcing band comprises metal and is configured one piece.

12. A wheel hub comprising: a one-piece hub base body configured to surround at least a portion of a rolling-element bearing, the base body having a first axial end region configured to attach to a wheel adapter and/or to a wheel and a second axial end region axially opposite the first axial end region, and an annular reinforcing band mounted on a radially outer surface of the second axial end region and being connected to the radially outer surface at a joint, wherein the reinforcing band has a radially inner surface and a radially outer surface and has an axial width a radial thickness from the inner surface to the outer surface, wherein the axial width is greater than the radial thickness, and wherein the reinforcing band has an axially outer surface having teeth configured to form a target of an ABS.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a section through a wheel hub according to the present disclosure.

(2) FIG. 2 is a section through an alternative exemplary embodiment of a wheel hub according to the present disclosure in which the wheel hub includes an antilock braking system (ABS) ring region.

(3) FIG. 3 is a section through a further alternative exemplary embodiment of a wheel hub according to the present disclosure, wherein a component of the wheel hub is substantially annular.

(4) FIG. 4 is an axial section through a further alternative exemplary embodiment of a wheel hub according to the present disclosure wherein a hub base body includes a conical-surface-shaped surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) FIG. 1 shows a section through a wheel hub 10 according to an embodiment of the disclosure, which includes a first axial end region 12 and a second axial end region 18 that lie opposite each other. The axial end region 12 is configured for attaching a wheel adapter. For this purpose the end region 12 is configured as a flange including through-holes 24, on which flange the wheel adapter is mountable by bolts. Furthermore, the wheel hub 10 includes a hub base body 14 configured one-piece, which hub base body 14 is configured to surround a part of a rolling-element bearing, more precisely a first tapered roller bearing, and a second tapered roller bearing (not illustrated). In a completely finally mounted state, a through-hole 26 of the wheel hub forms a corresponding receiving region for the two tapered roller bearings. The hub base body is an outer ring both for the first tapered roller bearing and for the second tapered roller bearing. Consequently the hub base body 14 includes a first raceway 28 for the first tapered roller bearing and a second raceway 30 for the second tapered roller bearing. Furthermore, the wheel hub 10 includes a component in the form of an annular body 16 that surrounds the hub base body and that is disposed at the second axial end region 18 of the wheel hub. The annular body differs from a flange and has a shape of a hollow circular cylinder except for machined edges, and is thus also a hollow cylinder. Consequently the hub base body 14 is also configured cylindrical-surface-shaped in a surface region 22 where the hub base body abuts against the annular body 16. Before attaching the annular body 16 to the hub base body 14, the surface region 22 is produced by turning or other machining.

(6) The annular body 16 is configured one-piece. Furthermore, it is attached to the hub base body 14 by a press-fit. The press-fit has a significant overlap. In the event of a mounting the component is thus either simply immediately pressed onto the hub base body 14, or shrunk-on, i.e., first heated and then pressed onto the hub base body. Attaching the component to the hub base body 14 by friction welding or brazing is alternatively also conceivable. If the attachment is produced by brazing, then a gap is first provided between the annular body 16 and the hub base body 14 at the surface region 22; the gap serves for receiving solder by the capillary effect.

(7) The annular body 16 is comprised of structural steel. In principle a wide variety of materials can be used to form the annular body 16, up to heat-treated high-strength steels. Other metals and composite materials can also be used as material for the annular body 16.

(8) In its finally mounted form the annular body 16 has a dimensionally stabilizing effect for the wheel hub that prevents plastic deformations.

(9) In one alternative exemplary embodiment, in a completely assembled state a wheel instead of a wheel adapter is mounted at the end region 12.

(10) In alternative exemplary embodiments each of the tapered roller bearings can also be replaced by a different rolling-element bearing, such as in particular an angular contact ball bearing.

(11) In particular in truck wheel bearing units under high lateral accelerations (e.g., with a sharp road curve), the disclosed wheel hub prevents excessively high radial raceway deformations. In particular on the inboard side of the wheel bearing, where conventional hubs are embodied in a very material-optimized manner, the deformations are so extreme that the stresses occurring without the annular body 16, and even with some commercially available wheel hubs, depart from or exceed the elastic material range in the critical range and cause plastic and thus lasting deformations.

(12) A significantly plastically deformed tapered roller bearing raceway leads to a significant disturbance of the bearing kinematics. The so-called apex-point condition, which states that for pure rolling (ideal state) in the tapered roller bearing, the extension straight lines of the outer-ring raceway, inner-ring raceway, and axis of rotation must intersect at one point, is violated. The result is that the rolling elements no longer cleanly roll, but also slide significantly. This sliding generates friction, temperature, and finally wear on the raceways.

(13) In operation or on the test stand, without the component or with some conventional commercially available wheel hubs, the expected/calculated bearing service life is no longer achieved and/or the friction losses are unacceptably too high.

(14) Alternative exemplary embodiments are depicted in FIGS. 2 to 4. Essentially identical components, features, and functions are generally numbered with the same reference numbers. However, to differentiate the exemplary embodiments the letters “a,” “b,” etc. are added to the reference numbers of the exemplary embodiments in FIG. 2. to FIG. 4. The following description is essentially limited to differences from the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 1, wherein with respect to components, features, and functions remaining the same, reference can be made to the description of the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 1.

(15) FIG. 2 shows an alternative exemplary embodiment of an inventive wheel hub, wherein an annular body 16a is disposed directly at an axial end of the wheel hub that includes an antilock braking system (ABS) ring region. The ABS ring region is provided by elevations that extend in the axial direction, which elevations are uniformly spaced from one another in the circumferential direction. In order for the ABS ring region to function, it is precisely positioned on the hub base body. The annular body 16a is also configured longer in this embodiment as compared to the annular body 16 of the first exemplary embodiment.

(16) FIG. 3 shows a further alternative exemplary embodiment of a wheel hub according to the disclosure. An annular body 16b of the wheel hub is configured essentially annular, and specifically it is formed by a ring that has rounded edges.

(17) FIG. 4 shows an upper half of an axial section through a wheel hub 10c according to another embodiment of the disclosure. An annular body 16c is attached by friction welding to a hub base body 14c of the wheel hub 10c. For carrying-out the required welding process, a surface region 20c of the hub base body 14c is configured conical-surface-shaped. Accordingly a radial inner surface of the component 16c is also configured conical-surface-shaped. During the attachment of the component 16c to the hub base body 14c the component 16c and the hub base body 14c are set in rotation relative to each other, and the component 16c is moved toward a center of mass of the hub base body 14c.

(18) Representative, non-limiting examples of the present invention were described above in detail with reference to the attached drawings. This detailed description is merely intended to teach a person of skill in the art further details for practicing preferred aspects of the present teachings and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Furthermore, each of the additional features and teachings disclosed above may be utilized separately or in conjunction with other features and teachings to provide improved wheel hubs.

(19) Moreover, combinations of features and steps disclosed in the above detailed description may not be necessary to practice the invention in the broadest sense, and are instead taught merely to particularly describe representative examples of the invention. Furthermore, various features of the above-described representative examples, as well as the various independent and dependent claims below, may be combined in ways that are not specifically and explicitly enumerated in order to provide additional useful embodiments of the present teachings.

(20) All features disclosed in the description and/or the claims are intended to be disclosed separately and independently from each other for the purpose of original written disclosure, as well as for the purpose of restricting the claimed subject matter, independent of the compositions of the features in the embodiments and/or the claims. In addition, all value ranges or indications of groups of entities are intended to disclose every possible intermediate value or intermediate entity for the purpose of original written disclosure, as well as for the purpose of restricting the claimed subject matter.

REFERENCE NUMBER LIST

(21) 10 Wheel hub 12 End region 14 Hub base body 16 Annular body 18 End region 20 ABS ring region 22 Surface region 24 Through-hole 26 Through-hole 28 Raceway 30 Raceway