Method for forming an assembly having mating superfinished components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10618102-B2
Application number	US-201715846280-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2017
Priority date	Dec 19, 2017
Publication date	Apr 14, 2020
Grant date	Apr 14, 2020

Abstract

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for forming an assembly having a housing and first and second components, the first and second components being movable relative to one another in the housing, the method comprising:
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;
wherein a non-abrasive fluid is employed in the superfinishing operation; and
wherein the superfinishing operation comprises chemical polishing, electro-polishing, chemically-accelerated surface finishing with tribochemical film deposition and combinations thereof.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second workpieces are meshingly engaged to one another when they are moved relative to one another in the predetermined manner.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first and second components are rotatable relative to the housing about respective rotational axes.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the rotational axis of the first component is not parallel to the rotational axis of the second component.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first component is a pinion gear and the second component is a ring gear.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the assembly is a power take-off unit or an axle assembly.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein movement of the first and second workpieces relative to one another in the predetermined manner comprises translating one of the first and second workpieces along an axis of the other one of the first and second workpieces.

Assignees

• American Axle & Mfg Inc

Inventors

• Rothstein Moshe
• Padfield Cory J
• Padfield Toby V

Classifications

• F16H1/14

  comprising conical gears only · CPC title

• B23F5/10

  the tool being a grinding disc having the same profile as the tooth or teeth of a crown or bevel wheel · CPC title

• B60K17/165 Primary

  provided between independent half axles (B60K17/18, B60K17/20 take precedence) · CPC title

• F16H48/42

  characterised by features of the input shafts, e.g. mounting of drive gears thereon · CPC title

• F16H1/145

  with offset axes, e.g. hypoïd gearings · CPC title