Assembly with a housing and an outer bearing race that are formed of dissimilar metals, the assembly being configured to retain the outer bearing race to the housing over a range of temperatures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11028875-B1
Application number	US-202016829052-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 25, 2020
Priority date	Mar 25, 2020
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

An assembly with a housing, a bearing, which is received in a bearing bore formed in the housing, and an annular compensation member. The housing and the compensation member are formed of materials having a larger coefficient of linear thermal expansion than a material from which the outer bearing race is formed. The compensation member is fixedly coupled to the housing and mounted about an outer bearing race of the bearing. The compensation member is configured to grow in a radial direction into contact with an inside circumferential surface of the outer bearing race when a temperature of the assembly increases from a first predetermined temperature to a second predetermined temperature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An assembly comprising:
a housing defining a bore;
a first bearing having a first outer bearing race, a first inner bearing race, and a plurality of first rolling elements that are disposed radially between the first outer and first inner bearing races, the first outer bearing race being received in the bore and defining an annular race on which the first rolling elements are rollingly disposed;
a first annular compensation member fixedly coupled to the housing, the first annular compensation member having an outside circumferential surface that is received about an inside circumferential surface of the first outer bearing race;
wherein the housing is formed of a first material having a first coefficient of linear thermal expansion, wherein the first outer bearing race is formed of a second material having a second coefficient of linear thermal expansion, and wherein the first annular compensation member is formed of a third material having a third coefficient of linear thermal expansion; and
(a) wherein a fit between an outside circumferential surface of the first outer bearing race and an inside circumferential surface of the bore in the housing fixedly couples the first outer bearing race to the housing when the temperature of the assembly is at or below a first predetermined temperature, (b) wherein the outside circumferential surface of the first outer bearing race is disengaged from the inside circumferential surface of the bore when the temperature of the assembly is at or above a second predetermined temperature, the second predetermined temperature being greater than the first predetermined temperature, and (c) wherein a fit between the inside circumferential surface of the first outer bearing race and the outside circumferential surface of the first annular compensation member fixedly couples the first outer bearing race to the first annular compensation member when the temperature of the assembly is at or above the second predetermined temperature to thereby inhibit axial and rotational movement of the first outer bearing race relative to the housing.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first annular compensation member is integrally and unitarily formed with the housing.

3. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first annular compensation member comprises a tubular portion and a flange, the tubular portion defining the outside circumferential surface of the first annular compensation member, the flange extending radially outwardly from the tubular portion and engaging the housing.

4. The assembly of claim 3 , wherein a first portion of the bore into which the first outer bearing race is received and a second portion of the bore into which the flange is received are formed with a common inside diameter.

5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and third materials is a non-ferrous material.

6. The assembly of claim 5 , wherein each of the first and third materials is an aluminum alloy.

7. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second material is a steel alloy.

8. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first rolling elements comprise rollers.

9. The assembly of claim 8 , wherein the rollers are tapered.

10. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first rolling elements comprise spherical balls.

11. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a shaft that is received through the first inner bearing race, the shaft being supported by the first bearing for rotation relative to the housing about a rotational axis.

12. The assembly of claim 11 , further comprising a second bearing having a second outer bearing race, a second inner bearing race, and a plurality of second rolling elements that are disposed radially between the second outer and second inner bearing races, the second outer bearing race being received in the bore and defining a second annular race on which the second rolling elements are rollingly disposed, wherein the first and second outer bearing races are unitarily and integrally formed.

13. The assembly of claim 12 , wherein the assembly comprises a second annular compensation member formed of the third material, the second annular compensation member has an outside circumferential surface that is received about an inside circumferential surface of the second outer bearing race, wherein a fit between the inside circumferential surface of the second outer bearing race and the outside circumferential surface of the second annular compensation member fixedly couples the second outer bearing race to the second annular compensation member when the temperature of the assembly is at or above the second predetermined temperature to thereby inhibit axial and rotational movement of the second outer bearing race relative to the housing.

14. The assembly of claim 13 , wherein the second outer bearing race comprises a circumferentially extending rib that is disposed radially outward of the second annular race and wherein the inside circumferential surface of the second outer bearing race is formed on the circumferentially extending rib.

15. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first outer bearing race comprises a circumferentially extending rib that is disposed radially inward of the first annular race and wherein the inside circumferential surface of the first outer bearing race is formed on the circumferentially extending rib.

16. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the first coefficient of linear thermal expansion to the second coefficient of linear thermal expansion is greater than or equal to 1.75.

17. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the third coefficient of linear thermal expansion to the first coefficient of linear thermal expansion is within a range of 0.9 to 1.1.

18. An assembly comprising:
a housing formed of a first material, the housing defining a bore;
a bearing formed of a second material that is different from the first material, the bearing having an outer bearing race, an inner bearing race, and a plurality of rolling elements that are disposed radially between the outer and inner bearing races, the outer bearing race being received in the bore and defining an annular race on which the rolling elements are rollingly disposed;
a circumferentially extending rib that is unitarily and integrally formed with the outer bearing race; and
an annular compensation member that is fixedly coupled to the housing and having a portion that is disposed about the circumferentially extending rib, wherein the portion of the annular compensation member is configured to grow into contact with an interior circumferential surface of the outer bearing race due to thermal expansion when a temperature of the assembly increases from a first predetermined temperature to a second predetermined temperature.

19. The assembly of claim 18 , wherein the annular compensation member is formed of a third material and wherein each of the first and third materials is a non-ferrous material.

20. The assembly of claim 19 , wherein each of the first and third materials is an aluminum alloy.

21. The assembly of claim 18 , wherein the second material is a steel alloy.

22. The assembly of claim 18 , wherein the rolling elements comprise rollers or spherical balls.

Assignees

• American Axle & Mfg Inc

Inventors

• Chinitz Steven
• Mccormick Brian

Classifications

• F16H57/032

  characterised by the materials used · CPC title

• F16H57/021 Primary

  Shaft support structures, e.g. partition walls, bearing eyes, casing walls or covers with bearings · CPC title

• F16C2202/22

  Coefficient of expansion · CPC title

• F16C35/06

  Mounting {or dismounting} of ball or roller bearings; Fixing them onto shaft or in housing · CPC title

• F16C33/62

  Selection of substances · CPC title