Axle assembly having a brake drum

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12128706-B2
Application number	US-202117325598-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2021
Priority date	May 20, 2021
Publication date	Oct 29, 2024
Grant date	Oct 29, 2024

Abstract

An axle assembly having a brake drum and inboard and outboard wheels. The brake drum the inboard wheel may cooperate to inhibit movement of the inboard wheel in an inboard direction. An outboard wheel clamp and an outboard split ring may cooperate to inhibit movement of the outboard wheel in an outboard direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An axle assembly comprising:
a wheel hub that is rotatable about an axis and that has a mounting flange;
a brake drum that is fastened to the mounting flange;
an inboard wheel that encircles the brake drum;
an outboard wheel that encircles the wheel hub;
an outboard split ring that is received inside the outboard wheel and engages the wheel hub; and
an outboard wheel clamp that is received inside the outboard wheel, engages the outboard wheel, and is fastened to the outboard split ring, wherein the outboard wheel clamp and the outboard split ring cooperate to inhibit movement of the outboard wheel in an outboard direction and the brake drum and the inboard wheel cooperate to inhibit movement of the inboard wheel in an inboard direction that is opposite the outboard direction.

2. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein the inboard wheel contacts the brake drum.

3. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein a wheel spacer extends from the inboard wheel to the outboard wheel.

4. The axle assembly of claim 3 wherein the wheel spacer engages the brake drum and the outboard split ring.

5. The axle assembly of claim 3 wherein the wheel spacer encircles and contacts a portion of the brake drum and the outboard split ring.

6. The axle assembly of claim 3 wherein the wheel spacer is spaced apart from and does not engage the wheel hub.

7. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein the brake drum has a brake drum mounting flange that extends toward the axis and that defines a fastener hole that receives a fastener that couples the brake drum to the mounting flange of the wheel hub.

8. The axle assembly of claim 7 wherein the brake drum has a set of support features arranged around the brake drum mounting flange, wherein each support feature has a support flange that extends from the brake drum mounting flange in the outboard direction, wherein the support flange engages the inboard wheel and a wheel spacer extends from the inboard wheel to the outboard wheel.

9. The axle assembly of claim 8 wherein each support feature has a protrusion that extends away from the axis and that engages the inboard wheel to inhibit movement of the inboard wheel in the inboard direction.

10. The axle assembly of claim 8 wherein the support features are spaced apart from each other such that a gap is provided between adjacent pairs of support features.

11. The axle assembly of claim 7 wherein a brake drum tapered surface that faces away from the axis and toward the inboard wheel is provided between an adjacent pair of support features, wherein the brake drum tapered surface is spaced apart from the inboard wheel.

12. The axle assembly of claim 11 wherein the brake drum tapered surface is disposed progressively farther from the axis as a distance from the brake drum mounting flange increases.

13. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein the wheel hub has an outboard exterior side that faces away from the axis and a recess that is disposed closer to the axis than the outboard exterior side and that is axially positioned between the outboard exterior side and the mounting flange, wherein the outboard split ring engages the outboard exterior side and is partially received in the recess.

14. The axle assembly of claim 13 wherein the wheel hub defines a step surface that extends from the outboard exterior side toward the axis, and the outboard split ring has an inner surface that engages the outboard exterior side and an inner pilot that extends toward the axis from the inner surface and that engages the step surface.

15. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein the outboard split ring encircles and engages the wheel hub and has an inner pilot that protrudes toward the axis and engages the wheel hub to inhibit axial movement of the outboard split ring in the outboard direction.

16. The axle assembly of claim 15 wherein the outboard split ring has a plurality of ring segments that are separate parts and that cooperate to receive the wheel hub.

17. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein the outboard split ring extends from the wheel hub to the outboard wheel clamp and the outboard wheel clamp extends from the outboard split ring to the outboard wheel.

18. The axle assembly of claim 17 wherein the outboard wheel clamp has a mounting portion that defines a fastener hole that receives a stud fastener that extends from the outboard split ring and an outer flange that extends from an end of the mounting portion in the inboard direction, wherein the outer flange engages the outboard split ring and the outboard wheel.

19. The axle assembly of claim 18 wherein the outer flange has a tapered surface that faces away from the axis, the outboard wheel has a tapered surface that faces toward the axis and engages the tapered surface of the outer flange, and the tapered surface of the outer flange and the tapered surface of the outboard wheel are disposed in a nonparallel and non-perpendicular relationship with the axis.

20. The axle assembly of claim 18 wherein a nut is threaded onto the fastener, a wheel spacer extends from the outboard wheel to the inboard wheel, and tightening the nut urges the outboard wheel clamp, the outboard wheel, the wheel spacer, and the inboard wheel in the inboard direction.

Assignees

• Arvinmeritor Technology Llc

Inventors

• Varela Tomaz
• Wang Chuntao

Classifications

• F16D51/18

  with two brake-shoes · CPC title

• B60K17/046

  with planetary gearing having orbital motion · CPC title

• B60B27/0057

  the element being a brake drum · CPC title

• B60B35/12

  Torque-transmitting axles (independent suspension aspects B60G) · CPC title

• B60B35/14

  composite or split, e.g. half- axles; Couplings between axle parts or sections · CPC title