Axle assembly having banjo beam and strengthened coverpan

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9109689-B2
Application number	US-201414190445-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2014
Priority date	Feb 27, 2013
Publication date	Aug 18, 2015
Grant date	Aug 18, 2015

Abstract

An axle assembly with a banjo beam and a coverpan. The banjo beam has an upper and lower beam members that are welded together to define a central carrier portion and a pair of tubes. The upper beam member has a pair of upper spring seats that are disposed on opposite sides of the central carrier portion. The lower beam member has a pair of lower spring seats that are disposed on opposite sides of the central carrier portion. The coverpan includes a weld flange and a cover portion. The weld flange is welded to the central carrier portion via a fillet weld to close a first aperture formed in the central carrier portion. The cover portion includes a wall member into which a pair of strengthening protrusions are formed. The strengthening protrusions are disposed on opposite lateral sides of a centerline of the central carrier portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An axle assembly comprising:
a banjo beam having an upper beam member and a lower beam member that are welded together to define a central carrier portion and a pair of tubes that are disposed on opposite sides of the central carrier portion, the upper beam member having a pair of upper spring seats that are disposed on opposite sides of the central carrier portion, the lower beam member having a pair of lower spring seats that are disposed on opposite sides of the central carrier portion; and
a coverpan that comprises a weld flange and a cover portion, the weld flange being welded to the central carrier portion via a fillet weld to close a first aperture formed in the central carrier portion, the cover portion comprising a wall member, the wall member being generally dome-shaped and defining a pair of strengthening protrusions that have generally rectangular shapes that extend longitudinally in a circumferential direction about the cover portion, the strengthening protrusions being disposed on opposite lateral sides of a centerline of the central carrier portion.

2. The axle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the strengthening protrusions are identically sized and shaped.

3. The axle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the strengthening protrusions are disposed symmetrically about the centerline of the central carrier portion.

4. The axle assembly of claim 3 , wherein a centerline of each of the strengthening protrusions is offset from the centerline of the central carrier portion by 45 degrees.

5. The axle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the strengthening protrusions extend inwardly into the central carrier portion.

6. The axle assembly of claim 5 , wherein the strengthening protrusions are disposed on the cover portion at a location below a static lubricant fill level.

7. The axle assembly of claim 5 , wherein the strengthening protrusions extend inwardly from an outer surface of the wall member by a distance that is less than or equal to a thickness of the wall member.

8. The axle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the strengthening protrusions extend from an outer surface of the wall member in a direction away from the central carrier portion.

9. The axle assembly of claim 8 , wherein the strengthening protrusions are disposed on the cover portion at a location above a static lubricant fill level.

10. The axle assembly of claim 8 , wherein the strengthening protrusions extend from the outer surface of the wall member by a distance that is less than or equal to a thickness of the wall member.

11. An axle assembly comprising:
a banjo beam including:
an upper beam member; and
a lower beam member that is welded to the upper beam member to define a central carrier portion and a pair of tubes that are disposed on opposite lateral sides of a centerline of the central carrier portion; and

a coverpan including:
a weld flange having a flange member and a leg member, the flange member being welded to the central carrier portion to close a first aperture formed in the central carrier portion, the leg member extending from the flange member away from the central carrier portion; and
a cover portion including a generally dome-shaped wall member extending from the leg member, the wall member defining a pair of generally rectangular strengthening protrusions that extend longitudinally along a portion of a junction of the wall member and the leg member, the strengthening protrusions being disposed on opposite lateral sides of the centerline of the central carrier portion.

12. The axle assembly of claim 11 , wherein the strengthening protrusions are disposed symmetrically about the centerline of the central carrier portion.

13. The axle assembly of claim 12 , wherein a centerline of each of the strengthening protrusions is offset from the centerline of the central carrier portion by 45 degrees.

14. The axle assembly of claim 11 , wherein the strengthening protrusions extend inwardly toward the central carrier portion.

15. The axle assembly of claim 14 , wherein the strengthening protrusions are disposed on the cover portion at a location below a static lubricant fill level.

16. The axle assembly of claim 14 , wherein the strengthening protrusions extend inwardly from the junction of the wall member and the leg member by a distance that is less than or equal to a thickness of the wall member.

17. The axle assembly of claim 11 , wherein the strengthening protrusions extend from the junction of the wall member and the leg member in a direction away from the central carrier portion.

18. The axle assembly of claim 17 , wherein the strengthening protrusions extend from the junction of the wall member and the leg member by a distance that is less than or equal to a thickness of the wall member.

19. An axle assembly comprising:
a banjo beam including:
an upper beam member; and
a lower beam member that is welded to the upper beam member to define a central carrier portion and a pair of tubes that are disposed on opposite lateral sides of a centerline of the central carrier portion, the upper beam member having a pair of upper spring seats that are disposed on opposite sides of the central carrier portion, the lower beam member having a pair of lower spring seats that are disposed on opposite sides of the central carrier portion; and

a coverpan including:
a weld flange having a flange member and a leg member, the flange member being welded to the central carrier portion via a fillet weld to close a first aperture formed in the central carrier portion, the leg member extending from the flange member away from the central carrier portion and having a generally cylindrical shape; and
a cover portion including a generally dome-shaped wall member extending from the leg member, and a pair of generally rectangular strengthening protrusions that extend a first length circumferentially along a junction of the wall member and the leg member, and extend a second length radially inward from the leg member, the second length being less than the first length, and the strengthening protrusions being disposed on opposite lateral sides of the centerline of the central carrier portion.

20. The axle assembly of claim 19 , wherein the strengthening protrusions protrude inwardly toward the central carrier portion and are disposed below a static lubricant fill level.

Assignees

• American Axle & Mfg Inc

Inventors

• Khatavkar Vijay M
• Nilangekar Abhijit V
• Sutar Mohan R

Classifications

• F16H57/037 Primary

  Gearboxes for accommodating differential gearings (rotating cases for differential gearings F16H48/40) · CPC title

• Y10T74/2188

  Axle and torque tubes · CPC title

• F16H48/08

  comprising bevel gears · CPC title