Axle assembly having differential assembly with inverted differential bearings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9259967-B2
Application number	US-201514672886-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2015
Priority date	Apr 23, 2014
Publication date	Feb 16, 2016
Grant date	Feb 16, 2016

Abstract

An axle assembly having a carrier housing, a pair of axle tubes, a differential case, a pair of differential bearings and a pair of bearing adjusters. The carrier housing includes a cavity, which is configured to receive the differential case, and a pair of axle tubes that are mounted to the carrier housing. The differential case includes bearing bores into which the outer races of the differential bearings are received. The bearing adjusters are threaded to the carrier housing and support the differential bearings on a side opposite the differential case.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An axle assembly comprising:
a housing assembly that defines a pair of bores, each of the bores having a set of internal threads, the housing assembly having a carrier housing and a pair of axle tubes, the carrier housing having a carrier body and a pair of tube mounts that are disposed on opposite lateral sides of the carrier body, the carrier body having a wall that defines a differential cavity, the tube mounts being in fluid connection with the bores and the differential cavity, each of the axle tubes being received in an associated one of the tube mounts and fixedly coupled to the carrier housing;
a differential assembly received in the cavity and having a differential case with opposite lateral ends, wherein a bearing bore is formed in each of the opposite lateral ends of the differential case;
a pair of differential bearings, each of the differential bearings having an outer bearing race that is received in an associated one of the bearing bores and engaged to the differential case;
a pair of bearing adjusters, each bearing adjuster having a threaded portion and a bearing mount portion, the threaded portion being threadably engaged to an associated one of the sets of internal threads, the bearing mount portion being disposed on a first end of the bearing adjuster that is opposite a second end on which the threaded portion is formed, the bearing mount portion defining a shoulder against which an associated one of the differential bearings is abutted, the bearing mount portion supporting a side of the associated one of the differential bearings that is opposite the differential case such that each differential bearing is in juxtaposed relation with the differential case and an associated one of the bearing adjusters.

2. The axle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the threaded portion of the bearing adjusters is smaller in diameter than the shoulder of the bearing mount.

3. The axle assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the bearing adjusters further comprises a locking portion that is disposed axially between the associated one of the differential bearings and the second end, the locking portion comprising a plurality of lock features.

4. The axle assembly of claim 3 , wherein the lock features are spaced circumferentially about an outer radial edge of the shoulder.

5. The axle assembly of claim 3 , further comprising a pair of adjuster lock members, each of the adjuster lock members being received into a corresponding lock member aperture formed into the wall of the carrier body and having mating lock features that engage a portion of the lock features formed on the associated one of the differential bearings.

6. The axle assembly of claim 5 , wherein the housing assembly further comprises a cover that is fixedly but removably coupled to the carrier housing to close a side of the cavity and wherein the cover shrouds the adjuster lock members.

7. The axle assembly of claim 6 , wherein the cover limits movement of the adjuster lock members in a direction away from the bearing adjusters such that the mating lock features cannot disengage the portion of the lock features.

8. The axle assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the bearing adjusters comprises a first tool engaging feature that is configured to be engaged by a tool to permit the bearing adjusters to be rotated relative to the carrier housing.

9. The axle assembly of claim 8 , wherein the first tool engaging feature is formed into the shoulder on the bearing mount portion.

10. The axle assembly of claim 9 , wherein the first tool engaging feature comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart holes that are formed into the shoulder and which extend generally parallel to a rotational axis about which the bearing adjusters are rotatably mounted to the carrier housing.

11. The axle assembly of claim 8 , wherein the first tool engaging feature comprises a non-circular shape that is formed on an inside surface of at least a portion of the bearing adjusters.

12. The axle assembly of claim 8 , wherein each of the bearing adjusters comprises a second tool engaging feature that is different from the first tool engaging feature, the second tool engaging feature being configured to be engaged by another tool to permit the bearing adjusters to be rotated relative to the carrier housing.

13. The axle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the wall of the carrier housing defines a pair of bulkheads, and wherein the bores are formed through the bulkheads and wherein each of the sets of internal threads are formed in an associated one of the bulkheads.

14. The axle assembly of claim 13 , wherein each of the bulkheads is integrally, unitarily and non-separably formed with a remaining portion of the wall.

15. The axle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the differential assembly further comprises a ring gear, first and second output members, and a locking element, the ring gear being coupled to the differential case for common rotation about an axis, the locking element being mounted to the differential case for movement along the axis.

16. The axle assembly of claim 15 , wherein the housing assembly includes a cover that is mounted to the carrier housing and wherein the axle assembly further comprises an actuator assembly having a sleeve and an actuator, the sleeve being mounted on the differential case and movable along the axis between a first sleeve position and a second sleeve position, the actuator being coupled to the cover and engaging the sleeve, the actuator being configured to selectively move the sleeve between the first and second sleeve positions, wherein the differential is configured to operate in an unlocked mode that permits speed differentiation between the first and second output members when the sleeve is in the first sleeve position, and wherein the differential assembly is configured to operate in a locked mode that inhibits speed differentiation between the first and second output members when the sleeve is in the second sleeve position.

17. The axle assembly of claim 16 , wherein the actuator comprises a fork that engages the sleeve.

18. The axle assembly of claim 16 , wherein the sleeve is coupled to the differential case for common rotation.

19. The axle assembly of claim 16 , wherein at least a portion of the sleeve is radially in-line with at least a portion of one of the differential bearings when the sleeve is in the first sleeve position.

20. The axle assembly of claim 16 , wherein each of the first and second output members is coupled to a side gear for common rotation.

21. An axle assembly comprising:
a housing assembly that defines a first bore with a first set of internal threads, the housing assembly having a carrier housing, a pair of axle tubes and a cover, the carrier housing having a carrier body and a tube mount, the carrier body having a wall that defines a cavity, a cover flange and a lock member aperture, the cover flange bordering an open side of the cavity and having a flange member, the lock member aperture being formed through the cover flange and intersecting the cavity, the tube mount being in fluid connection with the first bore and the cavity, the axle tube being received in the tube mount and fixedly coupled to the carrier housing;
a differential assembly received in the cavity and having a differential case;
a first differential bearing engaged to the differential case;
a first bearing adjuster having a threaded portion, a bearing mount portion and an adjuster lock portion, the threaded portion being

Assignees

• American Axle & Mfg Inc

Inventors

• Marsh Gregory A
• Blakeman Matthew T

Classifications

• B60B35/125 Primary

  of the planetary type · CPC title

• F16H48/38

  Constructional details (the outer casing comprising the differential and supporting input and output shafts F16H57/037) · CPC title

• B60Y2200/20

  Off-Road Vehicles · CPC title

• F16H48/06

  with gears having orbital motion · CPC title

• B60B35/16 Primary

  Axle housings · CPC title