Systems and methods for preloading a bearing and aligning a lock nut

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9587667-B2
Application number	US-201514946168-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2015
Priority date	Jan 5, 2005
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

A lock nut system includes a nut, a keeper engagement with the nut to inhibit movement of the keeper relative to the nut, and a keeper retaining member. The keeper has a radially inner side configured to engage a shaft to inhibit rotational movement of the nut relative to the shaft when the keeper engages the nut and a radially inner side engages the shaft. The keeper retaining member is secured to the keeper and is engageable with the nut to hold a keeper axially such that keeper is engaged with the nut. A cover member is located on an opposite side of the keeper retaining member relative to the nut and engaged to the keeper retaining member to inhibit a separation of the cover member from the keeper retaining member in such that that the separation of the cover member from the keeper retaining member provides a visual indication to a user.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A lock nut system comprising:
a nut;
a keeper engageable with said nut to inhibit movement of said keeper relative to said nut;
said keeper configured to engage a shaft to inhibit movement of said nut relative to the shaft when said keeper engages said nut and the shaft;
a keeper retaining member secured to said keeper, said retaining member engageable with said nut to hold said keeper engaged with said nut; and
a tamper indicating member located on an opposite side of said keeper retaining member relative to said nut and engaged to said keeper retaining member to inhibit a separation of said tamper indicating member from said keeper retaining member and such that the separation of said tamper indicating member from said keeper retaining member provides a visual indication to a user.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said retaining member comprises a notch and said tamper indicating member comprises a tab located at a position relative to said notch of said retaining member such that said tab is deformable into said notch to connect said tab to said retaining member.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said tab comprises a circumferential portion and a radial portion, said radial portion received in said notch and said circumferential portion located on an opposite side of said notch relative to a connection point between said radial portion and a remainder of said tamper indicating member.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said circumferential portion has a circumferential dimension larger than a largest circumferential dimension of said notch such that said circumferential portion contacts said retaining member and the separation of said tamper indicating member relative to said retaining member is inhibited in response to a force placed on said tamper indicating member in a direction away from said retaining member.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said tamper indicating member comprises an indentation and an external circumference, said indentation providing an opening on said external circumference to allow a portion of said retaining member to be viewed from a side of said tamper indicating member opposite said nut.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said retaining member comprises an engaging portion engaging said nut, said indentation is located relative to said retaining member to allow the user to view the engaging portion through said opening.

7. A system for use in securing a lock nut to a shaft, comprising:
a keeper engageable with a lock nut to inhibit movement of said keeper relative to said nut;
said keeper configured to engage a shaft to inhibit movement of said nut relative to the shaft when keeper engages said nut and the shaft;
a keeper retaining member secured to said keeper, said retaining member engageable with said nut to hold said keeper engaged with said nut; and
a tamper indicating member located on an opposite side of said keeper retaining member relative to said keeper and engaged to said keeper retaining member to inhibit a separation of said tamper indicating member from said retaining member and such that the separation of said tamper indicating member from said retaining member provides a visual indication to a user.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said retaining member comprises a notch and said tamper indicating member comprises a tab located at a position relative to said notch of said retaining member such that said tab is deformable into said notch to connect said tab to said retaining member.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said tab comprises a circumferential portion and a radial portion, said radial portion received in said notch and said circumferential portion located on an opposite side of said notch relative to a connection point between said radial portion and a remainder of said tamper indicating member.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said circumferential portion has a circumferential dimension larger than a largest circumferential dimension of said notch such that said circumferential portion contacts said retaining member and the separation of said tamper indicating member relative to said retaining member is inhibited in response to a force placed on said tamper indicating member in a direction away from said retaining member.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein said tamper indicating member comprises an indentation and an external circumference, said indentation providing an opening on said external circumference to allow a portion of said retaining member to be viewed from a side of said tamper indicating member opposite said nut.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said retaining member comprises an engaging portion engaging said nut, said indentation is located relative to said retaining member to allow the user to view the engaging portion through said opening.

13. A method for use in providing a load on a bearing mounted to a shaft, the method comprising:
engaging a lock nut on a shaft at a desired preload of a bearing mounted on the shaft;
engaging a keeper with the nut to inhibit movement of the keeper relative to the nut;
engaging the keeper with the shaft to inhibit movement of the nut relative to the shaft;
engaging a retaining member connected to the keeper with the nut to hold the keeper engaged with the nut; and
engaging a tamper indicating member to the keeper retaining member to inhibit a separation of the tamper indicating member from the retaining member such that the separation of the tamper indicating member from the retaining member provides a visual indication to a user.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the retaining member comprises a notch and the tamper indicating member comprises a tab, and further comprising deforming the tab into the notch to connect the tamper indicating member to the retaining member.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the tab comprises a circumferential portion and a radial portion, the radial portion received in the notch and the circumferential portion located on an opposite side of the notch relative to a connection point between the radial portion and a remainder of the tamper indicating member.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the circumferential portion has a circumferential dimension larger than a largest circumferential dimension of the notch such that the circumferential portion contacts the retaining member and the separation of said tamper indicating member relative to said retaining member is inhibited in response to a force placed on the tamper indicating member in a direction away from the retaining member.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising viewing a portion of the retaining member from a side of the tamper indicating member opposite the nut through an opening bounded by an indentation in an external circumference of the tamper indicating member.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the retaining member comprises an engaging portion engaging the nut, and wherein the viewing the portion of the retaining member comprises viewing the engaging portion engaging the nut.

19. The method of claim of claim 14 wherein the deforming the tab comprises rotating the tab toward the retaining member about a point connecting the tab to a remainder of the tamper indicating member.

20. The method of claim of claim 19 wherein the tab comprises a first tab of a plurality of tabs of the tamper indicating member, the deforming the tab comprising a tab tool contacting a plurality of tabs of the tamper indicating member to deform the plurality of tabs toward the retaining mem

Assignees

• Temper Axle Products Corp

Inventors

• Rode John E
• Strait Sean E
• Wilson Ronald George

Classifications

• F16C25/06 Primary

  Ball or roller bearings · CPC title

• B25B13/50

  for operating on work of special profile, e.g. pipes · CPC title

• B25B27/00

  Hand tools, specially adapted for fitting together or separating parts or objects whether or not involving some deformation, not otherwise provided for (machines for simply fitting together or separating metal parts or objects B23P19/00) · CPC title

• Y10T29/49636

  Process for making bearing or component thereof · CPC title

• B23P15/003

  bearings (see also F16C33/00) · CPC title