Wheel bearing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9797453-B2
Application number	US-54256106-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2006
Priority date	Oct 4, 2005
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

A wheel bearing apparatus has an outer member, an inner member, at least one inner ring fit onto the inner member. Double row rolling elements are rollably arranged between the outer and inner raceway surfaces, via cages. A seal is mounted on one end of the outer member. The seal has side lips adapted to be in sliding contact with the wheel hub. The seal has three inclined side lips each extending radially outward from the seal body. The lips are adapted to be in sliding contact with the base of the wheel mounting flange. Interference of the side lips against the base of the wheel mounting flange is set so that the radially inner side lip has a smaller interference than that of the radially outer side lips, in order.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wheel bearing apparatus comprising;
an outer member formed with a body having double row outer raceway surfaces on an inner circumferential surface of the outer member body and a mounting flange extending from an outer circumferential surface of the outer member body, a first cylindrical portion extending on an outer side from the mounting flange, a tapered surface formed on the outer circumferential surface of the first cylindrical portion, the tapered surface positioned between an end of the outer member and the first cylindrical portion of the body of the outer member so that the end of the outer member forms a second cylindrical portion with a diameter smaller than that of the first cylindrical portion of the body of the outer member;
an inner member including a wheel hub having a wheel mounting flange integrally formed at one end and a cylindrical portion axially extending from the wheel mounting flange, at least one inner ring fit onto the cylindrical portion of the wheel hub, the inner ring is formed with one of the double row inner raceway surfaces on an outer circumferential surface of the at least one inner ring, the double row inner raceway surfaces arranged opposite to the double row outer raceway surfaces;
double row rolling elements rollably arranged between the outer and inner raceway surfaces via cages;
a seal mounted on one end of the outer member, said seal having integrally formed side lips adapted to be in sliding contact on the wheel hub;
the seal comprises a first seal fit onto the inner circumferential surface of the second cylindrical portion of the outer member body, said first seal having a plurality of integrally formed side lips adapted to be in sliding contact with the wheel hub, the outermost side lip slidingly contacts the flat part of the flange of the wheel hub, and a second seal including a sealing member and a metal core, a sealed space being formed between the first and second seals, the second seal is adapted to be mounted on the second cylindrical portion of the outer member body, the second seal extending from the outer circumference of the outer member, the second seal having a securing section formed by the sealing portion and metal core, the securing section has the sealing member inserted between the metal core and the outer member with a portion of the sealing member fit on the smaller diameter of the second cylindrical portion outer-side outer circumferential surface, the metal core has a central portion, raised side portions and transition portions between the central portion and raised portion, the central portion and raised side portions have cylindrical configurations with outer circumferential surfaces of the raised side portions having a larger diameter than the outer circumferential surface of the central portion, the transition portions extending radially to provide a gap between an inner circumferential surface of the raised side portions and the second cylinder portion outer-side outer circumferential surface so that the inner circumferential surface of the raised portion and the inner circumferential surface of the central portion are parallel and the inner circumferential surface of the raised portion and the outer circumferential surface of the second cylindrical portion are parallel to each other so that the gap has a substantially constant thickness and the sealing member is positioned in the gap and surrounds the metal core leaving the central portion of the metal core exposed and the exposed portion of the metal core is at the center of the portion of the sealing member so that the exposed portion of the metal core is in contact with the smaller diameter of the second cylindrical portion outer-side outer circumferential surface of the outer member and the portion of the sealing member that surrounds the raised side portions is in sealing contact with the smaller diameter of the second cylindrical portion outer-side outer circumferential surface of the outer member on both sides of the exposed portion of the center metal core, the securing section has a thickness so that a diameter of the securing section and second cylindrical portion is smaller than the diameter of the first cylindrical portion, said second seal having a side lip adapted to be in sliding contact with the flat surface of the base of the wheel mounting flange of the wheel hub, and the side lip of the second seal is formed so that the side lip inclines and extends from a base to tip radially outward of the outer circumferential surface of the outer member and due to the inclination of the second seal side lip, rain water or dust flows toward the outer member wherein an annular recess is formed by the second seal securing section, the smaller diameter of the second cylindrical portion outer circumferential surface of the outer member and the tapered surface to enable the rain water or dust to drop off the second seal.

2. The wheel bearing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second seal metal core is press formed from a steel sheet and the sealing member is integrally adhered on the metal core by vulcanized adhesion, the metal core comprises a cylindrical portion fit onto the outer circumferential surface of the end of the outer member and a standing portion extending from the cylindrical portion radially outward, the inclined side lip extends from the outer circumferential edge of the standing portion toward radially outward.

3. The wheel bearing apparatus of claim 2 wherein the sealing member of the second seal is secured on the surface of cylindrical portion of the metal core with the sealing member surrounding the cylindrical portion.

4. The wheel bearing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the base of a radially innermost one of the side lips is formed with a radial lip extending radially inward and adapted to be in contact with the wheel hub or the inner ring.

5. The wheel bearing apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising the first seal having three lips, two of the three lips are inclined side lips each extending radially outward from the seal body, and the side lips are adapted to be in sliding contact with the base of the wheel mounting flange, and the side lips contact against the base of the wheel mounting flange so that the interference of each side lip is set so that the radially outermost side lip has the longest length and widest width and the side lips size gradually reduce, in order, toward the radially inner side lip, and the third lip is a radial lip extending radially inward, the radial lip is the shortest of the three lips.

6. The wheel bearing apparatus of claim 5 wherein the radial lip is adapted to be in contact with the wheel hub or the inner ring.

7. The wheel bearing apparatus of claim 5 wherein the first seal comprises a metal core, press formed from steel sheet, and sealing member forming the side lips, the metal core has a cylindrical fitting portion to be fit onto the inner circumferential surface of the outer-side end of the outer member and an outer portion extending from the fitting portion along the end face of the outer member to a position corresponding to the outer circumferential surface of the outer member, and the outer portion of the metal core is surrounded by the sealing member so that the sealing member is interposed between the metal core and the outer member when the seal is arranged in position.

Assignees

• Norimatsu Takayuki
• Itakura Hiroaki
• Imanaka Hironori
• Suzuki Syougo
• Hirai Isao
• Kato Hiroya
• Fujimura Akira
• Fukada Kikuo
• Ntn Toyo Bearing Co Ltd

Inventors

• Norimatsu Takayuki
• Itakura Hiroaki
• Imanaka Hironori
• Suzuki Syougo
• Hirai Isao
• Kato Hiroya
• Fujimura Akira
• Fukada Kikuo

Classifications

• F16C33/7879

  with a further sealing ring · CPC title

• B60B27/00

  Hubs (non-metallic B60B5/00; of high resiliency B60B9/00) · CPC title

• F16C33/7876

  with sealing lips · CPC title

• F16C2326/02

  Wheel hubs or castors · CPC title

• F16C33/7896 Primary

  with two or more discrete sealings arranged in series · CPC title