Axle Assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9927020-B2
Application number	US-201414295966-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 4, 2014
Priority date	Jun 4, 2014
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

An axle assembly that may have a housing and a carrier housing. The axle assembly may include one or more quiet lubricant reservoirs that may not receive rotating components of the axle assembly. A seal may be provided in a channel that may be disposed between the housing and the carrier housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An axle assembly comprising:
a housing that has a center portion that receives a differential, first and second arm portions that extend from the center portion, and a housing lubricant reservoir that is disposed proximate the center portion and spaced apart from the first and second arm portions, wherein the housing lubricant reservoir has a cavity that receives a lubricant and a housing partition wall that separates the cavity from the differential such that the differential is not disposed in the housing lubricant reservoir; and
a carrier housing that is mounted to the housing, wherein the carrier housing includes:
a carrier housing cavity that receives an input shaft that provides torque to the differential;
a carrier housing lubricant reservoir that has a cavity that receives the lubricant, wherein the carrier housing lubricant reservoir is at least partially defined by the carrier housing and a carrier housing partition wall that extends from the carrier housing and that separates the cavity of the carrier housing lubricant reservoir from the carrier housing cavity and the input shaft such that no rotating component is disposed in the carrier housing lubricant reservoir, wherein the housing lubricant reservoir is fluidly connected to the carrier housing lubricant reservoir by an outlet port; and
an interaxle differential unit that is coupled to the input shaft and disposed in the carrier housing cavity, wherein the carrier housing partition wall is disposed between the interaxle differential unit and the cavity of the carrier housing lubricant reservoir.

2. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein the carrier housing partition wall is disposed between the interaxle differential unit and the carrier housing lubricant reservoir and is disposed to a lateral side of the input shaft and the interaxle differential unit.

3. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein the carrier housing has a flange portion that extends around the carrier housing cavity and that is mounted to the housing, wherein the carrier housing partition wall extends from the flange portion.

4. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein the carrier housing partition wall includes an inlet port that receives lubricant from the carrier housing cavity and the outlet port that routes lubricant out of the carrier housing lubricant reservoir.

5. An axle assembly comprising:
a housing that includes:
a center portion and first and second arm portions that extend from the center portion, wherein the center portion receives a differential; and
a housing lubricant reservoir that is disposed proximate the center portion and spaced apart from the first and second arm portions, wherein the housing lubricant reservoir has a cavity that receives a lubricant, wherein the housing lubricant reservoir has a housing partition wall that separates the cavity from the differential such that the differential is not disposed in the housing lubricant reservoir; and

a carrier housing that is mounted to the housing, wherein the carrier housing has an internal surface and a differential bearing support that rotatably supports the differential and is disposed in the center portion and is mounted on the internal surface, wherein the differential bearing support has a mounting hole that receives a fastener that couples the differential bearing support to the carrier housing and has a differential bearing support lubricant reservoir that is disposed inside the differential bearing support and that receives the lubricant.

6. The axle assembly of claim 5 wherein the housing partition wall has an inlet port that receives lubricant from the center portion and an outlet port that provides lubricant to the center portion.

7. The axle assembly of claim 5 wherein the carrier housing has a carrier housing lubricant reservoir that is at least partially defined by the carrier housing and a carrier housing partition wall that is disposed in the carrier housing, wherein the housing lubricant reservoir is fluidly connected to the carrier housing lubricant reservoir by an outlet port.

8. The axle assembly of claim 5 wherein the differential bearing support has a face surface that faces toward and engages the internal surface of the carrier housing, wherein the differential bearing support and the internal surface cooperate to define the differential bearing support lubricant reservoir.

9. An axle assembly comprising:
a housing;
a carrier housing that is mounted to the housing;
a channel that is disposed between the housing and the carrier housing and that has an inlet and an outlet, wherein the housing and carrier housing cooperate to at least partially define the channel; and
a seal that is disposed in the channel, wherein the seal is inserted into the channel via the inlet after the carrier housing is mounted to the housing and extends to the outlet.

10. The axle assembly of claim 9 wherein the seal engages the housing and the carrier housing and extends continuously through the channel from the inlet to the outlet such that the seal exits the channel at the outlet.

11. The axle assembly of claim 9 wherein the inlet is disposed between the housing and the carrier housing such that the housing and the carrier housing cooperate to define the inlet.

12. The axle assembly of claim 9 wherein the outlet is disposed between the housing and the carrier housing such that the housing and the carrier housing cooperate to define the outlet.

13. The axle assembly of claim 9 wherein the inlet and the outlet are disposed between the housing and the carrier housing such that the housing and the carrier housing cooperate to define the inlet and the outlet.

14. The axle assembly of claim 9 wherein the carrier housing defines a carrier housing cavity and has a flange portion that extends around the carrier housing cavity, wherein the flange portion has a set of fastener holes in which each fastener hole is configured to receive a fastener that couples the carrier housing to the housing, wherein the channel is disposed between and is spaced apart from the carrier housing cavity and the set of fastener holes.

15. The axle assembly of claim 14 wherein the channel is a groove that is disposed in the flange portion.

16. The axle assembly of claim 14 wherein the channel is a groove that is disposed in the housing adjacent to the flange portion.

17. The axle assembly of claim 14 wherein the inlet is a hole that extends through the flange portion.

18. The axle assembly of claim 14 wherein the inlet and the outlet are spaced apart from each other and are disposed proximate a perimeter surface of the flange portion.

19. The axle assembly of claim 14 wherein the channel has a first channel portion and a second channel portion, wherein the first channel portion and the second channel portion extend around opposite sides of the carrier housing cavity such that the first channel portion and second channel portion both receive the seal from the inlet and both provide the seal to the outlet.

20. The axle assembly of claim 9 further comprising an RFID tag disposed on the housing.

Assignees

• Arvinmeritor Technology Llc
• Arvinmeritor Technology Llc

Inventors

• Keeney Christopher
• Ekonen Todd R
• Santinato Fabio
• Kwasniewski Dale
• Seaman Danny
• Martin Robert J
• Bradley Ben
• Gainey Sean

Classifications

• Y10T74/2188

  Axle and torque tubes · CPC title

• F16H57/0483

  Axle or inter-axle differentials · CPC title

• F16H57/037 Primary

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

• F16H57/0457

  Splash lubrication · CPC title

• F16H2057/02052

  Axle units; Transfer casings for four wheel drive · CPC title