Wheel hub assembly and method of testing
AssigneeFederal-Mogul Motorparts LLC
InventorsLarry Sitzes, Richard W. Harvey
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wheel hub assembly includes a mounting base and a wheel hub supported for rotation on the mounting base by a plurality of bearings disposed within an annular space between the hub and base. A sealing system is provided that seals all points of intrusion into the space such that liquid contaminants are inhibited or precluded from entering the space and reaching the bearings when the assembly is subjected to an immersion/thermal shock test in which the assembly is heated to an elevated temperature and then immersed on a cold bath of the liquid contaminant. A method of testing the sealing integrity of wheel hub assemblies is also provided.
Claims10
A method of evaluating water intrusion into a newly manufactured wheel hub assembly comprising a mounting base, a wheel hub, an annular gap between the mounting base and the wheel hub, lubricated bearings disposed in the annular gap for supporting the wheel hub for rotation relative to the mounting base, and a sealing arrangement for limiting the intrusion of water into the annular gap, comprising the steps of:
- placing the wheel hub assembly into a heating chamber for a period of time until at least a portion of the wheel hub assembly reaches a target elevated temperature of about 200° F.;
- removing the wheel hub assembly from the heating chamber after the portion of the wheel hub assembly is heated to at least the target elevated temperature;
- providing a cooling environment comprising a liquid that is maintained at a target reduced temperature in the range of 35-40° F.;
- immersing the wheel hub assembly, after removing it from the heating environment, into the cooling environment such that the wheel hub assembly experiences a temperature differential of 160-165° F. from the target elevated temperature to the liquid of the cooling environment;
- and
- removing the wheel hub assembly from the cooling environment after a pre-determined time period.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.