Universal joint with bearing retention device and method
AssigneeAmerican Axle & Manufacturing, Inc.
InventorRobert Wehner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A universal joint includes a spider, first and second yokes drivingly interconnected by the spider, a plurality of bearing cups and a plurality of retaining members. The first yoke includes spaced apart arms with apertures extending through each arm. The apertures are coaxially aligned with one another and include a circumferential groove spaced apart from an edge of the arm. Each bearing cup is positioned within one of the apertures and in receipt of one of the trunnions. A portion of each bearing cup is positioned in communication with a corresponding groove. Each retaining member is operable to complement the size and shape of the corresponding groove, bearing cup and aperture such that each retaining member couples one of the bearing cups to its associated arm.
Claims18
A universal joint comprising:
- a spider having a plurality of trunnions;
- a pair of yokes, each yoke having a pair of arms with an aperture formed therethrough, each yoke being arranged such that an opposite pair of the trunnions are received into the aperture in the arms, each aperture including a ring groove;
- a plurality of bearing cups, each bearing cup receiving an associated one of the trunnions and being received into a corresponding aperture and an associated one of the arms;
- and
- a plurality of retaining members, each retaining member being formed in-situ from a molten injected polymer positioned in the ring groove, each of the retaining members coupling an associated one of the bearing cups and its associated arm.
A universal joint comprising:
- a spider having a plurality of trunnions;
- first and second yokes drivingly interconnected by the spider, the first yoke including spaced apart arms with apertures extending through each arm, the apertures being coaxially aligned with one another, each aperture including a circumferential groove spaced from an edge of the arm;
- a plurality of bearing cups, each bearing cup being positioned within one of the apertures and in receipt of one of the trunnions, a portion of each bearing cup being positioned in communication with a corresponding groove;
- a plurality of retaining members, each retaining member being operable to complement the size and shape of the corresponding groove, bearing cup and aperture, each retaining member coupling one of the bearing cups and its associated arm.
A method of assembling a universal joint comprising:
- providing a yoke with a pair of arms, each of the arms having a trunnion aperture formed therein;
- installing a trunnion into each trunnion aperture;
- installing a plurality of bearing cups such that each bearing cup is received into one of the trunnion apertures and received onto an associated trunnion;
- injecting molten polymeric resin into a groove formed in each of the arms, the groove being positioned adjacent to the associated bearing cup;
- and
- allowing the molten resin to cool to form a retaining member coupling each bearing cup to an associate arm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.