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US 2019/0056019 A1Published application
Differential assembly with two-piece carrier and welded ring gear
AssigneeMagna Powertrain of America, Inc.
InventorsBradley Ketchel, Wade Smith, Ryan Shaw
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A differential assembly is provided to include a two-piece differential carrier, a differential gearset installed within a gearset chamber formed in the differential carrier, and a ring gear. An interlocking feature mechanically interconnects the ring gear to the first and second case members of the two-piece differential carrier and defines first and second weldment junctions. A first weld seam is located in the first weldment junction and connects the ring gear to the first case member while a second weld seam is located in the second weldment junction and connects the ring gear to the second case member,
Claims20
A differential assembly, comprising:
- a differential carrier having a first case member and a second case member together defining an internal gearset chamber, said first case member having a first groove section and a first case weldment surface, said second case member having a second groove section and a second case weldment surface, said first and second case members adapted to align said first and second groove sections to define an annular carrier groove;
- a differential gearset installed within said gearset chamber of said differential carrier;
- and
- a ring gear configured to surround said differential carrier and having an annular locator flange adapted to be located and retained within said carrier groove, said ring gear defining a first ring gear weldment surface adapted to be aligned with said first case weldment surface to establish a first weldment junction between said ring gear and said first case member, said ring gear further defining a second ring gear weldment surface adapted to be aligned with said second case weldment surface to establish a second weldment junction between said ring gear and said second case member;
- wherein said ring gear is welded to said differential carrier by a first weld seam located along said first weldment junction and a second weld seam located along said second weldment junction.
2 more elements
A differential assembly, comprising:
- a two-piece differential carrier having a first case member and a second case member together defining an internal gearset chamber, said first case member having an end face surface formed with an axially-extending locator flange, said second case member having an end face surface arranged to matingly engage said end face surface of said first case member and which is formed to include a carrier groove sized to receive and retain said locator flange therein, said first case member defining a first case weldment surface and said second case member defining a second case weldment surface;
- a differential gearset installed within said gearset chamber of said two-piece differential carrier;
- and
- a ring gear configured to surround said differential carrier and having a pilot groove adapted to be located and retained in abutting engagement with a radially-extending pilot flange associated with one of said first and second case members, said ring gear defining a first ring gear weldment surface adapted to be aligned with said first case weldment surface to establish a first weldment junction between said ring gear and said first case member, said ring gear further defining a second ring gear weldment surface adapted to be aligned with said second case weldment surface to establish a second weldment junction between said ring gear and said second case member;
- wherein said ring gear is welded to said differential carrier by a first weld seam located along said first weldment junction and a second weld seam located along said second weldment junction.
2 more elements
A differential assembly, comprising:
- a differential carrier having a first case member and a second case member together defining an internal gearset chamber, said first case member having a first case mount surface, a first groove section and a first case weldment surface, said second case member having a second case mount surface, a second groove section and a second case weldment surface, said first and second case members adapted to align said first and second groove sections to define an annular carrier groove;
- a differential gearset installed within said gearset chamber of said differential carrier;
- and
- a ring gear configured to surround said differential carrier, said ring gear defining a first ring gear weldment surface adapted to be aligned with said first case weldment surface to establish a first weldment junction between said ring gear and said first case member, said ring gear further defining a second ring gear weldment surface adapted to be aligned with said second case weldment surface to establish a second weldment junction between said ring gear and said second case member, said ring gear having a hub segment having an inner surface from which an annular locator flange extends and which is configured to be disposed within said carrier groove, said inner surface of said hub segment defining a first ring gear mount surface on one side of the locator flange configured to be aligned with said first case mount surface when said locator flange is disposed within said first groove section, and said inner surface of said hub segment defining a second ring gear mount surface on an opposite side of said locator flange configured to be aligned with said second case mount surface when said locator flange is disposed within said second groove section;
- wherein said ring gear is welded to said differential carrier by a first weld seam located along said first weldment junction and a second weld seam located along said second weldment junction.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.