Bearing assembly for a wheel hub driven by a rotary constant velocity universal joint

An assembly for the hub of a wheel of a motor vehicle comprising:

• wheel bearing means having an inner and an outer wheel bearing ring, said inner bearing ring being in driving connection with said wheel hub;
• universal joint means for driving said wheel hub through said inner bearing ring, said universal joint means including an inner joint member and an outer joint member with said outer joint member being in driving connection with said inner bearing ring;
• said wheel bearing means and said universal joint means being constructed as separate, self-contained structural units which can be connected together and separated from each other without requiring disassembly of each of said units;
• centrally located bolt means extending in connecting engagment between said wheel hub and said outer joint member in threaded engagement therebetween and adapted to be threadedly tightened to bring said wheel bearing means and said universal joint means together in assembled relationship during assembly thereof;
• an end face on said outer joint member arranged to axially face said inner bearing ring;
• and
• gear teeth means including gear teeth on said end face interposed between said outer joint member and said inner bearing ring for connecting them in torque transmitting engagement with each other;
• said gear teeth means consisting essentially of interengaging gear teeth having a flank angle of less than 20.degree. which engage with each other without play in the circumferential direction and in the axial direction;
• the flank angle of said gear teeth being selected in such a manner that the teeth are self-locking and that the load resulting from torque transmitted by said joint does not cause axial forces to act upon the bearing means.