US 4,491,035 AGranted

Differential gear apparatus

AssigneeThe Gleason Works

InventorsVernon E. Gleasman, Keith E. Gleasman

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Abstract

A differential gear assembly that includes a differential case 12 and a pair of axle ends 18a, 20a extending into, and rotatably coupled to, side gears 22, 24 located within the case. The axles are retained by locking rings 42 that are received by locking grooves 40 formed at the extreme ends of the axle ends and maintained in position by recesses 29 formed in the side gears. The axles are maintained in operative positions by a spacing arrangement that includes an axial thrust element 62 captured in one side gear recess and an element 64 that includes both a side gear thrust portion 66 and an axle thrust portion 68 which is received and captured by the recess in the other side gear. The operative position of at least one side gear 24 is maintained by a removable spacer that comprises a bifurcated collar held together by fasteners 84. Removal of the spacer 80 allows the one side gear 24 to move laterally enabling the removal of the axle spacing arrangement 62, 64 and ultimately the removal of the lock rings 42 from the axle ends to enable release of the axles 18, 20 from the differential.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A differential gearing assembly, comprising:

(a) a differential case including a flange for mounting a ring gear;
(b) a pair of axles including axle ends extending into said differential case, said axle ends each defining a substantially radial end face and positioned in axial alignment with and disposed along an axis of rotation of said ring gear;
(c) each axle end including a groove and a lock ring positioned in aid groove for maintaining said axle ends within said differential case;
(d) side gears slidably mounted and rotatably coupled to respective axle ends;
(e) gear means mounted to said differential case for coupling rotation of said ring gear to said side gears;
(f) removable gear spacing means located between at least one of said side gears and said differential case, for maintaining said one side gear in its operative position;
(g) each side ear including an inner end face, disposed in a plane parallel to a plane defined by an end face of its associated axle end, said gear end faces spaced axially inwardly of the end faces of their associated axle ends when said side gears are in their operative positions;
(h) axial thrust bearing means disposed intermediate said axle end faces for maintaining said axle ends in their operative positions, said axial thrust bearing means including a radially extending flange defining axial thrust surfaces for said side gear end faces, said axial thrust bearing means captured in position by recesses defined by said side gears, said axial thrust bearing means being removable when said one side gear is moved to an access position upon removing said removable gear spacing means;
and
(i) said axles being sequentially movable to an access position at which the associated lock rings of said axle ends are removable, after said removable gear spacing means and said axial thrust bearing means are removed.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.