Method of joining brake assemblies to wheel hubs

Abstract

Method of mounting a brake rotor to a wheel hub, the mounting establishing a sealed but removable fixed bearing therebetween; it comprises the steps of: (a) forming mating metallic mounting surfaces on the respective rotor and hub that at least in part extend in a plane normal to the axis of rotation of the hub (for example, within a tolerance .+-.0.001 inch); (b) depositing a sealing material between the mounting surfaces consisting of a mineral oil based paste containing generally similar proportions by volume of particles of nickel, graphite and a hydrocarbon, suspended in the paste, the particles having an ultra fine particle size in the range of 5-80 microns; (c) clamping the surfaces together to complete the mounting, the clamping causing the deposited material to spread uniformly therebetween to seal the surfaces against corrosion, the paste being deposited in a limited volume to permit metal to metal contact between micro ridges of the surfaces when clamped, the uniformly spread material tolerating micromovements between the surfaces during extended use without fretting to thereby maintain alignment of the rotor to the hub within the designed tolerance.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.