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US 6,267,203 B1Granted
Axle housing bowl lubricant temperature reduction system
AssigneeMeritor Heavy Vehicle Systems, LLC
InventorsRonald N. Brissette, Christopher S. Keeney, Dennis A. Kramer, Jack R. McKenzie, Brian J. Mueller, Dale Bell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved method of removing heat from a lubricant in an axle housing includes the use of a deflector in the axle housing. The deflector is positioned on a cover secured to the housing bowl. Lubricant is thrown against the deflector by a ring gear in the bowl. The lubricant is directed by the deflector outwardly to the axle ends of the axle assembly. In this way, the lubricant is exposed to a greater surface area, and the cooling efficiency of this system is greatly improved.
Claims6
An axle housing comprising:
- a central bowl having a vertically lower bowl portion, and a pair of axle housings extending from opposed sides of said central bowl, said central bowl having a portion which is vertically lower than portions of said axle housing when said axle housing is positioned on a vehicle;
- a ring gear rotating within said bowl, and facing an inner wall of said bowl, a deflector positioned between said wall and said ring gear, and aligned to deflect lubricant from said ring gear outwardly into at least one of said axle housings, said deflector being positioned at a vertical position within a vertical extent of said ring gear, and further positioned to be within a lateral extent of said ring gear, said lateral extent being defined along a rotational axis of said ring gear and said vertical extent being defined perpendicular to said rotational axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.