Knuckle hub assembly and method for making same

A knuckle hub assembly for use in a motor vehicle, comprising:

• a knuckle having a plurality of apertures formed therein far attachment to a supporting structure, said knuckle having a generally circular bore formed therein;
• an attachment structure formed in said knuckle for communicating with a bearing;
• a wheel hub having a neck portion and a flange portion, said neck portion being in rotatable communication with said bearing;
• a flange face formed on said flange portion for mating with a brake rotor;
• a relief channel formed in said flange face and dividing said flange face into an inner portion and an outer portion which are generally co-planar to each other, said relief channel having a plurality of wheel bolt receiving apertures formed therein for receipt of a wheel bolt therethrough;
• and
• whereby said flange face inner portion is parallel to a first brake caliper and said flange face outer portion is parallel to a second brake caliper and whereby lateral run-out of said flange face with respect to said brake rotor is minimized and wherein said inner portion of said flange face and said outer portion of said flange face have a flatness of at least 20 μm.

A method for manufacturing a knuckle/hub assembly comprising:

• providing a wheel hub having a neck portion and a flange portion, said flange portion having a flange face with an inner portion, an outer potion, and a relief channel disposed between said inner portion and said outer portion;
• forming a plurality of bolt receiving apertures in said relief channel;
• locating a bearing into a generally circular bore formed in a knuckle;
• journaling said neck portion of said wheel hub into said bearing to allow rotation of said wheel hub with respect to said knuckle;
• final finishing said inner portion and said outer portion of said flange face whereby said inner portion and said outer portion are coplanar and lateral run-out of said flange face to a brake rotor is minimized and wherein said inner portion and said outer portion of said flange face have a flatness of at least 20 μm.

A method for manufacturing a wheel end assembly comprising:

• providing a wheel hub having a neck portion and a flange portion, said flange portion having a flange face;
• forming a relief channel in said flange face such that said flange face has an inner portion and an outer portion;
• forming a plurality of bolt receiving holes in said relief channel;
• finishing said flange face in order to flatten said flange face inner portion and said flange face outer portion;
• placing said wheel hub in rotational communication with a knuckle;
• and
• final finishing said inner portion and said outer portion of said flange face whereby lateral run out of said flange face is minimized;
• wherein said step of final finishing includes forming said inner portion and said outer portion such that they each have a flatness of at least 20 μm.