One piece trailing arm for torsional springs
AssigneePullman Incorporated
InventorRonald J. McLaughlin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An axle assembly for a vehicle or a trailer includes an outer housing, an axle shaft and a plurality of bushings. The axle shaft is a single piece unitary construction which includes an activator shaft portion, a trailing arm portion and a spindle portion. The outer housing is adapted to be secured to the frame of the vehicle or trailer while the spindle portion is adapted to support a wheel assembly of the vehicle or trailer. Another embodiment has a single piece unitary axle which includes an activator shaft portion and a trailing arm portion. A spindle is secured to the trailing arm portion to complete the axle assembly.
Claims12
An axle assembly for use in a vehicle, said axle assembly comprising:
- an outer housing having a generally rectangular cross section, said outer housing being adapted to be secured to said vehicle;
- a first axle comprising a first activator shaft portion and a first trailing arm portion having a hollow cross section disposed adjacent to said first activator shaft portion, said first-trailing arm portion being angled with respect to said first activator shaft portion, said first activator shaft portion being disposed within said outer housing, said first activator shaft portion having a first tubular cylindrical section, a first tubular rectangular section and a first transition section disposed between said first tubular cylindrical section and said first tubular rectangular section, said first activator shaft portion defining a hollow cross section having a generally constant wall thickness;
- wherein,
- said first trailing arm portion includes a hollow oval section and a first hollow transition section disposed between a first end of said hollow oval section and said first tubular cylindrical section of said first activator shaft;
- said first trailing arm portion includes a second hollow transition section disposed at a second end of said hollow oval section to transition said hollow oval section from an oval shape to a cylindrical shape;
- at least one first bushing disposed between said outer housing and said first tubular rectangular section of said first activator shaft portion of said first axle;
- and
- at least one first end collar disposed between said outer housing and said first tubular cylindrical section of said first activator shaft portion of said first axle, said first end collar having a cylindrical aperture to receive said first tubular cylindrical section.
A process for manufacturing an axle assembly for a vehicle, the process comprising the steps of:
- providing a substantially rectangular tubular outer housing;
- forming an axle comprising a tubular activator shaft portion having a generally constant wall thickness and a hollow trailing arm portion having an oval cross section and disposed adjacent to said tubular activator shaft portion, said hollow trailing arm portion being angled with respect to said tubular activator shaft portion, said tubular activator shaft portion including a tubular cylindrical section, a tubular rectangular section and a transition section disposed between said tubular cylindrical section and said tubular rectangular section;
- forming a first hollow transition section between a first end of said oval cross-section of said hollow trailing arm and said tubular cylindrical section of said tubular activator shaft;
- forming a second hollow transition section at a second end of said oval cross-section of said hollow trailing arm to transition said oval cross-section into a cylindrical cross-section;
- forming at least one bushing of an elastic material;
- positioning said at least one bushing on said tubular activator shaft portion of said axle;
- and
- positioning said tubular activator shaft portion into said housing such that said bushing is disposed between said tubular activator shaft portion and said housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.