Bearing assembly and method of manufacturing a bearing assembly
AssigneeMinebea Co., Ltd.
InventorsClive H. Boshier, Allen Christopher Clarke, Paul R. Smith
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A bearing assembly and method of manufacturing a bearing assembly exposable to transmission fluid, the method comprising the steps of: providing a bearing housing (2) having: a base; an annular wall (11) upstanding from the base having an inner (6) and an outer surface; and a flange (10) extending from the base; providing a ball (3) at one end of a stem (4); forming a hemi-spherical cup in the base of the bearing housing encircled by the annular wall, the cup having an inner surface; seating the hall in the cup; and swaging the annular wall onto the ball.
Claims22
A method of manufacturing a bearing assembly exposable to transmission fluid, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a bearing housing having:
- a base;
- an annular wall upstanding from the base having an inner and an outer surface;
- and a flange extending from the base;
- providing a ball at one end of a stem;
- forming an hemi-spherical cup in the base of the bearing housing encircled by the annular wall, the cup having an inner surface;
- adhering a preformed liner to the inner surfaces of the cup and the wall, said liner being produced from a material which is non-hydroscopic and so does not absorb transmission fluid;
- seating the ball in the cup;
- and
- swaging the annular wall onto the ball.
A bearing assembly of a transmission unit, the bearing assembly comprising:
- a bearing housing having:
- a base;
- an annular wall upstanding from the base having an inner and an outer surface;
- a flange extending from the base;
- an hemi-spherical cup in the base of the bearing housing encircled by the annular wall, the cup having an inner surface;
- a preformed liner adhered to the inner surfaces of the cup and the wall, said liner being produced from a material which is non-hydroscopic and hence does not absorb transmission fluid;
- a stem of a first element of the transmission unit and a ball located at one end of the stem,
- wherein the ball is seated in the cup and the annular wall is swaged onto the ball.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.