Electric machine, assembly and associated method

An assembly for use in an electric machine having a stator and a rotor, said assembly comprising:

• a shaft secured to the rotor, said shaft defining a sleeve engaging feature;
• a sleeve defining a bore and an outer periphery thereof, said sleeve slidably secured to said shaft, said sleeve defining a shaft engaging feature;
• and
• a bearing defining a bore thereof, at least a portion of the bore of said bearing fixedly secured to at least a portion of the outer periphery of said sleeve, said sleeve engaging feature and said shaft engaging feature cooperating to prohibit substantial rotational relative motion between said sleeve and said shaft and to permit substantial axial motion between said shaft and said sleeve so as to prevent axial loading of the inner race relative to the outer race caused by relative axial motion of the shaft relative to the sleeve.

A method for securing a bearing to a shaft in an electric machine, comprising:

• providing an electric machine housing;
• providing a rolling element bearing including an inner race, an outer race and a plurality of rolling element, the inner race defining a bore thereof;
• fixedly securing the outer race of the bearing to the housing;
• fixedly securing a sleeve to the bore of the inner race;
• and
• providing a first wall defining a first void formed in the of the outer periphery of the shaft;
• providing a second wall defining a second void formed in the bore of the sleeve;
• providing a member;
• adapting the member to cooperate with the first void and the second void;
• prohibiting substantial rotational movement between the sleeve and the shaft;
• and
• permitting substantial axial movement between the sleeve and the shaft, so as to prevent axial loading of the inner race relative to the outer race caused by relative axial motion of the shaft relative to the sleeve.