GB2316050A

GB2316050A - Steering axle with prestressed roller taper bearing

Info

Publication number: GB2316050A
Application number: GB9716591A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jan-Hendrik Mohr; Ernst Engelke; Ralf Koenig
Original assignee: Claas KGaA mbH
Current assignee: Claas KGaA mbH
Priority date: 1996-08-08
Filing date: 1997-08-05
Publication date: 1998-02-18
Anticipated expiration: 2017-08-05
Also published as: FR2752212B1; DE19631946A1; GB9716591D0; DE19631946B4; FR2752212A1; GB2316050B

Abstract

A steering axle has an axle body 1 with a forked configuration 5 at both ends, having swivel pins 8 fixedly screwed into those forks by clamping pins 10. The ends of the swivel pins 8 which project out of the forks carry taper roller bearings 12. The outer bearing races 14,14a are fitted in to bearing bores 16,17 in a fork which represents a respective part of a hub carrier 15. One of the bearing bores 17 in a respective fork(s) of a hub carrier 15 is provided with an internal screwthread 18, into which can be screwed a cover 19 provided with a collar 20. The collar 20 of the screwed-in cover 19 bears against the outer race of the taper roller bearing 14 associated therewith, so that the taper roller bearing 14 can be prestressed or retightened in accordance with the screwing-in depth of the cover 19.

Description

2316050 STEERING AXLE The invention concerns a steering axle.

Such an axle may be driven or non-driven and may comprise an axle body at whose ends, which are of a forked configuration, there are provided outwardly facing swivel pins to which the also forked ends of wheel hub carriers are mounted pivotably about an axis which is inclined relative to the plane of the wheel, by means of taper roller bearings - A steering axle of this kind is known for example from German laid-open patent application (DE-OS) No. 39 08 613. In the steering axle described therein the swivel pins are connected to the forked ends of the axle body by way of a cone connection. Fitted on to the ends of the swivel pins, which project out of the forks of the axle body, are taper roller bearings whose outer bearing races receive the ends, of a forked configuration, of the hub carriers. In that arrangement the bearing bores of the forked ends of the hub carriers are closed off by way of bearing covers which are screwed to the forked ends. So that the taper roller bearings can be prestressed in a defined condition, spacer discs which are of precisely defined thickness are also inserted between the individual bearing covers and the outer bearing races of the taper roller bearings. The method of bearing prestressing adopted here presupposes a high degree of manufacturing accuracy and measurement expenditure. A further disadvantage is that retightening of the taper roller bearings, which is required after a prolonged period of use, makes it necessary to use new spacer discs and requires subsequent measurement. Furthermore, with the bearing arrangement known here, it is necessary for each individual taper roller bearing to be adjusted separately by way of spacer discs.

According to the invention there is provided a steering axle having an axle body at whose ends which are of a forked configuration there are provided outwardly facing swivel pins to which the also forked ends of wheel hub carriers are mounted pivotably about an axis which is inclined relative to the plane of the wheel, by means of taper roller bearings, wherein each swivel pin is in the form of a cylindrical pin provided with a central collar and arrested at one end in a cylindrical bore in the fork 2 of the axle body and at the other end carries a taper roller bearing whose outer bearing race is mounted in the fork of the hub carrier and wherein at least one of the two bores in the fork of a hub carrier, which accommodate the outer races of the taper roller bearings, has an internal screwthread into which can be screwed a cover 5 whose inner collar bears against the outer race of the taper roller bearing.

In such a steering axle simple setting or re-tightening of the bearing prestressing is possible, with a low level of manufacturing expenditure.

Prestressing of the taper roller bearings can be effected merely by turning the cover in a very simple fashion. Tests have shown that it is sufficient to associate a screwthreaded cover with only one swivel pin of a fork. Rotating that one cover causes both taper roller bearings of a fork to be uniformly tightened without subsequent measurement being required.

Preferably the collar of each swivel pin has both a flat contact surface for bearing against the axle body fork and also a flat contact surface for bearing against the inner bearing race of the taper roller bearing with the contact surfaces perpendicular to the centre line of the swivel pin.

In order to provide for a firm connection of the swivel pins, each of those swivel pins can be screwed to the fork of the axle body by way of a clamping screw.

In order to prevent the cover which is screwed into the bore in the fork of the hub carrier for the purposes of prestressing the taper roller bearings from coming loose during operation, the cover can be fixed in position to the fork of the hub carrier. That can be effected for example by the cover having an external tooth configuration and being arrestable by means of a screw which engages into one of the gaps between the teeth and a bore, associated with the screw, in the fork of the hub carrier.

The invention is diagrammatically illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of one half of a steering axle; and Figure 2 is a partly sectional side view on an enlarged scale of a part of the steering axle shown in Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, an axle body 1 on which a hub carrier 15 is 3 mounted displaceably by way of a track rod 3 and a wheel hub 2 is mounted drivably by way of a drive shaft 4 on the hub carrier 15. Both ends of the axle body 1 of which only one end is shown are of a forked configuration. Swivel pins 8 which are provided with a peripherally extending collar 7 are fitted into mutually oppositely disposed blind bores 6 in a fork 5, more specifically in such a way that they bear with flat contact surfaces 9 against the fork 5. In that arrangement, in order to guarantee a firm fit, the swivel pins 8 are fixedly screwed to the fork 5 by way of clamping screws 10. Fitted onto the outwardly projecting ends of the swivel pins 8 are taper roller bearings 12 whose inner bearing races 13 are each supported on upper flat surfaces 11 of the collars 7. The fork of the hub carrier 15 is supported by way of outer bearing races 14 and 14a.

The outer bearing race 14a which is shown in the lower half of Figure 2 is secured in position in a bearing bore 16 in the fork of the hub carrier 15 by a flat cover 23. An upper bearing bore 17 in the fork of the hub carrier 15, as shown in Figure 2, is provided with an internal screwthread 18 into which a cover 19 can be screwed. In that case an inner collar 20 of the cover 19 bears against the outer race 14 of the taper roller bearing 12. Both the upper taper roller bearing shown in Figure 2 and also the lower taper roller bearing are prestressed by screwing the cover 19 to a greater or lesser depth into the screwthread in t eh bearing bore 17. In order to prevent the cover 19 from coming loose during operation, the cover 19 is provided with an external tooth configuration 24 so that the cover 19 can be fixed in position in the most widely varying rotational positions by way of a screw 21 which can be screwed into the fork of the hub carrier 15.

4

Claims

A steering axle having an axle body at whose ends which are of a forked configuration there are provided outwardly facing swivel pins to which the also forked ends of wheel hub carriers are mounted pivotably about an axis which is inclined relative to the plane of the wheel, by means of taper roller bearings, wherein each swivel pin is in the form of a cylindrical pin provided with a central collar and arrested at one end in a cylindrical bore in the fork of the axle body and at the other end carries a taper roller bearing whose outer bearing race is mounted in the fork of the hub carrier and wherein at least one of the two bores in the fork of a hub carrier, which accommodate the outer races of the taper roller bearings, has an intemal screwthread into which can be screwed a cover whose inner collar bears against the outer race of the taper roller bearing.
2. A steering axle according to claim 1, wherein the collar of each swivel pin has both a flat contact surface for bearing against the axle body fork and also a flat contact surface for contact with the inner bearing race of the taper roller bearing and wherein both contact surfaces are perpendicular to the centre line of the swivel pin.
3. A steering axle according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each swivel pin is screwed to the fork of the axle body by way of a clamping screw.
4. A steering axle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cover can be fixed in position to the fork of the hub carrier.
5. A steering axle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cover has an external tooth configuration and can be arrested by means of a screw engaging into one of the gaps between the teeth and a screwthreaded bore, associated with the screw, in the fork of the hub carrier.
6. A steering axle substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawing.