Wheel bearing apparatus for a vehicle

This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/JP2008/001803, filed Jul. 7, 2008, which claims priority to Japanese Application No. 2007-179277, filed Jul. 9, 2007. The disclosures of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle wheel bearing apparatus to rotatably support a wheel of an automobile and, more particularly, to a vehicle wheel bearing apparatus intended to reduce the size and weight of an outer member of the wheel bearing apparatus.

In general, the wheel bearing apparatus to support a vehicle wheel is adapted to rollably support a wheel hub to mount the wheel, via a rolling bearing, and includes driving wheel and driven wheel types. For structural reasons, an inner ring rotation type is used for the driving wheel type. Both the inner ring rotation type and an outer ring rotation type are used for the driven wheel type. A double row angular contact ball bearing has been used in the wheel bearing apparatus since it has a desirable bearing rigidity, durability against misalignment, and a small rotational torque that contributes to improving fuel consumption.

Wheel bearing apparatus is generally classified into first through fourth generation types. In a first generation wheel bearing, it includes a double row angular contact ball bearing fit between a knuckle, forming part of a suspension apparatus, and a wheel hub. In a second generation type, a body mounting flange or a wheel mounting flange is directly formed on an outer circumference of an outer member. In a third generation type, one inner raceway surface is directly formed on an outer circumference of a wheel hub. In a fourth generation type, the inner raceway surfaces are directly formed, respectively, on outer circumferences of a wheel hub and an outer joint member of a constant velocity joint.

FIG. 8 shows one example of a structure of the wheel bearing apparatus. This wheel bearing apparatus is a third generation type used for a driving wheel. It includes an inner member 53 with a wheel hub 51 and an inner ring 52 . An outer member 55 is fit onto the inner member 53 via double row balls 54 , 54 . In the descriptions below, the term “outer side” defines a side that is positioned outside of a vehicle body (left-hand side of FIG. 8 ) and the term “inner side” defines a side that is positioned inside of a vehicle body (right-hand side of FIG. 8 ) when the wheel bearing apparatus is mounted on the vehicle body.

The wheel hub 51 is integrally formed with a wheel mounting flange 56 that extend at its outer side end. Hub bolts 56 a are secured onto the wheel mounting flange 56 equidistantly along its circumference. The wheel hub 51 is formed with an outer side inner raceway surface 51 a on its outer circumference. A cylindrical portion 51 b axially extends from the inner raceway surface 51 a . The inner ring 52 is formed with an inner side inner raceway surface 52 a on its outer circumference and press-fit onto the cylindrical portion 51 b.

The outer member 55 is integrally formed with a body mounting flange 55 b on its outer circumference. The body mounting flange 55 b is to be mounted on a knuckle (not shown). The outer member inner circumference has double row outer raceway surfaces 55 a , 55 a . Double row balls 54 , 54 are contained between the outer raceway surfaces 55 a , 55 a of the outer member 55 and the opposing inner raceway surfaces 51 a , 52 a . The balls 54 , 54 are rollably held by cages 57 , 57 . Seals 58 , 59 are mounted on both ends of the outer member 55 to prevent leakage of lubricating grease sealed within the bearing. Also, the seals 58 , 59 prevent the entry of rainwater or dusts into the bearing from the outside. The circumference of the body mounting flange is discontinuously formed with three or four projections. Each projection is formed with a screw aperture 69 for a bolt fastened to a knuckle.

A serration 51 c is formed on the inner circumference of the wheel hub 51 . An outer joint member 61 , forming part of a constant velocity universal joint 60 , is fit into the serration 51 c . The outer joint member 61 has an integral cup-shaped mouth portion 62 , a shoulder portion 63 , forming a bottom of the mouth portion 62 , and a stem portion 64 that axially extends from the shoulder portion 63 . A serration 64 a , formed on the outer circumference of the stem portion 64 , engages the serration 51 c of the wheel hub 51 . The outer joint member 61 is axially separably connected to the wheel hub 51 by a securing nut 65 . The outer joint shoulder portion 63 abuts against the inner ring 52 .

An outer circumferential surface 66 of the outer member 55 at the outer side of the body mounting flange 55 b is formed with a slight taper and its inner side outer circumference is formed with a cylindrical surface 67 adapted to be fit into the knuckle, as shown in FIG. 9 . In addition, a corner portion 68 , between the body mounting flange 55 b and the outer circumferential surface 66 , is formed by forging as a rounded corner with a circular arc cross-section. The inner side fitting surface 67 is formed with a diameter smaller than that of the outer side circumferential surface 66 . Thus, bolts fastened to the knuckle can be screwed into the screw apertures 69 from the side of the fitting surface 67 . An axially extending recess 70 is milled into the corner 68 at a position corresponding to the screw aperture 69 . The screw aperture 69 is formed by tapping after a hole is prepared by drilling.

This remarkably reduces the pitch circle diameter (PCD) of the screw apertures 69 . Thus, this reduces the size and weight of the bearing apparatus without diminishing the strength and rigidity of the outer member 55 . Also, it enables bolts to be fastened without interfering with the wheel mounting flange 56 of the wheel hub 51 to improve workability during assembly and disassembly of the bearing apparatus. See, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 91078/2007.

In recent years, there has been a strong desire to improve vehicle fuel consumption by saving material and preventing pollution. In addition to improving fuel consumption, by reducing the size and weight of the bearing apparatus, it is desirable to further reduce the weight of the bearing apparatus to improve the ride comfort by reducing the unsprung mass and to improve the driving stability by improving the road gripping performance of the tires.

It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide a wheel bearing apparatus that can reduce its size and weight without reducing the strength and rigidity of the outer member.

To achieve the object, a vehicle wheel bearing apparatus comprises an outer member formed with a body mounting flange on its outer circumference. The body mounting flange is to be mounted on a knuckle to form part of a suspension apparatus. The outer member inner circumference includes double row outer raceway surfaces. An inner member includes a wheel hub and at least one inner ring or an outer joint member of a constant velocity universal joint. The wheel hub is formed on one end with a wheel mounting flange. The wheel hub other end includes an axially extending cylindrical portion. The inner ring is press-fit onto the cylindrical portion of the wheel hub. The inner member is formed with inner raceway surfaces on its outer circumference. The inner raceway surfaces oppose the double row outer raceway surfaces. Double row rolling elements are freely rollably contained between the inner and outer raceway surfaces of the inner and outer members. The body mounting flange is formed with a plurality of screw apertures that receive fastening bolts. An inner side flange surface of the body mounting flange is formed by machining to have a flat vertical surface relative to a longitudinal axis of the wheel hub. An outer side flange surface of the body mounting flange is formed by forging to have a tapered surface of a predetermined inclined angle. Thus, the thickness of the body mounting flange is gradually reduced radially outward.

In wheel bearing apparatus of the second through fourth generation types, the outer member is integrally formed, on its outer circumference, with a body mounting flange to be mounted on a knuckle. An inner side flange surface of the body mounting flange is formed by machining to have a flat vertical surface relative to a longitudinal axis of the wheel hub. An outer side flange surface of the body mounting flange is formed by forging with a tapered surface of a predetermined inclined angle. Thus, the thickness of the body mounting flange gradually reduces radially outward. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the size and weight of the wheel bearing apparatus and to fill throughout the body mounting flange to its tip end with blank material during forging and thus to improve the workability during forging. In addition, it is possible to suppress the amount of burrs generated during forging and thus to improve the accuracy during forging and machining and increase the life of the molds.

The outer side surface of the body mounting flange has a flat vertical surface relative to a longitudinal axis of the wheel hub that extends radially outward from the base portion of the body mounting flange. This makes it possible to accurately measure the thickness of the body mounting flange and thus to speedily and easily carry out control of the dimensions.

The inclined angle is within a range of 5-20°. This reduces the weight of the outer member and has a desirable fastening strength without the effective length of the screw aperture being limited.

The thickness of the body mounting flange at the center of the screw aperture is set to have six or more times the nominal thread pitch of the screw aperture. This makes it possible to assure the strength of the wheel mounting flange and the fastening strength of the bolts.

The circumference of the body mounting flange is discontinuously formed with a plurality of projections. Each projection includes a screw aperture. The outer member is formed at the inner side of the body mounting flange with a cylindrical outer fitting surface to be fit into the knuckle. The outer side of the body mounting flange has a slightly tapered outer circumferential surface. A transiting portion, between the slightly tapered outer circumferential surface and the body mounting flange, is formed by forging. It has a corner portion continuous to the screw apertures with a circular arc cross-section. This reduces the size and weight of the outer member without diminishing the strength and rigidity of the outer member.

An axially extending recess is formed in the corner portion at a position corresponding to each screw aperture. This enables both prepared holes and the screw apertures to be formed without any interference with the corner portion during machining. The PCD of the screw apertures is set small so that a portion of each screw aperture opens to the recess. Accordingly, the PCD of the screw apertures can be set extremely small. Thus, a further reduction of the weight of the bearing apparatus can be achieved without diminishing the strength and rigidity of the outer member.

The diameter of the cylindrical outer fitting surface is smaller than that of the slightly tapered outer circumferential surface. This enables the bolts to be inserted from the side of the fitting surface and thus to fasten the bolts without interfering with the wheel mounting flange of the wheel hub. Thus, this improves the workability during assembly and disassembly of the wheel bearing apparatus.

The bearing apparatus for a wheel of a vehicle comprises an outer member formed with a body mounting flange on its outer circumference. The body mounting flange is to be mounted on a knuckle forming part of a suspension apparatus. The outer member inner circumference has double row outer raceway surfaces. An inner member includes a wheel hub and at least one inner ring or an outer joint member of a constant velocity universal joint. The wheel hub is formed on one end with a wheel mounting flange and on its other end with an axially extending cylindrical portion. The inner ring is press-fit onto the cylindrical portion of the wheel hub. The inner member is formed with inner raceway surfaces on its outer circumference. The inner raceway surfaces oppose the double row outer raceway surfaces. Double row rolling elements are freely rollably contained between the inner and outer raceway surfaces of the inner and outer members. The body mounting flange is formed with a plurality of screw apertures. Fastening bolts are screwed into the screw apertures. An inner side flange surface of the body mounting flange is formed by machining to have a flat vertical surface relative to a longitudinal axis of the wheel hub. An outer side flange surface of the body mounting flange is formed by forging to have a tapered surface of a predetermined inclined angle. Thus, the thickness of the body mounting flange is gradually reduced radially outward. Thus, it is possible to reduce the size and weight of the wheel bearing apparatus and to fill throughout the body mounting flange to its tip end with blank material during forging. Thus, this improves workability during forging. In addition, it is possible to suppress the amount of burrs generated during forging and improve the accuracy during forging and machining and add to mold life.

A vehicle wheel bearing apparatus comprises an outer member formed with a body mounting flange on its outer circumference. The body mounting flange is to be mounted on a knuckle forming part of a suspension apparatus. The outer member inner circumference has double row outer raceway surfaces. An inner member includes a wheel hub and an inner ring. The wheel hub is formed on its one end with a wheel mounting flange. The wheel hub outer circumference has one inner raceway surface that opposes one of the double row outer raceway surfaces. A cylindrical portion axially extends from the inner raceway surface. The inner ring is press-fit onto the cylindrical portion of the wheel hub. The inner ring outer circumference has the other inner raceway surface that opposes the other of the double row outer raceway surfaces. Double row rolling elements are freely rollably contained between the inner and outer raceway surfaces of the inner and outer members. The body mounting flange is formed with a plurality of screw apertures. Fastening bolts are screwed into the plurality of screw apertures. An inner side flange surface of the body mounting flange is formed by machining to have a flat vertical surface relative to a longitudinal axis of the wheel hub. An outer side flange surface of the body mounting flange is formed by forging to have a tapered surface with an inclined angle of 5-20°. Thus, the thickness of the body mounting flange is gradually reduced radially outward. The thickness of the body mounting flange at the center of the screw aperture is set to have six or more times the nominal thread pitch of the screw aperture.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section view of a first embodiment of the vehicle wheel bearing apparatus.

FIG. 1( a ) is a longitudinal section view with the constant velocity joint.

FIG. 2 is a left side elevation view of FIG. 1 of the outer member.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of the body mounting flange of the outer member of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section view of a second embodiment of the vehicle wheel bearing apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a left side elevation view of FIG. 4 of the outer member.

FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of the body mounting flange of the outer member of FIG. 4 .

FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view of a modification of FIG. 6 .

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal section view of a prior art vehicle wheel bearing apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged perspective view of a portion of the outer member of FIG. 8 .

A preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be hereinafter described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section view of a first embodiment of the vehicle wheel bearing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a left side elevation view of the outer member of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of the body mounting flange of the outer member of FIG. 1 .

The bearing apparatus for a vehicle wheel is a third generation type used for a driven wheel. It includes an inner member 3 with a wheel hub 1 and an inner ring 2 . An outer member 5 is fit onto the inner member 3 via double row rolling elements (balls) 4 , 4 .

The wheel hub 1 is integrally formed with a wheel mounting flange 6 at its outer side end. Hub bolts 6 a are arranged on the wheel mounting flange 6 equidistantly along its periphery. The wheel hub 1 is formed with an outer side inner raceway surface 1 a on its outer circumference. A cylindrical portion 1 b extends from the inner raceway surface 1 a . The inner ring 2 is formed with an inner side inner raceway surface 2 a on its outer circumference. The inner ring 2 is press-fit onto the cylindrical portion 1 b of the wheel hub 1 via a predetermined interference. The inner ring 2 is axially secured on the wheel hub 1 under a bearing preload condition by a caulked portion 1 c . The caulked portion 1 c is formed by plastically deforming the end of the cylindrical portion 1 b radially outward. This forms a so-called “self-retaining structure”. This makes it possible to reduce the size and weight of the wheel bearing apparatus and antinomically improves the rigidity and durability of the wheel hub 1 .

The outer member 5 is made of medium/high carbon steel including carbon of 0.40-0.80% by weight such as S53C. It is integrally formed with a body mounting flange 5 b on its outer circumference. The body mounting flange 5 b is to be mounted on a knuckle (not shown) forming part of a suspension apparatus of a vehicle. The outer member inner circumference has double row outer raceway surfaces 5 a , 5 a that oppose the double row inner raceway surfaces 1 a , 2 a . The double row outer raceway surfaces 5 a , 5 a are hardened by high frequency induction quenching to have a surface hardness of 58-64 HRC. Double row rolling elements 4 , 4 are contained between the double row outer raceway surfaces 5 a , 5 a of the outer member 5 and the double row inner raceway surfaces 1 a , 2 a . The rolling elements are rollably held by cages 7 , 7 . Seals 8 , 9 are mounted within annular openings formed between the outer member 5 and the inner member 3 . The seals 8 , 9 prevent leakage of grease contained in the bearing and entry of rainwater and dusts into the bearing from the outside.

The circumference of the body mounting flange 5 b of the outer member 5 is discontinuously formed with a plurality (herein four) of projections. Each projection includes a screw aperture 13 as shown in FIG. 2 . The outer member 5 is secured to the knuckle by fastening bolts (not shown).

The wheel hub 1 is made of medium/high carbon steel including carbon of 0.40-0.80% by weight such as S53C. It is hardened by high frequency induction quenching so that a region from a seal land portion, with which the outer side seal 8 contacts, to the cylindrical portion 1 b , via the inner raceway surface 1 a , is hardened to have a surface hardness of 58-64 HRC. The caulked portion 1 c is not quenched and remains as is with its surface hardness after forging of 25 HRC or less. The inner ring is formed of high carbon chrome bearing steel such as SUJ2. It is dip hardened to its core to have a hardness of 58-64 HRC. Accordingly, the rigidity of the wheel hub 1 is improved and the fretting wear between the wheel hub 1 and the inner ring 2 can be prevented. Thus, the durability of the wheel hub 1 can be improved. In addition, the workability during plastic deformation of the caulking portion 1 c can be improved and the generation of micro cracks in the caulked portion 1 c during the caulking process can be prevented.

FIG. 1( a ) illustrates the wheel bearing apparatus like that of FIG. 1 with the addition of a constant velocity joint 21 . The reference numerals identifying the same elements in FIG. 1 are used in FIG. 1( a ).

The wheel hub 19 includes a cylindrical portion 19 a . The cylindrical portion 19 a includes a bore extending through the wheel hub 19 . The wheel hub 19 includes an irregular portion 23 of the bore wall to secure the wheel hub with the constant velocity joint 21 by swaging. The constant velocity joint 21 includes an outer joint member 24 that includes an inner race way surface 24 a opposite the outer race way surface 4 a. Additionally, the constant velocity joint 21 includes a mouth portion 25 with a track groove 25 a , shoulder 26 and shaft portion 27 . The shaft portion 27 includes a spigot portion 27 a and a fitting portion 27 b . The fitting portion 27 b is expanded to contact the irregular portion 23 to secure the constant velocity joint 21 with the wheel hub 19 . Additionally, the constant velocity joint 21 includes an end cap 26 a.

Although it is shown in an illustrated example using a double row angular contact ball bearing as rolling elements 4 , 4 , it may be possible to use tapered rollers as the rolling elements. It is shown as a structure of the third generation type in the illustrated example. However, the present disclosure may be applied to a wheel bearing apparatus of the second or fourth generation type.

An outer circumferential surface 10 of the outer member 5 at the outer side of the body mounting flange 5 b is formed with a slightly tapered surface. Its inner side outer circumference is formed as a cylindrical surface 11 , to be fit into the knuckle. In addition, a corner portion, between the body mounting flange 5 b and the outer circumferential surface 10 , is formed by forging as a rounded corner 12 with a circular arc cross-section. The inner side fitting surface 11 may be formed with a diameter smaller than that of the outer side circumferential surface 10 . The body mounting flange 5 b is formed with screw apertures 13 . A portion of the screw apertures is continuous to the corner portion 12 . Thus, it is possible to insert fastening bolts (not shown) into the screw apertures 13 and fasten them to the knuckle.

As shown in FIG. 3 , an inner side flange surface 11 a of the body mounting flange 5 b is formed by machining to have a flat vertical surface relative to a longitudinal axis of the wheel hub 1 ′. An outer side surface 10 a of the body mounting flange 5 b is formed by forging to have a tapered surface of a predetermined inclined angle θ. Thus, the thickness “a” of the body mounting flange 5 b at the base portion 14 gradually reduces radially outward. This makes it possible to reduce the size and weight of the wheel bearing apparatus and to fill throughout the body mounting flange 5 b to its tip end with blank material during forging. Thus, this improves the workability during forging. In addition, it is possible to suppress the amount of burrs generated during forging and thus to improve the accuracy during forging and machining and improve the life of the molds.

The inclined angle θ of the outer side flange surface 10 a is set within a range of 5-20°. This is because the effective length would be limited and thus the fastening strength would be detracted if the inclined angle θ exceeds 20°. On the contrary, the effect of the weight reduction would be scarcely achieved if the inclined angle θ is less than 5°. Although the outer side flange surface 10 a is shown as a flat tapered surface, it may be formed by a conical surface having its center on the axis of the wheel bearing.

In addition the thickness “b” of the body mounting flange 5 b at the center of the screw aperture 13 is set to have six or more times, preferably more than eight times, the nominal thread pitch of the screw aperture 13 (fastening bolt). This makes it possible to assure the strength of the wheel mounting flange and the fastening strength of the bolts.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section view of a second embodiment of the vehicle wheel bearing apparatus. FIG. 5 is a left side elevation view of the outer member of FIG. 4 . FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of the body mounting flange of the outer member of FIG. 4 . FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view of a modification of FIG. 6 . The same reference numerals are used in this embodiment to identify the same components and similar components having the same functions as those of the first embodiment.

The bearing apparatus for a vehicle wheel is a third generation type used on a driven wheel. It comprises an inner member 3 including a wheel hub 1 and an inner ring 2 . An outer member 15 is fit onto the inner member 3 , via double row rolling elements 4 , 4 .

The outer member 15 is made of medium/high carbon steel including carbon of 0.40-0.80% by weight such as S53C. It is integrally formed with a body mounting flange 15 a on its outer circumference. The body mounting flange 15 a is to be mounted on a knuckle (not shown) forming part of a suspension apparatus. The outer member 15 inner circumference has double row outer raceway surfaces 5 a , 5 a.

The circumference of the body mounting flange 15 a of the outer member 15 is discontinuously formed to have a plurality (herein four) of projections. Each projection has a screw aperture 13 formed on it as shown in FIG. 5 . The outer member 15 is secured to the knuckle by fastening bolts (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 6 , the outer side flange surface 16 of the body mounting flange 15 a has a flat vertical surface 16 a relative to a longitudinal axis of the wheel hub 1 . It extends radially outward from the base 14 of the flange and is formed by forging. A flat tapered surface 16 b is formed with a predetermined inclined angle θ. Thus, the thickness of the body mounting flange 15 a is gradually reduced radially outward. Similarly to the first embodiment, this makes it possible to reduce the size and weight of the wheel bearing apparatus without reducing the strength and rigidity of the outer member 15 . Also, it fills throughout the body mounting flange 15 a to its tip end with blank material during forging. Thus, this improves workability during forging. In addition, since a flat vertical surface 16 a is formed at the base 14 of the flange, it is possible to accurately measure the thickness “a” of the body mounting flange 15 a and thus to speedily and easily carry out the control of the dimensions.

A modification of the outer member 15 of FIG. 6 is shown in FIG. 7 . The circumference of the body mounting flange 17 a of the outer member 17 is discontinuously formed. In addition, a corner portion, between the body mounting flange 17 a and the outer circumferential surface 10 , is formed by forging as a rounded corner 12 with a circular arc cross-section. The base of the body mounting flange 17 a is counter sunk at positions corresponding to the screw apertures 13 to form axially extending recesses 18 in the corner 12 . These recesses 18 are formed by milling. The prepared holes are formed by drilling. The screw apertures 13 on the prepared holes are formed thereafter by tapping. The recesses 18 may be formed by previous forging other than milling. Thus, no trouble is caused in machining of the prepared holes or the screw apertures 13 although the screw apertures 13 would be formed by setting the PCD of the screw apertures 13 at a small diameter. Thus, a portion of each screw aperture 13 is continuous to the recess 18 . Accordingly, the PCD of the screw apertures 13 can be set extremely small. Thus, a further reduction of the weight of the bearing apparatus can be achieved without diminishing the strength and rigidity of the outer member.

The vehicle wheel bearing apparatus of the present disclosure can be applied to any one of the second generation type through fourth generation type wheel bearing apparatus with an outer member integrally formed on its outer circumference with a body mounting flange to be mounted on a knuckle of a vehicle.

The present disclosure has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alternations will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the present disclosure be construed to include all such alternations and modifications insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or their equivalents.