Patent ID: 8167758
Filing Date: 2012-05-01
Classification: F16H

Abstract:
1. An axle assembly comprising: an axle housing having an internal cavity, a portion of the internal cavity forming a first sump; a ring gear mounted in the internal cavity for rotation about a first axis, the ring gear being rotatable through the first sump to cause a lubricant in the first sump to cling to the ring gear; a differential coupled to the ring gear for rotation therewith about the first axis; a pinion mounted in the internal cavity of the axle housing for rotation about a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis, the pinion including a plurality of teeth that are meshingly engaged to a plurality of teeth formed on the ring gear; and an auxiliary collecting means for collecting a portion of the lubricant that has clung to the ring gear as it rotates in a predetermined rotational direction through the first sump, the auxiliary collecting means having a second sump and a drain, the second sump being disposed in the internal cavity and being discrete from the first sump, the drain being configured to at least partly drain the second sump directly onto at least one of the teeth of the pinion and the teeth of the ring gear, the drain is also configured to dispense a portion of the lubricant in the second sump to a set of pinion bearings that support the pinion for rotation within the axle housing, the auxiliary collecting means having a third sump that is disposed in the internal cavity and which is discrete from the first and second sumps, the third sump configured to drain the lubricant therein to a set of differential bearings that support the differential for rotation within the internal cavity.