Patent ID: 8517884
Filing Date: 2013-08-27
Classification: B21K,B22F,F16H

Abstract:
1. A differential assembly for transmitting power in a drive train of a vehicle, comprising: a carrier rotatable about an output axis extending through the carrier, the carrier having a space therein of a sphere diameter; a set of intermeshing gears carried by the carrier including two spaced apart and co-axial side gears each separately meshing with two spaced apart and co-axial pinion gears, one side gear meshing with both pinion gears on one side of the pinion gears and the other side gear meshing with both pinion gears on the opposite side of the pinion gears, in which the two side gears are journaled to be rotatable about the output axis and the two pinion gears are journaled to be rotatable about an axis that is perpendicular to the output axis and to be able to orbit about the output axis, thereby providing a differential transfer of power from a power input to the carrier transferred through the pinion gears to the side gears, at least one of the gears of the set of intermeshing gears being a powder metal bevel gear including: wherein the teeth of the pinion gears reside fully within the space defined by the sphere diameter; and wherein the differential assembly is capable of transmitting a power input through the carrier of at least X N·m and the sphere diameter is Y mm or less where X and Y are related to one another by the equation Y=0.0068·X+60 for a duration of one hour in an oil bath during accelerated simulated durability testing.