Patent ID: 7874734
Filing Date: 2011-01-25
Classification: B60B,F16C,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A wheel support bearing assembly for rotatably supporting a vehicle drive wheel, comprising: an outer member having an inner peripheral surface formed with a plurality of raceways; an inner member having raceways cooperable with and aligned with the raceways in the outer member and made up of an hub axle and an inner race segment, the hub axle including an inner race mount defined in an inboard end portion thereof with the inner race segment mounted on the inner race mount of the hub axle, and a hub flange formed therein so as to extend radially outwardly therefrom to support the vehicle wheel, and the hub axle being coupled with an outer race of a constant velocity joint, so that an outboard-oriented annular shoulder of the outer race of the constant velocity joint is urged against an annular inboard end face of the inner race segment, the raceways in the inner member being defined in the hub axle and the inner race segment, respectively; and a plurality of rows of rolling elements operatively interposed between the raceways in the outer member and the raceways in the inner member, respectively, wherein the inner race segment has an inner peripheral surface formed with a counterbore defined at an inboard inner edge portion delimited between an inboard end face of the inner race segment and an inner peripheral surface of the inner race segment, and recessed radially outwardly from the inner peripheral surface of the inner race segment, and the hub axle includes a plastically deformed portion which is, when radially outwardly crimped by means of a crimping technique, brought into engagement with an axially oriented surface area of the counterbore in the inner race segment so that separation of the inner race segment from the hub axle is prevented during mounting of the wheel support bearing assembly on a vehicle body, and wherein the plastically deformed portion does not protrude outwardly beyond an inboard end face of the inner race segment and the difference between the inner race mount of the hub axle and an outer peripheral face of the plastically deformed portion is chosen to be 0.13 mm or more.