Patent ID: 6869365
Filing Date: 2005-03-22
Classification: F16D,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A spider assembly for a universal joint comprising a spider ( 1 ) which comprises a hub ( 2 ) adapted to be connected to a shaft and from which there project several arms ( 3 ), each of the arms comprising a cylindrical runway surface ( 12 ), a roller ( 5 ) mounted to rotate and slide on each arm via a ring of needles ( 4 ), and a split elastic ring ( 8 ) for retaining the ring of needles and the roller on the arm, the ring being axially fixed by snap-fitting onto the arm, the width of the split ( 15 ) in the ring after mounting being substantially smaller than a diameter one of the needle, the ring comprising, on its lower face ( 16 ), both a needle-retaining surface ( 20 ) that is flared towards a free end of the arm and delimiting a space in which the needles run, and a roller-retaining surface ( 22 ) that is flared towards the free end of the arm, wherein the flared needle-retaining surface ( 20 ) comprises an inner portion ( 20 A) adapted to cooperate with upper ends of the needles ( 4 ), an outer portion ( 20 B) for abutting the flared roller-retaining surface ( 22 ) at a tangent and a transition area connecting the inner and outer portions ( 20 A, 20 B), the transition area being either curved or inclined with respect to an axis (Y—Y) of the arm ( 3 ), and wherein the flared roller-retaining surface ( 22 ) is essentially in a continuation of the flared needle-retaining surface ( 20 ).