Patent ID: 8753018
Filing Date: 2014-06-17
Classification: B60B,F16C

Abstract:
1. An automobile wheel bearing comprising: an inner bearing race comprising a cylindrical bearing surface, the inner bearing race being seated and secured on a periphery of an axle shaft and having a respective inner raceway; an axle tube concentrically surrounding and spaced radially outward of said axle shaft; an outer bearing race seated and secured on an interior of said axle tube concentrically surrounding and radially facing said inner bearing race, said outer bearing race being secured at an end to the axle tube by a shoulder formed in said axle tube, said shoulder decreasing a thickness of said axle tube in a region where said outer bearing race is seated and secured on said interior of said axle tube, said outer race having a respective outer raceway, an entirety of said outer raceway being closer to said periphery of said axle shaft than a surface of said axle tube which is closest to said periphery of said axle shaft, the inner and outer races opposing each other; a plurality of bearing rollers, disposed in a first circumferential row, between and contacting said respective inner and outer raceways in said inner race and said outer race, thereby forming a roller bearing; and a plurality of bearing balls, disposed in a second circumferential row, between and contacting said respective inner and outer raceways in said inner race and said outer race, thereby forming a ball bearing in parallel with said roller bearing, wherein: said roller bearing and said ball bearing simultaneously center said axle shaft within said axle tube while permitting relative rotation of said axle shaft and said axle tube, said thickness of said axle tube is constant outside of said region where said outer bearing race is seated and secured on said interior of said axle tube, an outer diameter of said axle tube, in said region where said outer bearing race is seated and secured on said interior of said axle tube, is constant and is equal to a constant outer diameter of a region of said axle tube more distant from a nearest end of said axle shaft than said region where said outer bearing race is seated and secured on said interior of said axle tube, said nearest end of said axle shaft being nearest to said region where said outer bearing race is seated and secured on said interior of said axle tube, and a diameter of the axle shaft underneath the roller bearing is equal to a diameter of the axle shaft underneath the ball bearing.