Center bearing assembly

A unitary center bearing assembly for rotatably mounting a vehicle drive shaft which includes a resilient support having an aperture therethrough, an anti-friction bearing seated in the aperture and a generally U-shaped mounting bracket having a plurality of tabs and at least one detent extending inward and securing the resilient support against movement relative to the bracket.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a bearing for rotatably mounting a shaft and, 
more particularly, a bearing of the type frequently referred to as a 
center bearing or midship bearing utilized to support a vehicle drive 
shaft or propeller shaft from a member secured to the frame of a vehicle. 
In conventional rear wheel drive vehicles a drive shaft extends at an 
inclination from the transmission to the differential and is connected by 
universal joints at its opposite ends to the transmission shaft and to the 
input pinion of the differential. Due to the greater length of larger 
vehicles such as trucks and buses, the propeller or drive shaft is 
provided in sections at least one of which extends rearwardly from the 
transmission, generally parallel to the frame of the vehicle, and is 
rotatably supported by means of a bearing fixed to a bracket or cross tube 
secured to the vehicle frame. That section is connected by means of a 
universal joint to an inclined section of the drive shaft which in turn is 
connected to the input pinion of a differential. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
Several center bearing assemblies and resilient mounting arrangements are 
shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,135,902; 2,560,759, 2,893,790; 2,897,023; 
3,140,901; 3,639,015 and 3,961,829. These patents disclose bearing 
assemblies for rotatably mounting a shaft or a tube by means of a 
anti-friction bearing supported internally of a resilient support carried 
by a bracket which may be secured to the vehicle frame. However, none of 
these patents disclose a relatively simple economical means or method of 
securing the resilient support and bearing within the bracket as a unitary 
assembly for convenience and ease of handling during storage and 
installation. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention is a rotary bearing for a vehicle drive shaft including a 
bracket having an inner surface of substantial axial width extending 
partly around the drive shaft and a pair of spaced legs, each leg 
terminating in means for securing the bracket to a fixed support, a 
resilient support having an aperture extending axially therethrough and an 
outer peripheral surface substantially complimentary to and in abutment 
with the periphery of the inner surface of the bracket. An anti-friction 
bearing is seated in the resilient support aperture. A plurality of tabs 
are die cut and bent radially inward from the bracket to prevent axial 
movement of the resilient support relative to the bracket and an element 
extending inward from at least one leg of the bracket engages the 
resilient support to secure the resilient support against withdrawal from 
the between the bracket legs. 
In the preferred embodiment a portion of each bracket leg is formed as a 
detent projecting inward to engage the resilient support and a pair of 
notches are provided in the outer peripheral surface of the resilient 
support to receive the detents and thereby secure the support within the 
bracket. 
The advantages offered by the present invention will become apparent from 
the following description of the embodiment shown in the accompanying 
drawings:

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
With reference to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a section of a vehicle drive 
shaft comprised of a tube 10 joined by means of a weld 11 to a stub shaft 
12. The stub shaft 12 is splined at 14 to receive the internally splined 
end 16 of a yoke 18. The end 20 of the stub shaft is reduced in diameter 
and threaded to receive a castellated lock nut 21 which together with a 
cotter key 22 secures the yoke 18 on the stub shaft 12. A prevailing 
torque nut or a bolt engaged with a threaded internal bore in the stub 
shaft may be used instead of the lock nut 21 and cotter key to secure the 
yoke to the stub shaft. 
The tube 10 extends from a suitable universal coupling (not shown) usually 
at and driven by the vehicle transmission. The yoke 18 is one of a pair of 
yokes connected by means of a cross member and bearings, not shown, to 
another section of the vehicle drive shaft which would be connected at its 
other end by means of a suitable universal coupling to the input pinion of 
a differential mechanism carried by a drive axle housing. 
The stub shaft 12 is rotatably supported by a center bearing assembly 
generally designated by the reference numeral 24. The center bearing 
assembly consists of a anti-friction bearing 28 mounted in a resilient 
support 40 which in turn is carried by a stamped metal bracket 50. 
The anti-friction bearing 28 is a ball type roller bearing having an inner 
race 30, an outer race 32 and a sleeve or casing 34. The inner race 30 is 
press fit upon a bearing seat 15 provided inwardly of the splined portion 
of stub shaft 12 where it is secured between the radial inner surface 19 
at the inner end of yoke 18 and the shoulder 17 of stub shaft 12 for 
rotation with the stub shaft 12. 
The bearing is secured within a stamped metal casing 34 having a pair of 
axially spaced, radially inwardly extending sidewalls 35 and 37 
terminating in axially extending lip portions 36 and 38 respectively. The 
lip portions 36 and 38 are dimensioned to fit closely adjacent the stub 
shaft shoulder 17 and the splined end 16 of the yoke 18 to protect the 
bearing from dust and dirt. 
The casing 34 of anti-friction bearing 28 is seated in an opening or 
aperture 42 extending axially through a resilient rubber support block 40. 
The resilient support block 40 is also provided with a plurality of 
annular slots 43 having staggered connecting webs cored into the support 
block fron each side and providing a relatively thin wall between the two 
rows of slots 43. The slots 43 with the staggered webs and the thin wall 
between the slots provide an added degree of flexibility to the resilient 
rubber support. 
The resilient rubber support 40 is secured to the underside of the vehicle 
by means of a generally U-shaped, stamped metal bracket 50. With reference 
to FIGS. 2 and 3, the bracket 50 is formed with a semi-circular center 
portion 49 extending partly around the stub shaft 12 and having a pair of 
spaced legs 51, 52 respectively terminating in a flange or ear 53, 54, 
each having an aperture providing means by which the bracket 50 may be 
secured through the use of nut and bolt assemblies 55 to a fixed support 
such as a crossover tube 26 supported by the vehicle frame. 
The bracket 50 is a stamped metal part having an inner surface 58 of 
substantial axial width, i.e., the dimension measured parallel to the axis 
of the stub shaft 12. The periphery of surface 58 is formed complimentary 
to the outer peripheral surface 41 of the resilient support 40 so the 
resilient support 40 may be received with its outer periphery in abutment 
with the inner surface 58 of the bracket 50. 
Certain portions of the bracket 50 are die cut and bent to extend radially 
inwardly from the surface 58 to provide a plurality of tabs 60 and detents 
62. As best shown by FIG. 4, two parallel rows of tabs 60 are die cut and 
folded inwardly from the bracket 50, leaving apertures 61 in the surface 
58. The rows of tabs are axially spaced so that each row abuts one of the 
opposite surfaces of the resilient support 40 to prevent axial movement of 
the resilient support 40 relative to the bracket 50. 
A pair of detents 62 and 63 are also die cut and bent to extend inwardly at 
an angle from the legs 51 and 52 of bracket 50, leaving a pair of 
apertures 64 and 65 in the surface 58. The detents 62 and 63 are 
preferably located so as to be positioned opposite a pair of notches 44, 
only one of which is shown, formed in the outer periphery 41 of the 
resilient support 40 when the support 40 is assembled to the bracket 50 to 
thereby engage the resilient support and secure it against withdrawal from 
between the bracket legs 51 and 52 in a direction substantially normal to 
the axis of the resilient support opening 42. 
Thus, after the anti-friction bearing 28 has been seated in the resilient 
support aperture 42, the resilient support 40 is inserted between the 
parallel rows of tabs 60 into the bracket 50 until the detents 62 and 63 
engage the notches 44 provided to the resilient support. The component 
parts are thus assembled as an integral unit, the tabs 60 preventing axial 
movement of the resilient support 40 relative to the bracket 50 and the 
detents 62 preventing withdrawal of the resilient support 40 from between 
the bracket legs 51 and 52. 
The invention may also be embodied in other specific forms without 
departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. For 
example, one may chose to use only a single detent and notch 44 to secure 
the resilient support against withdrawal in a radial direction from the 
bracket 50. One may also elect to use either one or a pair of elements 
such as the detents 62 to extend inward from the inner surface 58 of the 
bracket 50 and engage or penetrate the resilient peripheral surface 41 of 
the resilient support 40 without providing notches or other means in the 
resilient support to receive such elements. 
The tabs and detents thus provide a relatively simple and economical means 
and method of assembly to secure the resilient support and bearing within 
the bracket to form an integral or unitary center bearing assembly without 
the use of additional elements to secure the component parts together. A 
unitary center bearing assembly is more convenient and easier to handle 
during storage and installation. 
The foregoing description is therefore to be considered as illustrative and 
not restrictive, the scope of the invention being defined by the appended 
claims and all changes which come within the meaning and range of 
equivalence of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced thereby.