Patent ID: 8109000

Claim:
A method of forming a Salisbury axle, the method comprising: forming a Salisbury carrier assembly having a Salisbury carrier housing that is made of nodular iron, the Salisbury carrier housing having a differential opening, a first axle tube aperture and a second axle tube aperture; installing a differential to a set of bearing journals formed by the Salisbury carrier assembly such that the differential is supported for rotation within the Salisbury carrier assembly about an axis that extends through the first and second axle tube apertures, the differential being received through the differential opening in the Salisbury carrier housing; forming a pair of axle tubes from a steel, each of the axle tubes having a circular proximal end, a circular distal end and a mount portion between the proximal and distal ends, the proximal ends of the axle tubes being larger in diameter than the first and second axle tube apertures, the mount portion having a top wall and a pair of opposite side walls, the side walls being oriented generally perpendicular to the top wall; and inserting the proximal ends of the axle tubes into the first and second axle tube apertures; wherein each of the axle tubes includes a first shell member and a second shell member and wherein the method further comprises welding the first and second shell members together to form a tubular workpiece; wherein a plane is defined where the first and second shell members abut one another and wherein the plane is disposed along a neutral axis of the Salisbury axle when the axle tubes are inserted into the first and second axle tube apertures; and wherein the tubular workpiece has an outer surface with a first cross-sectional shape, at least a portion of the outer surface of the tubular workpiece being deformed to have a second cross-sectional shape that is different than the first cross-sectional shape.