Patent ID: 6868609

Claim:
A method for determining a thickness of a shim member for setting up a predetermined preload of a bearing assembly that supports a shaft within a housing and permits relative rotation between said shaft and said housing about an axis, said shaft having an end face at a rear end thereof and a bearing supporting shoulder, said bearing assembly including a front tapered roller bearing and a rear tapered roller bearing, each of said bearings having the capacity to transmit radial and axial loads and including an inner cone that fits around said shaft, an outer cone that is fitted into said housing and a plurality of rolling elements located therebetween, said shim member disposed between said bearing supporting shoulder of said shaft and said inner cone of said rear bearing, said method comprising the steps of: a) measuring a distance X from said end face of said shaft to said bearing supporting shoulder thereof; b) measuring a height B of said inner cone of said rear bearing; c) mounting said shaft within said housing through said bearing assembly; d) applying a predetermined load to said inner cone of said rear bearing corresponding to a proper preload of said bearing assembly; e) measuring a distance X L from said end face of said shaft to said inner cone of said rear bearing in the preloaded condition; and f) determining the thickness W of said shim member in accordance with the following equation: W=X−X L −B.