Patent ID: 6955474

Claim:
A method of mounting a motor-vehicle wheel-hub bearing, of the type comprising the steps of: (a) providing a bearing ( 1 ) having a radially outer ring ( 3 ) with an outer cylindrical surface ( 8 ), a first lateral surface ( 12 ), and a second lateral surface ( 13 ) at the end axially remote from the first, (b) providing an axial cylindrical seat ( 9 ) which runs between a tubular portion ( 17 ) and a shoulder ( 11 ) and has an axial length greater than that of the outer cylindrical surface ( 8 ) of the ring ( 3 ) of the bearing ( 1 ), (c) force-fitting the outer cylindrical surface ( 8 ) of the bearing ( 1 ) in the cylindrical seat ( 9 ) with radial interference until the first lateral surface ( 12 ) of the outer ring ( 3 ) is brought into axial abutment against the shoulder ( 11 ) so as to leave the tubular portion ( 17 ) of the seat ( 9 ) projecting beyond the second lateral surface ( 13 ) of the ring ( 3 ), and (d) cold-deforming the tubular portion ( 17 ) of the cylindrical seat ( 9 ) radially inwardly towards the second lateral surface ( 13 ) of the outer ring ( 3 ) of the bearing ( 1 ) so as to form a deformed rim ( 18 ) for locking the bearing ( 1 ) axially in the seat ( 9 ), characterized in that the cold-deformation step (d) is preceded by the step of: (c′) inserting, into the cylindrical seat ( 9 ), in a position axially adjacent the outer ring ( 3 ) of the bearing ( 1 ), a ring ( 19 ) which can be compressed resiliently in an axial direction, so that, after step (d), the ring ( 19 ) is compressed axially between one of the two lateral surfaces ( 12 , 13 ) of the outer ring ( 3 ) of the bearing ( 1 ) and the shoulder ( 11 ) or the deformed rim ( 18 ) of the seat ( 9 ), respectively, in order to compensate for any relative thermal expansion between the bearing and the seat.