CA1212707A - Axle housing mounting bracket - Google Patents
Axle housing mounting bracketInfo
- Publication number
- CA1212707A CA1212707A CA000461651A CA461651A CA1212707A CA 1212707 A CA1212707 A CA 1212707A CA 000461651 A CA000461651 A CA 000461651A CA 461651 A CA461651 A CA 461651A CA 1212707 A CA1212707 A CA 1212707A
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- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- axle housing
- column
- plates
- walls
- frame
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Abstract
Abstract of the Disclosure Axle Housing Mounting Bracket A mounting bracket for attaching a flexible beam, such as an axle housing to a rigid member, such as frame, includes a rigid column structure attached to each of a front and a rear side of the axle housing and having a longitudinal opening, a plate arranged above and below the column structures and axle housing, and threaded fasteners which extend through the upper plate, lower plate, and frame. The plates are each attached only to the ends of the column structures while the column structures are attached to the front and rear sides of the axle housing about a neutral axis. A continuous, endless weld joint is deposited in a closed loop figure which is laterally bounded by a wall of the column structure defining the longitudinal opening to join each column structure to the adjacent axle housing side. Bolts extending vertically through the top and bottom plates, the column structures, and the frame permit transmission of forces between the vehicle frame and the axle housing without overstressing the weld seams interconnecting the mounting bracket and axle housing.
Description
~2~ 7.
Description Axle Housing Mounting Bracket Technical Field This invention relates to beams, such as axle housings, and more particularly, to axle housing mounting brackets which transmit loads from the rigid members, such as vehicle frames~ to the axle housings.
Back~round ~rt Vehicle frames are often supported by axle housings that partially enclose axles on which wheels or other ground engaglng members are mounted. Inertial forces exerted through the vehicle frames act on the axle housings in a first direction while the ground engaging members which are used to propel the vehicles exert reaction forces on the axle housings in a second, opposed direction. Of course, if the subject vehicle is pushing or drawing a load; the forces acting on the axle housing increase substantially beyond the inertial and reaction for~es and must also be operationally accommodated by the axle housing.
Heavy-duty work vehiGles have, in the past, typically used cast axle housings with the mounting brackets for connection to the frames being cast integrally with the axle housing. More recently, however, fabricated axle housings have come into wider use in certain applications, necessitating development of axle housing mounting brackets which can be attached to the fabricated axle housings to uniformly distribute forces between the vehiclels Erame and axle housiny.
One mounting bracket that has been successfully used includes an upper portion which is welded on the axle housiny's neutral axis and a heavy, ~Z~ 7 loose flat plate that is bolted to the bottom of the axle housing. Such loose, flat plate is massive and difficult to manipulate during its assembly. Preloads in bolts holding the frame to the mounting bracket are, 5 in the aforementioned design, resisted by the housing.
As such, substantial residual stresses are introduced into the housing which make it prone to buckling when external forces are introduced. Moreover, such design does not resLst fore-aEt motion in the lower hal~ of the housing rnaking is susceptible to weld failure.
A second known mounting bracket uses multiple vertical struts secured to the axle housing by vertical welds. The welds holding the struts to the housing, while located in the vicinity of the housing's neutral axis, each have a beginning and an end which act as stress risers making the weld susceptible to failure.
Of course, when the attaching welds fail at an extreme point along their length, reduced weld areas transmitting the same force result in increased stress levels which, in turn, induce further failure in the remaining, intact welds. Through this mechanism, cracks in welds propagate over time. It has been determined that welding on the top and bottom of an axle housing is undesirable due to the extent o~
flexure at and the high stress levels experienced in the extreme fibers of the housing relative to its neutral axis. It has also been determined that welds which hold the mounting bracket to the axle housing and which are subjected to high stresses should be configured along a smooth arc or radius.
U.S. Patent ~,13~,507 which issued to Piercy, Et al. on January 16, 1979 discloses a flexLng bearn on which is mounted a bracket having an opening through il an~ a weld seam arranged around the periphery Oe the opening between the flexing beam and bracket about the ~Z~27~7 beam's neutral axis. U.S. Patent 1,293,872. which issued to Murray on April 27, 1918 illustrates two conduits joined together by abutment within a surrounding sleeve and subsequent welding through the sleeve to each of the attached conduit ends. While the aforementioned U.S. patents illustrate welding about the periphery of an Gpening, they do not relate to optimum disposition of the components of axle housing mounting brackets nor how or where the mountiny brackets and axle housings are interconnected.
Accordingl~, the present invention is intended to OVerCOTne the deEiciencies of the known, afore-mentioned mounting brackets.
Disclosure of the Invention _ In accordance with one aspect of the present invention~ an improved mounting structure is provided for connecting a flexible beams such as an axle housing to rigid member such as a frame. The structure includes a column structure engaged with the axle housing and a plate extending between and attached to adjacent ends of the column structures above and below the axle housing. Each column structure has an opening through which the axle housing's neutral axis is exposed. A weld seam about the periphery of the opening joins the column structure to the associated side of the axle housing.
In accordance with another aspect of the present inve~tion, a method for mounting an axle 3~ housing to a frame include steps o~ welding a rigid column structure to each side of the axla housing, said welding being in a closed figure about the housing's neutral axis;
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fastening a plate to the longitudinally adjacent ends of said column structures in overlying and underlying engaged relation, respectively~ with said axle housing walls; and fastening the plates to the frame.
Brief Description of the Drawings The advantages oE the present invention will become apparent from the Eollowiny description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawinys in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation view o~ an axle housiny which illust~ate alternate embodiments of the invention;
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the axle housing and mounting brackets illustrated in ~ig. l; an~
Fig. 3 is a side elevation view of Fig 1.
Best Mode for CarryingLOut the_Invention To establish a reference system for the drawings, the longitudinal and transverse directions will be unders-tood to mean (with reference to Fig. 1) into the paper and along a horizontal line, respectively. Referring now to the drawings in detail, an axle housing 10 having a well known banjo-shaped differential cover 12 is illustrated in Fig. 1. Two alternate embodiments of axle housing mountin~ brackets 14 and 14' are illustratively mounted on opposite transverse sides of the differential cover 12 and are respectively attached to a vehicle 15 haviny frames 16 and 16l- While the mounting bracket embodiments 14,14' are illustrated on the same axle housiny 10 and in engagement with different frames 16,16', it i9 to be understood that each vehicle 15 would normally have ~l2~Z~
only one Erame 16 or 16' and that two identical mounting brackets 14 or 14' would typically be utilized with the same axle housing 10. The primary considerations for selecting mounting brackets 114 or 14') for a particular application are the space on the utilizing vehicle's ~rame (16 or 16') available ~or attaching a mounting bracket and the separation distance between mounting holes in the ~rame. For small attachment spaces and narrowly spaced holes, bracket 14 is preferable. For larger attachment spaces or wider spaced holes, bracket 14' is pre~erable.
The axle housing 10 has a top wall 1~, a bottom wall 20, a ~ront side 22, a rear side 24, and a neutral axis 25 while the mounting bracket 14 has a column structure 26 assemblable to the ~ront and rear sides 22 and 24. Each column structure 26 includes transversely separated column elements 26a, 26b, and 26c which are joined by an upper connection web 26d, a lower connection web 26e, and a body portion 26f.
; 20 Since the column structures 26 which are joined to the ~ront 22 and rear 24 sides o~ the axle housing ln are identical, only one column structure 26 will be discussed. Each column structure 26 has an access face 26g and a housing engagement face 26h which are respectively distally and proximally located relative to each o~ the axle housing sides 22 and 2~. An attachment opening 30 extends longitudinally througb the body portion 26~ of each column structure 26 at transverse positions between separate column elements 26a and 26b and between the column elements 26b and 26c. While each attachment opening 30 is illustrated in Fiy. 1 as being vertically ~ymmetrically arranged about the neutral axis 25 and horizontally symmetrically arranged between the column elements, it is to be understood that such symmetry iæ not re~uired ~Z9~Z707 by the present invention. Each attachment opening 30 has a bounding wall 32 which includes arcuate corners 34 that preferably constitute smooth radii. A fillet weld seam 36 is deposited between each column structure 26 and one of the axle housing's sides 22 and 24 along the outline of the bounding wall 32. The column elements 26a, 26b, and 26c and the top and bottom connecting webs 26d and 26e taper from relatively thin sections to relatively thick sections in a direction from the access face 26g toward the engagement face 26h. Separate longitudinal cleaning indentations 38 above and below each attachment opening 30 in the body portion 26f and in the connecting webs 26d and 26e reduce the longitudinal thickness of such body portion 26f and connection webs midway between the column elements.
A stiffening plate 40 connected to the longitudinally adjacent column ends extends above and below the housing's top wall 18 and the housing's bottom wall 20r respectively. Each stiffening plate 40 is attached to the column structure 26 by an external weld joint 42 between the vertically outwardly facing surfaces relative to the neutral a~is 25 of each connecting web and the transversely facing side surfaces of the stiffening plate 40 as well as by an internal weld joint 44 deposited between the side surfaces formed by the intersect~on of the cleaning indentations 38 and each connection web and the vertically inwardly facing surfaces of the stiffening plate 40. It is, of course, understood that the two stifEeniny plates 40 which are illustrated as being separately attached to the top and bottom of the column structures 26 could be replaced by a single large plate which is attached to the top and bottom of the same column structures 26.
~æ~ 707 It is to be noted that there are no weld seams between any sti~Eening plate 40 and the top or bottom axle housing wall 18 or 20, respectively. Vertical openings 46 in the plates 40 and a vertical opening 48 in the frame 16, when aligned, cooperatively receive a screwbolt 50. A nut 52 is threadably engaged with the screwbolt below the lower stiffening plate 40 and appropriately tightened to maintain constant en~agemerlt between the frame 16 and the upper stiffening plate 40.
1~ Each column structure 26' includes two column elements 26a' and 26b' rather than the three column elements 26a,26b,26c of the column str~cture 26 and, of course, has only a single attachment opening 30l. The longitudinal indentations 38' for the column structures 26' terminate vertic~lly at the vertically inwardly facing surfaces of the connection webs 26d' and 26e' and the stiffening plates 40' are longitudinally shorter than the combined longitudinal length of both column struc~ures 26' and the axle housing 10 to provide additional exposure of the webs' vertically outwardly facing surfaces at the longitudinal ends of the stiffening plates ~0'. There is no internal weld joint on the mounting bracket 14' corresponding to the weld joint 44, but the external weld joint 42' on the 2S mounting bracket 14' also extends along each longitudinal end o the stif~ening plates 40' to weldingly join those ends of the stiffening plates 40' to the additionally exposed vertically outwardly facing surfaces of the connection webs 26dl and 26e'. The column struc~ures 26 and 26' otherwise have llke components which are respectively indicated by unprimed and primed reference numerals.
Z~C~7 Industrial Applicability The column structures 26 and 26' are slightly shorter than the vertical height of the a~le hous.ing's ~ront and rear sides 22 and 24, respectively. Each column structure 26,26' is joined to the appropriate housing side (front 22 or rear 24) by centering the column .structure vertically relative to the axle houslng's neutral axis 25. The column structure's attachment fillet weld seam 36,36' is then applied to the column structure 26;26l and the axle housing 10 along a closed or endless path beginning at the neutral axis 25, proceeding continuously along the wall 32,32' bounding the opening 30,30' and ending at the neutral axls 25.
One stiffening plate 40 is then arranged above the longitudinally adjacent column structures 26 and axle housing top wall 18 and another plate 40 is arranged below the same column structures 26 and the axle housing's bottom wall 20. ~n external predetermined compression force is then applied directly to the plates 40 and indirectly to the top and bottom housing walls 18 and 2n to cause displacement thereof toward the neutral axis Z5. The housing 10 is designed and manueactured to be vertically longer at its shortest point than are the columns 26,26' so as to result in a gap A remaining between each stiffening plate 40 and the vertically adjacent ends of the column structures 26,26'~ The compression operation sliyhtly de.Eor~ns the axle housing 10 at its top and bottom ~alls 18 and 20, respectivel,y, so as to eliminate any conve~xity in those wal].s and ensure contact between each plate 40 an~ the adjacent walls 18 and 20 in the regions B above and below the housing's side walls 22 and 2~ (best seen in Fig. 3). Consequently, a portion Oe the frame-transrnitted forces is transferre~ directly to the housing sides 22 and 24 which are reinforced against buckling by the columns 26,26' rather than transmitting the frame ~orces entirely through the column structures 26,26' to the housing's sides 22 and 24. Such dual path of force transmission drastically reduces the chance of housing failure in the "paralleloyramming mode" where one pair oE opposite corners in a rectangular cross sectioned housing approaches one another while the other pair of opposite corners moves away from one another.
While the compression force is maintained ayainst the plates 40, at least one of the internal and external fillet weld seams 42 and 44 is applied to each plate 40 and the ends of the column structures 26,26' vertically adjacent thereto. While both internal and external weld seams 42 and 44 can be applied during the force application, it is usually more convenient to apply only one of the weld seams 42 or 44 prior to removing the compression force and its applicating (not shown) apparatus.
The maximum movement and highest stress of fibers in the axle housing 10 occurs in the upper and lower walls 18 and 20 which are situated at the maximum distance from the neutral axis 25. Consecluently, any weld seams joined to such walls 18 and 20 will be maximally stressed and subjected to failure.
Accordingly, none of the weld seams used in the mounting brackets 14 or 14' contact the upper or lower walls 18 or 20 o~ the axle housing 10 and the undesirable cyclic loading of such weld seams during dynamic operation oE the axle housincJ 10 is avoided and fatigue liEe of the housing 10 is enhanced.
The holes 46 are subsecluently drilled in aligned fashion through the upper and lower stiffening 3~ plates 40. Burrs and/or chips which result from ~0~
drilling the holes 46 and which fall into the cleaning indentations 38,38' are easily removed from the column structure's access face ~6g so as to facilitate subsequent insertion of the screwbolt 50. The axle housing 10 and joined mounting brackets 14,14' are then assembled to the vehicle frame 16,16' by inserting the screwbolts 50 thxough the aligned holes 46 and 48 and tighteningly advancing the nut 52 on each screwbolt 50.
~ach axle housing mounting bracket 14,14' strengthens the axle housing 10 in the area of it~
attachment and uniformly distributes loads transmitted to it into the housing 10 to prevent buckling of the housing 10 in a Rparallelogramming mode" when twisting forces and ~ertical loading are simultaneously applied to the mounting bracket 14,14'. The intimate contact between the top stiffening plate 40 and the regions B
of the top wall 18 ensures trans~er of a portion of the torque and vertical load directly to the sides 2~ and 24 of the housing 10 rather than transferring all the load throu~h the vertical column structures 26,26' to the front and rear sides 22 and 24 o~ the axle housing 10. The vertical column structures 26,26' rather than the axle housing 10 resist preload stressing of the screwbolts 50 which are suitably tightened during assembly to resist dislodgment.
It can be shown that use of endless attachment weld seams 36 rather than weld seams having starting and ending points improves the fatiyue life of the weld joint ~y approx.imately 300%. Moreover, by depositing the weld seams 36 within the "picture w.indow~
attachment openings 30 rather than in an external fashion where the weld is not transversely constrained, the attachment weld seams 36 at the rear side of the axle housing 10 in the lower, transversely outermost corners 3~ are stressed in co~pxession rather than ~ .
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tension so as to produce a theoretical improvement in the fatigue life of approximately 600%. It is also noted that the attachment weld seams 36 are, at all points, in close proximity to the neutral axis 25 and thus have a substantially longer fatigue life than weld seams which are on or near the axle housing's upper or lower walls 1~ and 20, respectively.
It should now be apparent that an improved axle housing mounting bracket 14,14' has been provided in which the attachment weld seams 36 between the mounting bracket 14,14' and the associated axle housing 10 are on a smooth arcuate path or radius, that the top and bottom stiffening plates 40 are engaged with the axle housing 10 in the regions B of the top and bottom walls 18 and 2~ but are only welded to the column structures 26,26', that bolt preloads which are applied during assembly o~ the axle housing 10 to the vehicle frame 16 are taken by the column structures 26,26', that the mounting bracket 14,14' has no massive parts
Description Axle Housing Mounting Bracket Technical Field This invention relates to beams, such as axle housings, and more particularly, to axle housing mounting brackets which transmit loads from the rigid members, such as vehicle frames~ to the axle housings.
Back~round ~rt Vehicle frames are often supported by axle housings that partially enclose axles on which wheels or other ground engaglng members are mounted. Inertial forces exerted through the vehicle frames act on the axle housings in a first direction while the ground engaging members which are used to propel the vehicles exert reaction forces on the axle housings in a second, opposed direction. Of course, if the subject vehicle is pushing or drawing a load; the forces acting on the axle housing increase substantially beyond the inertial and reaction for~es and must also be operationally accommodated by the axle housing.
Heavy-duty work vehiGles have, in the past, typically used cast axle housings with the mounting brackets for connection to the frames being cast integrally with the axle housing. More recently, however, fabricated axle housings have come into wider use in certain applications, necessitating development of axle housing mounting brackets which can be attached to the fabricated axle housings to uniformly distribute forces between the vehiclels Erame and axle housiny.
One mounting bracket that has been successfully used includes an upper portion which is welded on the axle housiny's neutral axis and a heavy, ~Z~ 7 loose flat plate that is bolted to the bottom of the axle housing. Such loose, flat plate is massive and difficult to manipulate during its assembly. Preloads in bolts holding the frame to the mounting bracket are, 5 in the aforementioned design, resisted by the housing.
As such, substantial residual stresses are introduced into the housing which make it prone to buckling when external forces are introduced. Moreover, such design does not resLst fore-aEt motion in the lower hal~ of the housing rnaking is susceptible to weld failure.
A second known mounting bracket uses multiple vertical struts secured to the axle housing by vertical welds. The welds holding the struts to the housing, while located in the vicinity of the housing's neutral axis, each have a beginning and an end which act as stress risers making the weld susceptible to failure.
Of course, when the attaching welds fail at an extreme point along their length, reduced weld areas transmitting the same force result in increased stress levels which, in turn, induce further failure in the remaining, intact welds. Through this mechanism, cracks in welds propagate over time. It has been determined that welding on the top and bottom of an axle housing is undesirable due to the extent o~
flexure at and the high stress levels experienced in the extreme fibers of the housing relative to its neutral axis. It has also been determined that welds which hold the mounting bracket to the axle housing and which are subjected to high stresses should be configured along a smooth arc or radius.
U.S. Patent ~,13~,507 which issued to Piercy, Et al. on January 16, 1979 discloses a flexLng bearn on which is mounted a bracket having an opening through il an~ a weld seam arranged around the periphery Oe the opening between the flexing beam and bracket about the ~Z~27~7 beam's neutral axis. U.S. Patent 1,293,872. which issued to Murray on April 27, 1918 illustrates two conduits joined together by abutment within a surrounding sleeve and subsequent welding through the sleeve to each of the attached conduit ends. While the aforementioned U.S. patents illustrate welding about the periphery of an Gpening, they do not relate to optimum disposition of the components of axle housing mounting brackets nor how or where the mountiny brackets and axle housings are interconnected.
Accordingl~, the present invention is intended to OVerCOTne the deEiciencies of the known, afore-mentioned mounting brackets.
Disclosure of the Invention _ In accordance with one aspect of the present invention~ an improved mounting structure is provided for connecting a flexible beams such as an axle housing to rigid member such as a frame. The structure includes a column structure engaged with the axle housing and a plate extending between and attached to adjacent ends of the column structures above and below the axle housing. Each column structure has an opening through which the axle housing's neutral axis is exposed. A weld seam about the periphery of the opening joins the column structure to the associated side of the axle housing.
In accordance with another aspect of the present inve~tion, a method for mounting an axle 3~ housing to a frame include steps o~ welding a rigid column structure to each side of the axla housing, said welding being in a closed figure about the housing's neutral axis;
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fastening a plate to the longitudinally adjacent ends of said column structures in overlying and underlying engaged relation, respectively~ with said axle housing walls; and fastening the plates to the frame.
Brief Description of the Drawings The advantages oE the present invention will become apparent from the Eollowiny description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawinys in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation view o~ an axle housiny which illust~ate alternate embodiments of the invention;
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the axle housing and mounting brackets illustrated in ~ig. l; an~
Fig. 3 is a side elevation view of Fig 1.
Best Mode for CarryingLOut the_Invention To establish a reference system for the drawings, the longitudinal and transverse directions will be unders-tood to mean (with reference to Fig. 1) into the paper and along a horizontal line, respectively. Referring now to the drawings in detail, an axle housing 10 having a well known banjo-shaped differential cover 12 is illustrated in Fig. 1. Two alternate embodiments of axle housing mountin~ brackets 14 and 14' are illustratively mounted on opposite transverse sides of the differential cover 12 and are respectively attached to a vehicle 15 haviny frames 16 and 16l- While the mounting bracket embodiments 14,14' are illustrated on the same axle housiny 10 and in engagement with different frames 16,16', it i9 to be understood that each vehicle 15 would normally have ~l2~Z~
only one Erame 16 or 16' and that two identical mounting brackets 14 or 14' would typically be utilized with the same axle housing 10. The primary considerations for selecting mounting brackets 114 or 14') for a particular application are the space on the utilizing vehicle's ~rame (16 or 16') available ~or attaching a mounting bracket and the separation distance between mounting holes in the ~rame. For small attachment spaces and narrowly spaced holes, bracket 14 is preferable. For larger attachment spaces or wider spaced holes, bracket 14' is pre~erable.
The axle housing 10 has a top wall 1~, a bottom wall 20, a ~ront side 22, a rear side 24, and a neutral axis 25 while the mounting bracket 14 has a column structure 26 assemblable to the ~ront and rear sides 22 and 24. Each column structure 26 includes transversely separated column elements 26a, 26b, and 26c which are joined by an upper connection web 26d, a lower connection web 26e, and a body portion 26f.
; 20 Since the column structures 26 which are joined to the ~ront 22 and rear 24 sides o~ the axle housing ln are identical, only one column structure 26 will be discussed. Each column structure 26 has an access face 26g and a housing engagement face 26h which are respectively distally and proximally located relative to each o~ the axle housing sides 22 and 2~. An attachment opening 30 extends longitudinally througb the body portion 26~ of each column structure 26 at transverse positions between separate column elements 26a and 26b and between the column elements 26b and 26c. While each attachment opening 30 is illustrated in Fiy. 1 as being vertically ~ymmetrically arranged about the neutral axis 25 and horizontally symmetrically arranged between the column elements, it is to be understood that such symmetry iæ not re~uired ~Z9~Z707 by the present invention. Each attachment opening 30 has a bounding wall 32 which includes arcuate corners 34 that preferably constitute smooth radii. A fillet weld seam 36 is deposited between each column structure 26 and one of the axle housing's sides 22 and 24 along the outline of the bounding wall 32. The column elements 26a, 26b, and 26c and the top and bottom connecting webs 26d and 26e taper from relatively thin sections to relatively thick sections in a direction from the access face 26g toward the engagement face 26h. Separate longitudinal cleaning indentations 38 above and below each attachment opening 30 in the body portion 26f and in the connecting webs 26d and 26e reduce the longitudinal thickness of such body portion 26f and connection webs midway between the column elements.
A stiffening plate 40 connected to the longitudinally adjacent column ends extends above and below the housing's top wall 18 and the housing's bottom wall 20r respectively. Each stiffening plate 40 is attached to the column structure 26 by an external weld joint 42 between the vertically outwardly facing surfaces relative to the neutral a~is 25 of each connecting web and the transversely facing side surfaces of the stiffening plate 40 as well as by an internal weld joint 44 deposited between the side surfaces formed by the intersect~on of the cleaning indentations 38 and each connection web and the vertically inwardly facing surfaces of the stiffening plate 40. It is, of course, understood that the two stifEeniny plates 40 which are illustrated as being separately attached to the top and bottom of the column structures 26 could be replaced by a single large plate which is attached to the top and bottom of the same column structures 26.
~æ~ 707 It is to be noted that there are no weld seams between any sti~Eening plate 40 and the top or bottom axle housing wall 18 or 20, respectively. Vertical openings 46 in the plates 40 and a vertical opening 48 in the frame 16, when aligned, cooperatively receive a screwbolt 50. A nut 52 is threadably engaged with the screwbolt below the lower stiffening plate 40 and appropriately tightened to maintain constant en~agemerlt between the frame 16 and the upper stiffening plate 40.
1~ Each column structure 26' includes two column elements 26a' and 26b' rather than the three column elements 26a,26b,26c of the column str~cture 26 and, of course, has only a single attachment opening 30l. The longitudinal indentations 38' for the column structures 26' terminate vertic~lly at the vertically inwardly facing surfaces of the connection webs 26d' and 26e' and the stiffening plates 40' are longitudinally shorter than the combined longitudinal length of both column struc~ures 26' and the axle housing 10 to provide additional exposure of the webs' vertically outwardly facing surfaces at the longitudinal ends of the stiffening plates ~0'. There is no internal weld joint on the mounting bracket 14' corresponding to the weld joint 44, but the external weld joint 42' on the 2S mounting bracket 14' also extends along each longitudinal end o the stif~ening plates 40' to weldingly join those ends of the stiffening plates 40' to the additionally exposed vertically outwardly facing surfaces of the connection webs 26dl and 26e'. The column struc~ures 26 and 26' otherwise have llke components which are respectively indicated by unprimed and primed reference numerals.
Z~C~7 Industrial Applicability The column structures 26 and 26' are slightly shorter than the vertical height of the a~le hous.ing's ~ront and rear sides 22 and 24, respectively. Each column structure 26,26' is joined to the appropriate housing side (front 22 or rear 24) by centering the column .structure vertically relative to the axle houslng's neutral axis 25. The column structure's attachment fillet weld seam 36,36' is then applied to the column structure 26;26l and the axle housing 10 along a closed or endless path beginning at the neutral axis 25, proceeding continuously along the wall 32,32' bounding the opening 30,30' and ending at the neutral axls 25.
One stiffening plate 40 is then arranged above the longitudinally adjacent column structures 26 and axle housing top wall 18 and another plate 40 is arranged below the same column structures 26 and the axle housing's bottom wall 20. ~n external predetermined compression force is then applied directly to the plates 40 and indirectly to the top and bottom housing walls 18 and 2n to cause displacement thereof toward the neutral axis Z5. The housing 10 is designed and manueactured to be vertically longer at its shortest point than are the columns 26,26' so as to result in a gap A remaining between each stiffening plate 40 and the vertically adjacent ends of the column structures 26,26'~ The compression operation sliyhtly de.Eor~ns the axle housing 10 at its top and bottom ~alls 18 and 20, respectivel,y, so as to eliminate any conve~xity in those wal].s and ensure contact between each plate 40 an~ the adjacent walls 18 and 20 in the regions B above and below the housing's side walls 22 and 2~ (best seen in Fig. 3). Consequently, a portion Oe the frame-transrnitted forces is transferre~ directly to the housing sides 22 and 24 which are reinforced against buckling by the columns 26,26' rather than transmitting the frame ~orces entirely through the column structures 26,26' to the housing's sides 22 and 24. Such dual path of force transmission drastically reduces the chance of housing failure in the "paralleloyramming mode" where one pair oE opposite corners in a rectangular cross sectioned housing approaches one another while the other pair of opposite corners moves away from one another.
While the compression force is maintained ayainst the plates 40, at least one of the internal and external fillet weld seams 42 and 44 is applied to each plate 40 and the ends of the column structures 26,26' vertically adjacent thereto. While both internal and external weld seams 42 and 44 can be applied during the force application, it is usually more convenient to apply only one of the weld seams 42 or 44 prior to removing the compression force and its applicating (not shown) apparatus.
The maximum movement and highest stress of fibers in the axle housing 10 occurs in the upper and lower walls 18 and 20 which are situated at the maximum distance from the neutral axis 25. Consecluently, any weld seams joined to such walls 18 and 20 will be maximally stressed and subjected to failure.
Accordingly, none of the weld seams used in the mounting brackets 14 or 14' contact the upper or lower walls 18 or 20 o~ the axle housing 10 and the undesirable cyclic loading of such weld seams during dynamic operation oE the axle housincJ 10 is avoided and fatigue liEe of the housing 10 is enhanced.
The holes 46 are subsecluently drilled in aligned fashion through the upper and lower stiffening 3~ plates 40. Burrs and/or chips which result from ~0~
drilling the holes 46 and which fall into the cleaning indentations 38,38' are easily removed from the column structure's access face ~6g so as to facilitate subsequent insertion of the screwbolt 50. The axle housing 10 and joined mounting brackets 14,14' are then assembled to the vehicle frame 16,16' by inserting the screwbolts 50 thxough the aligned holes 46 and 48 and tighteningly advancing the nut 52 on each screwbolt 50.
~ach axle housing mounting bracket 14,14' strengthens the axle housing 10 in the area of it~
attachment and uniformly distributes loads transmitted to it into the housing 10 to prevent buckling of the housing 10 in a Rparallelogramming mode" when twisting forces and ~ertical loading are simultaneously applied to the mounting bracket 14,14'. The intimate contact between the top stiffening plate 40 and the regions B
of the top wall 18 ensures trans~er of a portion of the torque and vertical load directly to the sides 2~ and 24 of the housing 10 rather than transferring all the load throu~h the vertical column structures 26,26' to the front and rear sides 22 and 24 o~ the axle housing 10. The vertical column structures 26,26' rather than the axle housing 10 resist preload stressing of the screwbolts 50 which are suitably tightened during assembly to resist dislodgment.
It can be shown that use of endless attachment weld seams 36 rather than weld seams having starting and ending points improves the fatiyue life of the weld joint ~y approx.imately 300%. Moreover, by depositing the weld seams 36 within the "picture w.indow~
attachment openings 30 rather than in an external fashion where the weld is not transversely constrained, the attachment weld seams 36 at the rear side of the axle housing 10 in the lower, transversely outermost corners 3~ are stressed in co~pxession rather than ~ .
~IL2~
tension so as to produce a theoretical improvement in the fatigue life of approximately 600%. It is also noted that the attachment weld seams 36 are, at all points, in close proximity to the neutral axis 25 and thus have a substantially longer fatigue life than weld seams which are on or near the axle housing's upper or lower walls 1~ and 20, respectively.
It should now be apparent that an improved axle housing mounting bracket 14,14' has been provided in which the attachment weld seams 36 between the mounting bracket 14,14' and the associated axle housing 10 are on a smooth arcuate path or radius, that the top and bottom stiffening plates 40 are engaged with the axle housing 10 in the regions B of the top and bottom walls 18 and 2~ but are only welded to the column structures 26,26', that bolt preloads which are applied during assembly o~ the axle housing 10 to the vehicle frame 16 are taken by the column structures 26,26', that the mounting bracket 14,14' has no massive parts
2~ which require manipulation at assembly time, and that the attachment weld seams 36 between the axle housing 10 and the mounting ~rackets 14,14' are endless rather than having starting and stopping points. Accordingly, the present invention axle housing mounting brackets 14l14' are easy to assemble, economical to build, and, most importantly, drastically improve reliability and availability of the supported vehicle.
Claims (14)
1. A mounting structure for connecting an axle housing having a neutral axis, top and bottom walls and front and rear sides to a supported frame, said mounting structure comprising:
longitudinally separated rigid column structures respectively engaged with the front and rear walls of the axle housing, each column structure having a longitudinal opening which is in overlapping relation with the neutral axis and is completely bounded by a constraining wall;
upper and lower plates respectively engaged with the top and bottom walls of the axle housing, said upper and lower plates being respectively joined to the longitudinally adjacent ends of said column structures;
and a weld seam continuously disposed within each of said longitudinal openings in joining relation with the column structure and housing sides.
longitudinally separated rigid column structures respectively engaged with the front and rear walls of the axle housing, each column structure having a longitudinal opening which is in overlapping relation with the neutral axis and is completely bounded by a constraining wall;
upper and lower plates respectively engaged with the top and bottom walls of the axle housing, said upper and lower plates being respectively joined to the longitudinally adjacent ends of said column structures;
and a weld seam continuously disposed within each of said longitudinal openings in joining relation with the column structure and housing sides.
2. The mounting structure of claim 1 wherein said constraining walls have curved portions.
3. The mounting structure of claim 1 further comprising:
means for connecting said upper and lower plates with the frame.
means for connecting said upper and lower plates with the frame.
4. The mounting structure of claim 3 wherein said upper and lower plates have aligned vertical openings on the front and rear sides of said axle housing; and said connecting means comprising a screwbolt receivable in said aligned openings in the plates.
5. The mounting structure of claim 4 wherein said vertical openings intersect said longitudinal openings.
6. The mounting structure of claim 1 wherein said column structures have engagement faces and access faces which are respectively engageable with the sides and are directed away from the sides, said constraining walls converging in a longitudinal direction from the access face toward said engagement face.
7. A method for mounting an axle housing having a neutral axis on a frame comprising:
welding a rigid column structure to each side of the axle housing, said welding being in a closed figure about the housing's neutral axis;
fastening a plate to the longitudinally adjacent ends of said column structures in overlying and underlying engaged relation, respectively, with said axle housing walls; and fastening the plates to the frame.
welding a rigid column structure to each side of the axle housing, said welding being in a closed figure about the housing's neutral axis;
fastening a plate to the longitudinally adjacent ends of said column structures in overlying and underlying engaged relation, respectively, with said axle housing walls; and fastening the plates to the frame.
8. The method of claim 7 comprising:
starting the column structure to housing welding at the neutral axis.
starting the column structure to housing welding at the neutral axis.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein said welding changes direction along smooth, continuous arcuate paths.
10. The method of claim 7 further comprising: pressing the plates and axle walls toward the neutral axis with a predetermined force while maintaining a gap between each plate and the adjacent column ends.
11. A vehicle comprising:
a frame;
an axle housing disposed beneath said frame in supporting relation therewith, said axle housing having top and bottom walls and front and rear sides, said housing also having a neutral axis; and a mounting structure for connecting the axle housing to the frame, said mounting structure including a pair of column structures weldingly attached to the axle housing's front and rear sides, each of said column structures having a bounded opening through which said axle housing's neutral axis is exposed;
a pair of plates disposed in juxtaposed, contacting relation with the axle housing's top and bottom sides, each of said plates being joined to the adjacent ends of said column structures;
a continuous weld seam disposed in each bounded opening in contact with the column structures and the corresponding side of the axle housing, said weld seam forming a closed figure; and means for fastening said frame to said plates.
a frame;
an axle housing disposed beneath said frame in supporting relation therewith, said axle housing having top and bottom walls and front and rear sides, said housing also having a neutral axis; and a mounting structure for connecting the axle housing to the frame, said mounting structure including a pair of column structures weldingly attached to the axle housing's front and rear sides, each of said column structures having a bounded opening through which said axle housing's neutral axis is exposed;
a pair of plates disposed in juxtaposed, contacting relation with the axle housing's top and bottom sides, each of said plates being joined to the adjacent ends of said column structures;
a continuous weld seam disposed in each bounded opening in contact with the column structures and the corresponding side of the axle housing, said weld seam forming a closed figure; and means for fastening said frame to said plates.
12. The vehicle of claim 11 wherein said weld seam has directional changes each of which constitute an arcuate path.
13. A mounting structure for connecting a rigid member to a horizontally disposed, flexible beam having oppositely facing, longitudinally separated sides, oppositely facing, separated walls interconnecting said sides, and a neutral axis, said mounting structure comprising:
a pair of vertically separated plates, each of which is engageable with one of the walls;
a pair of vertically oriented, longitudinally separated column structures disposable adjacent the longitudinal sides, each column structure including a longitudinal opening overlappable with said neutral axis and having an arcuately shaped wall bounding said longitudinal opening; and means for attaching said plates to said frame.
a pair of vertically separated plates, each of which is engageable with one of the walls;
a pair of vertically oriented, longitudinally separated column structures disposable adjacent the longitudinal sides, each column structure including a longitudinal opening overlappable with said neutral axis and having an arcuately shaped wall bounding said longitudinal opening; and means for attaching said plates to said frame.
14. A mounting structure for a flexible beam having upper and lower walls and front and rear sides interconnecting the walls, said mounting structure comprising:
a pair of column structures, each of which has a body portion, a pair of transversely separated column elements joined to said body portion, and a pair of vertically separated webs each of which is joined to said body portion and to said column elements, said body portions being disposable adjacently said beam sides and each having an attachment opening therethrough;
a pair of stiffening plates each of which is engageable with one of the beam walls and is attached to said column structures; and an endless weld seam disposed in each of said attachment openings for joining said column structures to the beam sides.
a pair of column structures, each of which has a body portion, a pair of transversely separated column elements joined to said body portion, and a pair of vertically separated webs each of which is joined to said body portion and to said column elements, said body portions being disposable adjacently said beam sides and each having an attachment opening therethrough;
a pair of stiffening plates each of which is engageable with one of the beam walls and is attached to said column structures; and an endless weld seam disposed in each of said attachment openings for joining said column structures to the beam sides.
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US06/535,526 US4545452A (en) | 1983-09-26 | 1983-09-26 | Axle housing mounting bracket |
| US535,526 | 1983-09-26 | ||
| US83/01794 | 1983-11-10 | ||
| US8301794 | 1983-11-10 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1212707A true CA1212707A (en) | 1986-10-14 |
Family
ID=26768730
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000461651A Expired CA1212707A (en) | 1983-09-26 | 1984-08-23 | Axle housing mounting bracket |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1212707A (en) |
-
1984
- 1984-08-23 CA CA000461651A patent/CA1212707A/en not_active Expired
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