DE102022101616A1 - arrangement - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an arrangement (1) for the rotatable mounting of a vehicle wheel (2). This arrangement (1) comprises a wheel bearing (3) with an inner ring (5; 9, 10), an outer ring (4) and rolling elements (6) provided between the inner ring (5; 9, 10) and the outer ring (4). raceways (7.1, 7.2), the inner ring (5) being designed as a hub (9) and having an inner ring flange (12) at one axial end for fastening a vehicle wheel (2), and the inner ring (5) opposite the Outer ring (4) is sealed by means of a seal (16; 22). A recess (17) is provided in the inner ring flange (12) for the energetically favorable sealing of the inner ring (5) in relation to the outer ring (4), in which recess an axial projection 18 on the outer ring (4) engages in the assembled state, the outer wall (20) of the projection (18) and the inner wall (19) of the recess (17) maintain a mutual distance A.

Description

The invention relates to an arrangement for the rotatable mounting of a vehicle wheel, in particular to a wheel bearing with reduced friction losses.

Wheel bearings, which are used on driven axles, are attached in or on the axle carrier. In the case of simple bearing types, a wheel bearing is typically pressed into an axle carrier with its outer ring. Further developments of wheel bearings into so-called wheel bearing units or wheel bearing modules can have a flange in the form of a fastening flange, for example for fastening to an axle carrier, and/or a flange in the form of a wheel hub flange as integral components.

Wheel bearings that are used on non-driven axles are identical in their function. The only essential difference is that these wheel bearings are not driven by a drive shaft, but are arranged on a fixed axle carrier.

Different designs allow both the outer ring to rotate relative to the inner ring and the inner ring to rotate relative to the outer ring.

In order to avoid environmental influences on the wheel bearing, seals have become established.

In DE10 2015 212 156 A1 an arrangement for the rotatable mounting of a vehicle wheel is shown. This arrangement comprises a wheel bearing with an inner ring, an outer ring and rolling elements, which are arranged between raceways provided on the inner ring and outer ring, the inner ring being designed as a hub and having an inner ring flange for fastening a vehicle wheel at its one axial end, and the inner ring being sealed off from the outer ring by means of a seal. This seal is formed by two sealing lips which maintain a small mutual radial distance and run approximately axially on the inner ring flange, ie touching. In addition to the two axial sealing lips, there is also a sealing lip that extends in the radial direction and also touches. This large number of contacting seals means that high friction losses occur when the wheel bearing is in operation.

The invention is therefore based on the object of specifying a more energy-efficient arrangement for the rotatable mounting of a vehicle wheel.

This object is solved with the features of claim 1. Advantageous designs and developments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims.

If the outer ring is provided with an axial projection which, when fitted, engages in a recess left in the inner ring flange, with the outer wall of the projection and the inner wall of the recess maintaining a mutual distance A, the mutual distance between the recess and the projection engaging in it creates a seal in which the two sealing partners, i.e. the inner ring and the outer ring, do not physically touch and therefore avoid any friction losses, although the small mutual distance prevents dirt and/or moisture from penetrating into the wheel bearing exclude.

A very efficient non-contact seal between the inner ring and the outer ring is created when the shape or the profile of the recess corresponds to the shape or the profile of the projection, only reduced by the distance A.

If the mutual distance A between the recess and the projection engaging in it forms a C-shaped channel, the axially running sections of the C-position ensure that moisture penetrating the channel, for example, runs out of the wheel bearing again straight away due to the slight inclination of the axially running sections, even when the wheel bearing is stationary.

For vehicles that are particularly stressed by protection and/or moisture, wheel bearings can be provided on which a further sealing arrangement is connected radially inward - i.e. in the direction of the axis of rotation DA - to the projection engaging in the recess, which is provided with a maximum of one sealing lip running axially and/or radially on the inner ring flange. The frictional contact between the sealing lip and the sealing surface, reduced to one or two touching contacts, ensures that friction losses remain reduced despite the increased tightness compared to the prior art.

• 1 eine Anordnung zur drehbaren Lagerung eines Fahrzeugrades im Schnitt;
• 2 zwei Vergrößerungen gemäß 1; und
• 3 eine zweite Ausführungsform einer Dichtung

Show it:

• 1 an arrangement for the rotatable mounting of a vehicle wheel in section;
• 2 two enlargements according to 1 ; and
• 3 a second embodiment of a seal

The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the figures.

1 shows an arrangement 1 of a rotatable mounting of a vehicle wheel 2. The arrangement 1 shown comprises a wheel bearing 3 with an outer ring 4, an inner ring 5 and rolling elements 6, which are arranged between raceways 7.1, 7.2 provided on the respective bearing rings 4, 5. In detail, the wheel bearing 3 is designed in such a way that the rolling bodies 6 are balls, which are arranged in two rows 8.1, 8.2 that are spaced apart axially from one another along the axis of rotation DA of the wheel bearing 3. To guide and circumferentially space the rolling elements 6, the rolling elements 6 of each of the two rows 8.1, 8.2 are inserted into a cage 23.

The outer ring 4 of the wheel bearing 3 is designed in one piece. Consequently, the two raceways 7.1, which are spaced apart axially and on which the rolling elements 6 roll during operation of the arrangement 1, are also introduced directly into the one-piece outer ring 4 at the axial ends thereof.

In contrast, the inner ring 5 is designed in two parts for assembly purposes and comprises a hub 9 and a ring 10 which is non-rotatably connected to the hub 9. The raceway 7.2 for the row 8.1 of rolling elements 6 close to the vehicle wheel 2 is introduced directly into the outer lateral surface 11 of the hub 9, while the other raceway 7.2 for the row 8.2 of rolling elements 6 remote from the vehicle wheel 2 is in the hub 9 connected ring 10 is provided.

To connect the hub 9 to the vehicle wheel 2, the hub 9 is provided with a radial inner ring flange 12, to which a vehicle wheel 2 pushed onto the hub 9 can be connected in a rotationally fixed manner, for example with the screws 13 shown.

In order to protect the wheel bearing 3 against environmental influences 14, at least the side of the wheel bearing 3 close to the inner ring flange 12 is designed to be sealed. This is - like the two enlargements in 2 show - the sealing point 15 between the inner ring 5 and the outer ring 4 is sealed by a labyrinth seal 16, ie a non-contact seal. This labyrinth seal 16 is formed by a recess 17 in the inner ring flange 12 and an axial projection 18 on the outer ring 4, in that in the mounted state the projection 18 engages in the recess 17 while leaving a mutual distance A between the inner wall 19 of the recess 17 and the outer wall 20 of the projection 18. The result of this engagement of the projection 18 in the recess 17 is that a substantially C-shaped channel 21 is formed due to the mutual spacing A.

For example, if the in 1 Arrangement 1 shown operated in a humid environment 14, the penetration of water - indicated by the small arrows - in the channel 21 according to the upper detailed drawing according to 2 not be excluded. If this is the case, this penetrating water can easily leave the wheel bearing 3 again through the channel 21, as shown in the lower of the two detailed drawings 2 shows. The mutual distance A also ensures that during operation of the arrangement 1 the rotation of the inner ring 5 through the outer ring 4 is not impeded by the seal, ie takes place without friction in this respect.

Even if accordingly 1 and 2 the design of the seal of the wheel bearing 3 as a pure labyrinth seal, i.e. as a seal which avoids any physical contact and thus all friction losses between the projection 18 engaging in the recess 17 between the stationary outer ring 4 and the rotating hub 9 for reasons of energy efficiency, it may be necessary when the wheel bearing 3 is operated in a heavily loaded environment 14 to take further measures to protect the wheel bearing 3 against the ingress of liquids or dust.

One such further measure is in 3 shown as a second embodiment of a seal. Like the representation of 3 clearly emphasizes, a sealing arrangement 22 adjoins the channel 21 formed between the recess 17 and the projection 18, ie the labyrinth seal 16 radially inwards, ie in the direction of the axis of rotation DA. This sealing arrangement 22 comprises only one sealing lip 23 made of an elastic material and running axially on the flange 12 . In addition, another axial lip 24 directed in the direction of the flange 12 is provided in the radial space between the approaching sealing lip 23 and the labyrinth seal 16 , which serves as a further gap seal and therefore does not touch the flange 12 . To in accordance with the representation 3 To make it clear that it is not the lip 24 but only the sealing lip 23 that forms a contacting seal, the sealing lip 23 is drawn right into the flange 12 .

Furthermore, the sealing arrangement 22 includes a further, radially extending lip 25, which in this exemplary embodiment is designed as a gap seal to avoid friction losses and therefore, like the lip 24, maintains a small—in this case radial—distance from the flange 12.

Because a labyrinth seal 16 is created by the engagement of the projection 18 in the recess 17, only very little dirt and/or liquid can get through the C-shaped channel 21 from the environment 14 into the radial space between the labyrinth seal 16 and the contacting Seal 23 reach, so that then only a touching sealing lip 23 is suitable to permanently and energy-efficiently protect the wheel bearing 3 against environmental influences.

Reference List

1

arrangement

2

vehicle wheel

3

wheel bearing

4

outer ring

5

inner ring

6

rolling elements

7.1; 7.2

career

8.1, 8.2

Row

9

hub

10

ring

11

lateral surface

12

inner ring flange

13

screws

14

Vicinity

15

sealing point

16

labyrinth seal

17

recess

18

head Start

19

inner wall

20

outer wall

21

channel

22

sealing arrangement

23

sealing lip

24

lip, axial

25

lip, radial

26

Cage

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of documents cited by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent Literature Cited

• DE 102015212156 A1 [0006]

Claims (5)

Arrangement (1) for the rotatable mounting of a vehicle wheel (2), comprising a wheel bearing (3) with an inner ring (5; 9, 10), an outer ring (4) and with rolling elements (6) which are arranged between raceways (7.1, 7.2) provided on the inner ring (5; 9, 10) and outer ring (4), the inner ring (5) being designed as a hub (9) and having an inner ring flange (12) on its axial end for fastening a vehicle wheel (2) and wherein the inner ring (5) is sealed off from the outer ring (4) by means of a seal (16; 22),characterizedthat the outer ring (4) is provided with an axial projection (18) which, when assembled, engages in a recess (17) left in the inner ring flange (12), the outer wall (20) of the projection (18) and the inner wall (19) of the recess (17) maintaining a mutual distance A. arrangement according to claim 1 characterized in that the distance A between the inner wall (19) of the recess (17) and the outer wall (20) of the projection (18) forms a non-contact seal (16) between the inner ring (5) and outer ring (4). arrangement according to claim 1 or claim 2 characterized in that the shape of the projection (18) engaging in the recess (17) is the same as the shape of the recess (17) receiving the projection (18). Arrangement according to one of Claims 1 until 3 characterized by ; that the resulting distance A forms a C-shaped channel (21). Arrangement according to one of Claims 1 until 4 characterized in that a sealing arrangement (22) is connected radially inward to the projection (18) engaging in the recess (17) and is provided with a maximum of one sealing lip (23, 25) running axially and/or radially on the inner ring flange (12).

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