KR101689840B1 - Sealing structure of wheel bearing for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention has been created to improve the structure of a wheel bearing and a sealing device. Wheel bearings include hubs, inner rings, outer rings, rolling elements. The sealing structure includes a flange, and the flange has a sealant groove. The sealant groove is formed at a portion in contact with the flange surface at the radially outermost side of the outer support, and a sealant is filled in the sealant groove and the contact portion. The filled sealant shields foreign matter entering between the one side of the outer support and the other side of the flange from the outside to prevent corrosion of the sealing device and to maintain the performance constantly. In addition, the damper can be positioned inside the axial direction of the outer support body, so that foreign substances can be primarily blocked.

Description

[0001] SEILING STRUCTURE OF WHEEL BEARING FOR VEHICLE [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a sealing structure for a vehicle wheel bearing, and more particularly, to a vehicle wheel bearing sealing structure mounted between an outer ring and a flange of a vehicle wheel bearing to prevent entry of foreign matter.

In general, a bearing is a device mounted between a rotating element and a non-rotating element to facilitate rotation of the rotating element. Currently, various bearings such as roller bearings, tapered bearings, and needle bearings are used.

Wheel bearings are a type of such bearings and function to rotatably connect a wheel (wheel), which is a rotating element, to a vehicle body, which is a non-rotating element. The wheel bearing includes an inner ring (and / or hub) connected to one of the wheels or the vehicle body, an outer ring connected to the other one of the wheel or the vehicle body, and a rolling member interposed between the outer ring and the inner ring.

These wheel bearings are basically mounted on the wheels of the vehicle, and thus are exposed to foreign substances such as dust and moisture. If the foreign matter flows into the interior of the wheel bearing, particularly the portion where the rolling element is mounted, the raceway as the polishing surface may be damaged. Such a damaged raceway may cause noise and vibration during operation of the wheel bearing and shorten the life of the wheel bearing. Therefore, a sealing device for preventing foreign matter from entering from the outside is mounted at one end or both ends of the wheel bearing. In particular, a sealing device for sealing the gap between the outer ring and the hub may be provided in the wheel bearing.

Conventional sealing structures include an inner support, a lip, and a rubber member. In addition, the sealing device may further include an outer support. The inner support is mounted on the outer peripheral surface of one end of the outer ring. The lip portion is composed of a plurality of lips to be brought into contact with the outer support surface so as to perform sealing. The rubber member is integrally formed with the lip portion and mounted on the inner support. The outer support is mounted on the other surface of the flange, and a sealant is applied to the contact surface between the outer support and the flange to seal between the outer support and the flange.

The structure of the conventional sealing apparatus can block foreign substances from the outside. However, in such a structure, a portion between one surface of the outer support and the flange surface is exposed to the outside, Corrosion may be caused by moisture. If corrosion occurs in the portion, the adhesive force is weakened and a gap may be generated. Foreign matter penetrates into the gap, and corrosion is continuously generated. Such enlarged clearance by the continuous corrosion causes deformation or vibration of the outer support. Furthermore, may be detached from the sealing device when an impact is applied to the outer support.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a seal member for a seal member, Lt; / RTI > It is an object of the present invention to provide a sealing structure that keeps the performance of a sealing device by blocking foreign substances entering from one side of the outer support to the other side of the flange by the filled sealant.

In order to achieve the above object, a wheel bearing according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a hub, an outer ring spaced apart from the hub by a predetermined distance and surrounding the hub, and a rolling member provided between the hub and the outer ring . Wherein the hub includes a disc-shaped flange extending radially outwardly at one end thereof, the flange including a first surface facing the outer ring, A sealant groove having a depth in the axial direction and a radial width on one side of the flange, the seal structure including an inner support mounted on one end of the outer ring; An outer support having a flange contact portion mounted on one surface of the flange and a first cylindrical portion extending axially inwardly at a radially outer end of the flange contact portion; And at least one sidewall mounted on the inner support and contacting the outer support; Wherein the sealant groove is formed in a flange corresponding to a boundary between the flange contact portion and the first cylindrical portion, and a sealant is filled between the outer support and the sealant groove.

The inner support body includes an axially extending portion that is press-fitted into the outer peripheral surface of one end of the outer ring and extends in the axial direction; A radial extension part bent radially inwardly from one end of the axially extending part and contacting one end of the outer ring; And a control unit.

And the inner support body is mounted with a dam which extends radially outwardly and faces the end of the first cylindrical portion.

And the dam is not in contact with the end of the first cylindrical portion in the axial direction of the first cylindrical portion.

And a pointed portion having a tapered shape is formed at the other end of the axially extending portion, and the pointed portion is not in contact with the outer ring, and at least part of the pointed portion is wrapped by the rubber member. And a fixing portion having a step is formed at a radially inner end of the radial extending portion, and the fixing portion is not in contact with one end of the outer ring, but at least part of the fixing portion is wrapped by the rubber member.

And a radially outer peripheral surface of the flange contacting portion includes an outer peripheral curved surface formed by bending inward in the radial direction. The outer peripheral curved surface includes a reference portion facing the sealant groove at a position where the outer peripheral curved surface starts, and the reference portion is formed at the same position in the radial direction from the width of the sealant groove. The depth of the sealant groove is 0.5 mm or less, and the width of the sealant groove is 0.8 +/- 0.3 mm.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the sealant is filled in the sealant groove, and between the flange surface and one side of the outer support, so that corrosion does not proceed at the sealant-filled portion. Thereby, a gap is not generated between the outer support and the flange surface, and deformation or vibration of the outer support is prevented.

On the other hand, the damper is provided on the inner side in the axial direction of the outer support body to primarily block the foreign matter, thereby improving the sealing performance.

1 is a sectional view of a wheel bearing according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an enlarged view of a portion "A" in Fig.
3 is an enlarged view of a portion "B" in Fig.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Throughout the specification, when an element is referred to as "comprising ", it means that it can include other elements as well, without excluding other elements unless specifically stated otherwise.

For convenience of explanation, the axially closer side (left side in the figure) of the wheel is referred to as "one side", "one side", "one side" Quot; other side ", " other end ", " other end "

Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the specification.

1 is a sectional view of a wheel bearing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The wheel bearings shown in FIG. 1 illustrate one of various kinds of wheel bearings for convenience of description. The technical idea of the present invention is not limited to the wheel bearings exemplified in this specification, Bearing assembly.

1, a wheel bearing 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a hub 10, an inner ring 11 coupled to the outside of the hub 10, A first rolling member 13 provided between the hub 10 and the outer ring 12 and a second rolling member 13 provided between the outer ring 12 and the inner ring 11, A sealing device 40 and a sealing cap 16 are provided between the hub 10 and the outer ring 12.

The hub 10 includes a disk-like flange 15 extending radially outwardly from one side thereof, an intermediate portion 25 extending in a cylindrical shape from the flange 15 to the other side, And a stepped inner ring mounting portion 35 formed on the outer circumferential surface and radially inward. A bolt hole 17 is formed in the flange 15 and a hub bolt (not shown) is fixedly attached to the bolt hole 17. A wheel (not shown) of the vehicle is mounted on the hub bolt (not shown). A pilot 18 projects in the axial direction on one surface of the hub 10. The pilot (18) serves to guide the wheel when mounting the wheel on the flange (15). The hub 10 further includes a hub raceway 31 formed on the outer circumferential surface between the flange 15 and the intermediate portion 25. Furthermore, a bent portion is formed on the other side of the hub 10 to hold the inner ring 11 mounted on the hub 10.

The inner ring 11 has a cylindrical shape and is press-fitted into the inner ring mounting portion of the hub 10. An inner race raceway (32) is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inner ring (11).

The outer ring 12 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape so as to surround the outer circumferential surface of the hub 10. That is, a hollow in which the hub 10 and the inner ring 11 are inserted is formed inside the radius of the outer ring 12 along the central axis. An outer ring flange 39 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the outer ring 12 so as to extend radially outward and the outer ring flange 39 is formed on the outer ring bolt hole 39 for mounting the wheel bearing 1 on the vehicle body (37) are formed. First and second outer race raceways 41 and 42 are formed on inner circumferential surfaces of both ends of the outer race 12. The first outer race raceway 41 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the one end of the outer race 12 is formed to face the hub raceway 31. [ The second outer race raceway 42 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the other end of the outer race 12 is formed so as to face the inner race raceway 32.

The first rolling member 13 is installed between the hub raceway 31 and the first outer race raceway 41 and the second rolling member 113 is connected to the inner race raceway 32 and the second outer race race 41. [ Way 42 as shown in Fig. The first rolling member 13 and the second rolling member 113 may have various shapes such as a ball shape or a cylindrical shape. One of the ball bearings constituting the first rolling member 13 and the second rolling member 113 is spaced apart from the other adjacent ball bearings by the retainer 14. [

The sealing cap 16 is coupled to the other side of the hub 10. The sealing cap 16 closes the radial space formed between the outer ring 12 and the inner ring 11 to prevent foreign matter from penetrating between the outer ring 12 and the inner ring 11. [

The sealing device 40 is mounted at one end of the outer ring 12 to prevent foreign matter from penetrating into the space between the outer ring 12 and the hub 10. The sealing device 40 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

2 is an enlarged view of a portion "A" in Fig.

2, the wheel bearing sealing apparatus 40 according to the embodiment of the present invention is mounted between the one end of the outer ring 12 and the flange 15.

The sealing device 40 includes an inner support 20, an outer support 120, a rubber member 50, and at least one lip 52.

The inner support (20) includes an axial extension (21) and a radial extension (22). The axially extending portion 21 is press-fitted into the outer peripheral surface of one end of the outer ring 12 and extends in the axial direction. The other end of the axially extending portion 21 includes a pointed portion 21a having a tapered structure. The pointed portion 21a is formed to be inclined radially inward and outwardly axially from the axially inner end of the axially extending portion 21, and is not in contact with the outer ring 12.

The radial extending portion 22 is bent from one end of the axial extending portion 21 and extends inward in the radial direction. The radially extending portion 22 is in contact with one end of the outer ring 12. A fixing portion 22a is formed on the inner radial end of the radial extending portion 22. The fixing portion 22a has a stepped portion axially outward from the other surface of the radial extending portion 22 so as not to contact the one end of the outer ring. When the rubber member 50 is injected, at least a part of the beak 21a and the fixing portion 22a are wrapped by the rubber member 50 so that the rubber member 50 is separated from the inner supporting body 20 .

The outer support 120 includes a flange contact portion 121, a first cylindrical portion 122, and a second cylindrical portion 123. The flange contact portion 121 contacts the other surface of the flange 15 and extends in the radial direction. The first cylindrical portion 122 is bent from the radially outer end of the flange contact portion 121 and extends axially inward. The second cylindrical portion 123 is in contact with the flange inner side surface 115 and extends from the radially inner end of the flange contacting portion 121 toward the axially inner side. A sealant 250 is applied to a portion where the flange contact portion 121, the first cylindrical portion 122 and the second cylindrical portion 123 are in contact with the flange 15 to prevent contact with air, The outer support 120 is spaced apart from the inner support 20. The inner support 120 may be formed of a material having a high thermal conductivity.

The rubber member 50 is formed to enclose at least a part of the axially extending portion 21 and the radially extending portion 22. The rubber member 50 is formed with a lip 52 including at least one sidewall 52a, 52b, 52c. The at least one sidewall 52a, 52b, 52c contacts the other surface of the flange contacting portion 121 to prevent foreign matter from penetrating into the space between the hub 10 and the outer ring 12. [

 Further, the rubber member 50 on the axially extending portion 21 is formed with a dam 51 for radially outwardly extending to primarily block the foreign matter. The damper 51 is positioned on the other side of the other end of the first cylindrical portion 122 and extends radially outward to substantially the same position as the first cylindrical portion 122 in the radial direction. That is, the dam 51 is positioned axially inward of the other end of the first cylindrical portion 122. The dam 51 is not in contact with the other end of the first cylindrical portion 122 but maintains a constant gap D to form a labyrinth seal. In this case, the distance of the gap D may be narrowed so that foreign matter (moisture, dust, etc.) from the outside may be primarily blocked by the damper 51 and the first cylindrical portion 122. In addition, by configuring the dam 51 and the first cylindrical portion 122 in a non-contact state, the sealing performance can be improved without increasing the drag torque.

3 is an enlarged view of a portion "B" in Fig.

As shown in FIG. 3, the flange 15 includes a sealant groove 100 that is recessed axially outwardly from the other side of the flange 15. At this time, a corner 110 is formed at a portion bent from the other surface of the flange 15 to the sealant groove 100. The sealant 250 may be filled in the sealant groove 100. In addition, not only the sealant grooves 100, but also seals formed between the other surface of the flange 15 and one surface of the outer support 120 outside the edge 110 can be sealed with a sealant, thereby effectively preventing entry of foreign matter.

The end face of the sealant groove 100 may have a predetermined depth P in the axial direction and a constant width W in the radial direction, but is not limited thereto. The depth (P) of the sealant groove (100) can be set to 0.01 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less. If the depth P of the sealant grooves 100 is deeper than 0.5 mm, the amount of consumed sealant 250 is increased, but the effect is not significantly different. If the depth P of the sealant groove 100 is shallower than 0.01 mm, the effect of the sealant 250 is greatly reduced. Therefore, it is advantageous to set the depth P of the sealant groove 100 to 0.01 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less.

The width W of the sealant groove 100 can be set in a range of 0.5 mm or more and 1.1 mm or less. If the width W is less than 0.5 mm, external foreign matter can easily enter the gap through the sealant groove 100 if the sealant 250 is damaged by an external impact. On the other hand, if the width W is larger than 1.1 mm, the effect is not significantly different from that when the width W is 1.1 mm. Therefore, in order to effectively block external foreign matter, the width W of the sealant groove 100 can be set in a range of 0.8 0.3 mm.

The outer peripheral curved surface 60 is formed at the outer peripheral surface of the bent portion when the flange contacting portion 121 is axially inwardly bent at the radially outer end. The outer circumferential curved surface 60 may have various curvatures and the outer circumferential curved surface 60 may be formed so that the separation distance F is generated to allow the sealant 250 to flow from the inside of the sealant groove 100 to the outside of the edge 110 Can be filled.

The reference portion R at which the outer peripheral curved surface 60 starts is positioned at a point where the flange contacting portion 121 is bent while facing the sealant groove 100. The reference portion R is formed at the same position as the center of the width W in the radial direction. If the center of the width W is formed radially outward from the reference portion R, the distance F between the outer peripheral curved surface 60 and the edge 110 is increased. When the distance F is increased, external foreign matter can easily enter the sealant groove 100 when the sealant 250 is damaged. If the center of the width W is formed radially inward of the reference portion R, the distance F between the outer peripheral curved surface 60 and the edge 110 becomes narrow. When the separation distance F is narrowed, the adhesion of the sealant 250 between the outer peripheral curved surface 60 and the edge 110 is weakened, and the remaining portion of the sealant groove 100, except for the sealant, Can be separated. Therefore, the center of the width W may be formed on the axial extension of the reference portion R, in order to effectively block external foreign matter.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, And all changes to the scope that are deemed to be valid.

Claims (10)

A wheel bearing comprising a hub, an outer ring spaced apart from the hub by a predetermined distance and surrounding the hub, and a rolling member provided between the hub and the outer ring,
And a sealing structure for sealing a space between the hub and the outer ring,
Wherein the hub includes a disk-shaped flange extending radially outwardly at one end thereof, the flange including a face facing the outer ring, and a sealant having a depth in the axial direction and a radial width on one side of the flange, Grooves,
The sealing structure
An inner support mounted on one end of the outer ring;
An outer support having a flange contact portion mounted on one surface of the flange and a first cylindrical portion extending axially inwardly at a radially outer end of the flange contact portion;
A rubber member mounted on the inner support; And
At least one sidewall formed in the rubber member and contacting the outer support;
/ RTI >
Wherein the sealant groove is formed in a flange corresponding to a boundary between the flange contacting portion and the first cylindrical portion,
A reference portion facing the sealant groove is formed at a position where the outer peripheral curved surface starts, and the reference portion is formed in a radial direction with respect to the center of the width of the sealant groove in a radial direction And a sealant is filled between the outer support and the sealant groove.
The method according to claim 1,
The inner support
An axially extending portion that is press-fitted into the outer peripheral surface of one end of the outer ring and extends in the axial direction; And
A radial extension part bent radially inwardly from one end of the axial extension part and contacting one end of the outer ring;
Wherein the wheel bearing sealing structure comprises:
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the inner support body is mounted with a dam extending radially outwardly and facing the end of the first cylindrical portion.
The method of claim 3,
Wherein the dam is not in contact with an end of the first cylindrical portion axially inward of the first cylindrical portion.
3. The method of claim 2,
The other end of the axially extending portion is formed with a pointed portion having a tapered shape,
The pointed portion does not contact the outer ring,
At least a portion of which is wrapped by the rubber member.
3. The method of claim 2,
A radially inner end portion of the radial extending portion is formed with a fixing portion having a step,
Wherein the fixing portion is not in contact with one end of the outer ring, but at least part of the outer circumferential surface is surrounded by the rubber member.
delete delete The method according to claim 1,
And the depth of the sealant groove is 0.01 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less.
The method according to claim 1,
And the width of the sealant groove is 0.5 mm or more and 1.1 mm or less.

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