US1945080A

US1945080A - Method of making axle housings

Info

Publication number: US1945080A
Application number: US550843A
Authority: US
Inventors: Rudolph H Thoms
Original assignee: Midland Steel Products Co
Current assignee: Midland Steel Products Co
Priority date: 1931-07-15
Filing date: 1931-07-15
Publication date: 1934-01-30
Anticipated expiration: 1951-01-30

Description

flan, w, 1%4. R, H THOMS 1,945,080

METHOD OF MAKING AXLE HOUSINGS Filed July 15. 1931 INVENTOR RU DDLF'H HHTHEIME.=

' TTORNEY Patented Jan. 30, 1934 METHOD OF MAKING AXLE HOUSINGS Rudolph H. Thorns, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Midland Steel Products Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application July 15, 1931. Serial No. 550,843

'14 Claims. (Cl. 229-1531) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in axle housings and the method of making the same.

An important object of the invention is to provide a method by which these housings can be formed from tubular stock without increasing or diminishing the original wall thickness thereof at any point, thereby producing a housing having the requisite uniform wall thickness with attendant equal distribution of uniform strength and no weak spots throughout the length of the housing.

It has been proposed to work with stock or tubing having a diameter less than that required for the enlarged end, but this necessitates enlargement of such end which is later formed into the gear housing portion, with consequent reduction in wall thickness, unless compensated for by simultaneous axial pressure upon opposite ends of the tubing, or swaging prior to expansion.

In order to avoid complications resulting from the aforesaid practice, it is proposed to work with oversize stock having a diameter, so large, that the necessity for the aforesaid additional working is eliminated.

By the herein described method it is possible to eliminate at least one step of upsetting for each section of the housing, thereby resulting in increased production of superior housings at less costs and which are notso apt to open at the seams of welded stock during their manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following disclosure.

' $5 In the accompanying drawing forming a part of the description and wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a length of circu- 40 lar tubing from which each section of the axle housing is formed.

Figure 2 is an and elevation of the same. Figure 3 is a side elevation of tubing after the first swaging operation, with one end thereof 46 broken away to illustrate the increased wall thickness imparted to one end of the tubing.

Figure 4 is alongitudinal section through the same section of tubing illustrating the first drawing operation.

Figure 5 is a similar view illustrating the second drawing operation.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of one section of the housing in a partially completed condition, and Figure 7 is a plan of an axle housing practically completed by joining two sections of tubing formed in accordance with the invention.

Referring now more specifically to the drawing, the numeral 10, designates a length of circular tubing which may be seamless or formed from strip rolled and welded longitudinally along a seam as at 11. Due to the difference in cost of the two kinds of tubing, axle housings can be formed at less cost from welded tubing and it has been found that the herein disclosed method a can be carried out with less likelihood of opening the welded seam, than is the case with other methods of forming such axle housings.

Since it is preferable to carry out the process with heated stock, it may be given the herein described treatment prior to any appreciable. loss of heat incidental to the formation of the stock into tubular form, thereby effecting a saving in the heating and handling of the stock. With the tubing in heated condition, one end 12, is hot swaged to reduce its diameter, increase its wall thickness and to provide an internal shoulder 13, for abutment with a shoulder 14, on a die punch 15, employed in the drawing operation. During this hot swaging operation it is impor- 8 tant to note that the original wall thickness of the remaining portion of the tubing has not been increased or decreased'and that it remains thesame throughout all stages of the manufacture.

The reduced end 12 of the stock which is sub- 35 sequently formed into a circumferential radial flange 16, for the attachment of a brake apron thereto, is inserted through a female die 17,

after which the male die punch 15, is projected into the'enlarged end of the tubing and against the shoulder 13, thereof. Continued movement of the punch 15, axially of the tubing, causes elongation of the latter through the die 17, while still maintaining the original wall thickness of the tubing at all points up to the swaged end. 5 This operation is stopped short of drawing the entire length of tubing through the die thereby resulting in the formation of a shoulder 18, at a point located a distance from the enlarged end 19 thereof, sufllcient to allow for enough material, of original stock diameter and wall thickness, being left for the formation of an enlarged gear housing portion 20.

After this operation the tubing is subjected to a second drawing operation through a' smaller die 21 with a male die punch 22. This punch is provided with a shoulder 23 for engagement with the shoulder 13 of the tubing, and when projected through the die, will further elongate the tubing and draw the same down to a smaller 110 diameter as indicated at 26 in Figure 5. It is important to note that this second drawing operationi like the first, does not in any way alter the original thickness of the walls of the tubing at any point and that it remains uniform with the exception of course, of the previously swaged portion 12. Drawing the tubing through this second die, results in the formation of a second shoulder 24, in proximity to the shoulder 18, both of which are later merged into a flared portion 25, as will be presently described.

, The swaged end 12, is then enlarged as at 27 and upset to produce the annular thickened flange 16, to which may be secured, in any suitable manner, the brake apron heretofore referred to. The opposite enlarged end 19 of the tubing is then flattened or rather compressed to give it substantially elliptical cross sectionafter which it is provided with a pair of diametrically disposed longitudinally extending slots 28, thereby forming the enlarged end, for a substantial portion of its length, into a pairof arms 29, arcuate in cross section. This bifurcated end is then positioned in a female die for final snaping and the arms 29 are bowed and spread apart into the arcuate semi-circular formation shown by a male die section. This causes the enlarged end 19 of the tubing to be formed with the arouated channeled gear housing portion 20 normal to the longitudinal plane of the tubing and the

shoulders

18 and 24 are simultaneously merged into the flaring portion 25, as indicated in Figure 7. From the foregoing it will be obvious that the original wall thickness of the stock remains unchanged throughout these forming operations, thereby resulting in the production of an axle housing section which is of uniform strength throughout its length. Moreover, when welded tubing is used, the method does not cause such stress upon the welded seam as would cause the same to split.

In order to complete an axle housing, two of these symmetrically formed complementary sections are placed in alignment with the arcuate gear housing portions arranged with their edges '30 in abutment, which edges are welded together as at 31, thereby forming a substantially one piece axle housing. The .axle housing is completed by attaching substantially circular plates, not shown, to opposite sides of the complementary gear" housing section 20 to form an enclosure for the differential gear unit.

It will be understood that the method is not to be limited to'the sequence of steps set forth in the specification or limited otherwise than recited in the appended claims. For instance, the entire drawing may be found possible in one drawing operation instead of two; or it may be expeditious to form the gear housing portions while the tubing is being drawn, and again it may be desirable to form the bowed portion 27 and flange 16 after the gear housing portion is formed, instead of prior to its formation. The essential factor is the maintenance of original wall thickness of the axle housing section throughout its length with the exception of its outer end at the enlargement 2'7 and flange 16 which latter is left thickened to impart requisite strength for the attachment of the usual brake apron. When welded tubing is used instead of seamless, it is desirable but not necessary to position the slots 28 in a plane arranged at about 90 from the plane of the weld so as to reduce to a minim m. any possible stress upon the welded noaaoso seam during the spreading formation of the gear housing portion.

I claim:

1. Method of forming axle housings consisting of swaging one end of tubular stock to increase its wall thickness while leaving the other end at its original size, reducing the diameter of the intermediate portion of the stock by drawing out said portion and maintaining the constant original wall thickness throughout the stock up to the thickened end; bowing outwardly the thickened end and forming a flange thereon, and then form- Ling said other end into a substantially forked portion having wall thickness no thinner than other portions of housing.

2. The method of forming axle housings consisting of swaging one end of tubular stock to increase its wall thickness while leaving its other end its original size, reducing the diameter of the intermediate portion of the stock while maintaining the constant original wall thickness throughout the stock up to the thickened end,

forming said other end into a gear housing portion, and then turning an annular radial flange on the swaged end of the stock.

3. The method of forming axle housings consisting of swaging one end of tubular stock to increase its wall thickness while leaving its other end at its original size, drawing out the intermediate portion of the stock to elongate and reduce its diameter while maintaining the constant original wall thickness throughout the stock up to the swaged end, further drawing out said reduced portion to further elongate and reduce the primarily reduced portion while still maintaining the constant original wall thickness of the stock up to the swaged end and to forman intermediate tapered portion, upsetting the swaged end of the stock to form an annular flange, and then forming the other end of the stock into a gear housing portion.

4. The method of forming axle housings consisting of swaging one end of tubular stock having a longitudinally extending welded seam to increase its wall thickness while leaving its other end at its original size, reducing the diameter of the intermediate portion of the stock while maintaining the constant original wall thickness throughout the stock up to the swaged end, slotting the other end of the tube in a plane normal 125 to that of the welded seam, then forming said other end in a plane parallel to that of the welded seam intoa substantially forked portion, and

attaching the forked portions of two such sections together.

5. The method "of forming axle housings consisting in drawing out a portion of tubular stock while maintaining its original wall thickness and while leaving oneend of the stock at its original size and wall thickness, slotting and spreading said end into a gear housing portion, and then I attaching the two gear housing portions of two such sections together.

6. In a method of forming an axle housing section including reducing tubular stock up to a point adjacent one end to provide an enlarged end, flattening the enlarged end into substantially oval cross section, slotting said enlarged end from its free end inwardly to a point adjacent the shoulder formed by the enlarged end to provide a pair of arms, and spreading said arms apart and bending them into arcuate shape.

7. In a method of forming an axle housing section including providing a tube with an en- 'larged end, flattening said end into substantially 1,94a,oso

oval shaped cross section, slotting said enlarged end from its free end inwardly for a substantial distance to provide a pair of arms, and spreading said arms apart and bending them into arcuate shape.

8. In a method of forming axle housing sections, the steps of reducing the diameter of the major portion of the length of tubing while maintaining substantially the wall thickness of the original tubing and while leaving one end of the stock at its original size and wall thickness and of sufiicient diameter to be unaffected in wall thickness by subsequent operation, bifurcating said enlarged end at diametrically opposite points from its free end inwardly for a substantial distance to provide a pair of channeled arms, and spreading said arms apart and bending them into arcuate shape.

9. In a method of forming an axle housing section, the steps of reducing the diameten o! the major length of a piece of tubing while maintaining therein substantially constant original wall thickness to provide the tubing with an enlarged end and an intermediate shoulder, bifurcating said enlarged end at diametrically opposite points from its free end inwardly a substantial distance to provide a pair of arms, and spreading the arms apart and subsequently forming the arms into arcuate shape while forming said shouldered portion into a gradually tapered portion. 4

10. The method of forming axle housings consisting of swaging one end of tubular stock to increase its wall thickness while leaving its other end at its original size, drawing out the intermediate portion of the tube to elongate and reduce its diameter while maintaining the wall thickness constant throughout the tube up to the thickened end, bowing outwardly the thickened end and forming a flange thereon, and forming said other end into a gear housing portion having wall thickness substantially equal to the original tube. 2

11. The method of forming axle housingsconsisting of swaging one end of tubular stock to increase its wall thickness and to provide a working shoulder while leaving its other end at its original size, drawing out the intermediate portion of the tube by engaging the shoulder to elongate and reduce the diameter of the tube while maintaining its original wall thickness constant throughout the stock up to the thickened substantially equal to end, bowing outwardly the thickened end and forming a flange thereon, and forming said other end into a gear housing portion.

12. The method of forming axle housings consisting of swaging one end of tubular stock to increase its wall thickness and to provide a working shoulder while leaving its other end at its original size, drawing out a portion of the tube by engaging the shoulder to elongate and reduce the diameter of the tube while maintaining its wall thickness constant throughout the stock up to the thickened end, then further drawing out said reduced portion to further elongate and reduce the primarily reduced portion while still maintaining the constant original wall thickness of the tube up to the thickened end, bowing outwardly the thickened end and forming a flange thereon, and then forming said other end into a gear housing portion.

13. The method of forming axle housings consisting of swaging one end of tubular stock to increase its wall thickness and to provide a working shoulder while leaving one end its original size, drawing out a portion of the stock by exerting thrust on said shoulder to elongate and reduce the diameter of the tube while maintaining its original wall thickness up to the thickened end, bowing outwardly the thickened end and forming a flange thereon, and then forming the other end having original tube diameter and thickness into a substantially forked end portion having wall thickness substantially equal to the original stock. Y

14. The method of forming axle housings consisting of swaging one end of tubular stock to increase its wall thickness and to provide a working shoulder for a punch while leaving one end its original size, drawing out a portion of the stock by exerting thrust onv said shoulder to elongate and reduce the diameter of the tube while maintaining substantially its original wallthickness throughout the stock up to the thickened end, then further drawing 'out said reduced portion to further elongate and reduce the primarily reduced portion while maintaining substantially constant original wall thickness of the stock up to the thickened end, expanding the thickened end and forming a flange thereon, and then forming the other end having original stock diameter into a substantially forked portion having wallthickness the original stock.

RUDOLPH H. THOMS.