US2348145A

US2348145A - Method of forming steel power transfer housings

Info

Publication number: US2348145A
Application number: US403732A
Authority: US
Inventors: Arthur R Perkins
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1941-07-23
Filing date: 1941-07-23
Publication date: 1944-05-02
Anticipated expiration: 1961-05-02

Description

A. R. PERKINS 2,348,145

METHOD OF FORMING STEEL POWER TRANSFER HOUSINGS May 2, 1944.

Filed July 25, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Hi t 7 A. R. PERKINS METHOD OF FORMING STEEL POWER TRANSFER HOUSINGS Filed July 23, 1941 2 Shts-Sheet 2 Patented May 2, 1944 UNI-TED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF FORMING STEEL POWER TRANSFER HOUSINGS 2 Claims.

An object of this invention is to provide a method of making a power transfer housing which may be formed out of material sufficiently strong to withstand the torsional and other strains to which the housing may be subjected fgr providing a front drive power unit.

Another object of this invention is to provide a power transfer housing which may be built up from welded steel and which is adapted to house a flexible driving connection between the transmission and the drive, shaft.

Afurther object of this invention is to provide a power transfer housing of this kind with an improved means for supporting the housing from the power plant frame,

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved method of forming a power transfer housing whichincludes bending an elongated flat strip of metal: to form the side and end walls, welding the ends of the strip together, welding a flat front wall onto the formed strip, and removablyattaching a rear wall onto the formed strip.

To the foregoin objects and to others which may hereinafter appear, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangementof parts as will be more specifically referred to and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a detailtop plan of a power transfer housing constructed according to an embodimentofthis invention and which is adapted to be associatedwith the front drive mechanism and, also the. power frame structure forming the subject matter of; mycopending applications, for a front drive mechanism and a power frame or chassis filed of even date herewith,

Figure; 2 is a detail side elevation of the trans-- fer housing showing the housing in applied position with parts broken away,

Figure, 3 is a detail rear elevation of the hous ing with the, rear plate removed,

FigureA is a, longitudinal section of the housing with, the drivingmechanism removed therefrom,

Figure 5 is a detail rear elevation partly in section of' the housing structure,

Figure 6 is, a section View taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 5, and

Figure '7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings the numeral l0 designates generally a front drive frame struc ture, the detail of which are set forth in my copending application. The frame structure Ill includes a pair of inwardly projecting brackets or supporting members, generally designated as H. A power transfer housing structure generally designated as H is adapted to be secured as by fastening devices I3 to the bracket members II. The housing structure I 2 is adapted to be formed out of sheet steel having parts thereof welded firmly together so that this housing will be able to withstand the torsional strains incident to the connection of a drive shaft M with a driven shaft 15, the latter shaft being offset downwardly and laterally from the drive shaft It. The housing [*2 comprises a front wall I6 which has welded thereto a rearwardly projecting wall structure generally designated as H.

The wall structure I! includes a pair of side wall members I8 and 19, an arcuate top 20 and abottom wall 2 I. The top wall 20 is of arcuate configuration as shown in Figure 3 and the side wall [9 is also of longitudinally arcuate configuration and is connected at its lower end with the bottom wall 2| by means of an arcuate wall portion 22. The side wall I9 is also of longitudinally arcuate configuration, merging at its upper end in the top wall Zll and also merging at its lower end in a lower side wall structure 23, which at its lower portion is formed with an arcuate wall portion 24 merging with the horizontal lower or bottom wall 2|. In practice, the wall structure 11 is formed from a single elongated strip of sheet steel which is bent in the configuration shown in Figure 3 and the ends thereof are welded together as at 25 at the lower portion of the housing.

The side wall structure I! has welded to the rear portion thereof and to the outer side thereof a plurality of spaced apart outwardly extending lugs 26 which are formed with threaded openings 21. The. openings 21 open through the rear ends of the lugs or blocks 26 and fastening devices 28 in the form of cap screws or the like are adapted I to threadably engage in the openings 21, so as pended between the two spaced apart bracket members II by means of supporting

members

32 and 33. The supporting member 32 comprises a flat bar 34 having an obtusely disposed inner end portion 35, which is adapted to be welded as at 36 to the outer side of the side wall I8 adjacent the upper portion thereof. The bar 34 is also provided with an outer obtusely disposed extension 31. A lower horizontally disposed bar 38 is adapted to have its outer end portion 39 disposed in face abutting relation to the horizontal extension 31 and welded thereto as at 40. The two

extensions

31 and 39 are provided with aligned openings M and 42 through which an attaching bolt 43 is adapted to engage for attaching the supporting member 32 on the bracket II. The

bar 38 is provided at its inner end portion with w an outwardly disposed extension 44, which is adapted to be welded as at 45 to the outer side of the side wall I8, as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

The supporting member 33 includes an elongated flat bar 46, which is formed at one end thereof with an arcuate inner end portion 4'! which is welded as at 48 to the outer side of the arcuate top wall 2|]. The bar 46 is also provided at its outer end portion with a horizontally disposed extension 49 formed with an opening 50. A second supporting or bracing member constructed in the form of a flat bar 5| coacts with the bar 46 in supporting the adjacent side of the housing I2. The bar 5I is inclined downwardly as shown in Figure 5 and provided at its lower end with an obtusely disposed extension 52 which is welded as at 53 to the outer side of the side wall I9. The upper end portion of the bar 5| is formed with a horizontally disposed extension 54, which confronts the extension 49 and is welded to the extension 49 as at 55. The extension 54 is formed with an opening 56 aligning with the opening for receiving an attaching bolt 5'1. The supporting

members

32 and 33 are so constructed as to support the housing at an inclination to the vertical as viewed from the rear, so that the driven shaft I5 will be positioned laterally from the vertical axis of the drive shaft I4.

The rear plate 29 is adapted to have removably secured thereto a pair of upper and lower bearing caps generally designated as 58 and 59 respectively. The bearing cap 58 comprises a plate-like body 66 which is adapted to be secured as by fastening devices 6| to the outer side of the rear wall or plate 29. A cylindrical bearing sleeve 62 is formed integral with the body 68 and is of a diameter substantially smaller than the diameter of the body and is adapted to removably engage through an opening 63 formed in the rear wall 29 adjacent the upper portion thereof. The bearing sleeve 62 is adapted to have mounted therein the outer race of an anti-friction bearing structure, which supports the rear end portion of the drive shaft I4 and which is shown in greater detail in my copending application for a front drive power unit. I

The lower bearing cap structure 59 comprises a plate-like body 64,'which is adapted to be secured as by fastening devices65 to the rear wall 29 adjacent the lower end portion thereof. The

body 64 has formed integral therewith a cylindrical bearing sleeve 66, which removably engages through an opening 61 formed in the rear wall 29 coaxial with the axis of the driven shaft I 5. The sleeve 66 is adapted to have mounted therein the outer race of an anti-friction bearing which supwith an opening 68 within which a bearing sleeve 69 is secured as by welding 10. The bearing sleeve 69 is substantially longer than the thickness of the front wall I6 so that the sleeve 69 will project partly forwardly from the front face of the wall I6 and will also project inwardly or rearwardly from the front wall I6. The sleeve 69 is adapted to have positioned therein the outer race of an anti-friction bearing which supports the forward portion of the drive shaft I5.

The front wall I6 adjacent the upper portion thereof and in a position coaxial with the bearing sleeve 62 has fixed thereto a cylindrical sleeve of bushing II through which the drive shaft I4 is adapted to rotatably engage. The bushing or sleeve 'II is adapted to engage in an opening 12 formed in the rear wall I3 of a conventional transmission housing and constitutes one means for determining the correct position of the housing I2 relative to the transmission housing structure I4.

The front wall I6 is fixedly secured to the rear wall I3 of the transmission I4 by means of a plurality of countersunk bolts or screws 15, which are threaded into the rear wall I4. In order to provide a means whereby the angular position of the housing I2 may be properly set and so that the holes I6 in the wall I6 for the screws or bolts I5 may align with the threaded openings 1! in the wall 1.3, I have provided one or more dowel pins I8, which may be threaded, as at I9, or otherwise fixedly secured to the front wall I6. The pin or dowel 18 projects forwardly from the front wall I6 and engages in an opening Ell formed in the transmission wall I3.

In mounting the housingstructure I2 onthe frame structure In the outer end portion of the supporting member 32 is adapted to rest on an apertured cushioning member 8| and a lower cushioning member 82 engages between the head of the bolt 43 and the lower side of the bracket II. Preferably a small rubber sleeve 83 is inserted in the opening 84 formed in the bracket II and, if desired, the sleeve 83 may be formed as an integral part of the cushioning washer 82 or the cushioning washer BI. The outer end portion of the supporting member 33 is adapted to rest on a cushioning washer 85 which engages on the upper side of the bracket I I and a lower cushioning washer 86 is interposed between the under side of the bracket II and the head of the bolt 51, A rubber sleeve similar to the sleeve 83 may also be positioned about the shank or the bolt 5'! where this bolt passes through the plate of the bracket I I. I

This transfer housing structure has been placed in actual use in connection with a front drive mechanism and subjected to exceedingly hard usage and has been found to be capable of withstanding any stresses to which it may be subjected. This is due in great part to the fact that ports therearend portion of the driven shaft 15. I

The front wall I6 of the housing I2 is formed the transfer housing is formed out of welded steel rather than cast steel or cast iron The drive shaft I4 has securedthereto a driving gear 81 and the driven shaft I5 has secured thereto a driven gear 88. A flexible driving element 89- in the form of a chain or the like is adapted to be What I claim is:

1. The method of forming a steel power transfer housing having a substantially elliptical configuration, fiat front and rear walls, an endless wall, bolt lugs on the outer sides of the endless wall and outwardly convergent hanger members adjacent the upper portion of the endless wall; said method including initially bending an elongated flat steel strip into substantially elliptical form, welding the ends of the strip together, positioning the front wall inside the bent strip with the outer side of the front wall parallel with the forward edge of the bent strip, welding the inner and outer edges of the circumference of said front wall to the bent strip, welding the bolt lugs to the outer sides of the endless wall, welding the divergent ends of two pairs of flat strips to the outer sides of the endless wall, and finally welding the convergent ends of the pairs of strips together.

2. The method of forming a steel power transfer housing having a substantially elliptical configuration, flat front and rear walls, an endless wall, bolt lugs on the outer sides of the endless wall and outwardly convergent hanger members adjacent the upper portion of the endless wall; said method including initially bending an elongated flat steel strip into substantially elliptical form, welding the ends of the strip together, positioning the front wall inside the bent strip with the outer side of the front wall parallel with the forward edge of the bent strip, welding the inner and. outer edges of the circumference of said front wall to the bent strip, welding the bolt lugs to the outer sides of the endless wall, welding the divergent ends of two pairs of flat strips to the outer sides of the endless wall, welding the convergent ends of the pairs of strips together, and extending the outer ends of the fiat strips outwardly with the extended ends of one pair of strips coplanar with the extended ends of the other pair of strips and said extended ends of said pairs of strips being horizontal and supporting the housing at an angle to the vertical.

ARTHUR R. PERKINS.