TITLE OF THE INVENTION: INTERGRATED WHEEL HUB AND BEARING ASSEMBLY FOR THE WHEEL(S) OF AN AGRICULTURAL VEHICLE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an integrated wheel hub and bearing assembly. Particularly, the present invention relates to an integrated wheel hub and bearing assembly associated with the front wheel(s) of an agricultural vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The movement of any vehicle is totally dependent on the rotary movement of a plurality of wheels around a hub, in conjunction with associated components. Vehicles are generally classified based on the number of wheels, namely two-wheeled vehicles such as motorcycles and bicycles, three-wheeled vehicles such as autos and four-wheeled vehicles such as cars, trucks and agricultural vehicles such as tractors.

In a vehicle, the rotary movement of wheels is enabled by a wheel hub and bearing(s) provided especially for the purpose. The wheel hub and bearing(s) are therefore, the most important components of a vehicle facilitating its movement. The bearings are provided separately for the front wheel(s) and the rear wheel(s) of the vehicle. The bearings of the front wheel(s) of the vehicle conventionally comprise a pair of bearings or a single double-row ball bearing. The major disadvantage of using a ball bearing is that they cannot handle a lot of weight i.e. they tend to have lower load capacity. Because of smaller contact area between the balls and races, they have a tendency to squish when they are placed under too much pressure and are also noisy. Further, the said bearing comprises too many parts which makes the assembly very complicated.

Further, such bearings must be lubricated for friction-free functioning and seals are required to retain the lubricating medium within the bearing and prevent the entry of mud, water etc. into the bearings. Conventionally, the bearings, the seals and the wheel hub have all been assembled piece by piece. These wheel hub assemblies function efficiently only when they are assembled properly. However, such an assembly process requires skilled personnel and proper equipment to achieve proper installation and operation. The nature of the assembling process, and the generally horizontal orientation of the spindle during assembly, makes it difficult to lubricate the bearing and the assembly. In case of repair or maintenance, correct positioning and adjustment of all elements becomes more of a challenge and it is cumbersome and time consuming too.

In case of agricultural vehicles such as tractors, given the position of the front wheel, and the fact that it is continually in contact with the external environment comprising water, dust and other foreign particles, there is an extremely high possibility of entry of water, dust and foreign particles into the wheel hub assembly area resulting in premature failure of the bearings, seals and other parts in the assembly, thus requiring frequent replacement and maintenance. In addition, after about every two hundred hours of operation, the front wheel hub unit is required to be re-greased.

There is therefore a need in the art for an integrated wheel hub and bearing assembly that overcomes the above mentioned drawbacks and has the below mentioned objectives.

OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION

An objective of the present invention is to provide an integrated wheel hub and bearing assembly with pre-lubricated bearings that eliminates the need for post-lubrication and has superior lubrication, better durability & reliability.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide an integrated wheel hub and bearing assembly with high load capacity.

Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide an integrated wheel hub and bearing assembly which completely eliminates the entry of mud, water and dust into the assembly.

Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide an integrated wheel hub and bearing assembly, which is compact in design, easy to assemble and is economical due to low maintenance costs.

Still another objective of the present invention is to provide an integrated wheel hub and bearing assembly which is easy to install and repair.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To overcome the drawbacks of the prior art and accomplish the above mentioned objectives, an integrated wheel hub and bearing assembly is disclosed, said assembly comprising a wheel hub, one or more wheel bearings, a dust shield, one or more seals, a fixed spindle, a spindle shaft, a spacer, a washer, a lock nut, a cotter pin and a cap. The disclosed assembly eliminates the need for post-lubrication, has a high load capacity, prevents the entry of mud, water and dust into the assembly, is compact in design, easy to assemble, economical and is easy to install and repair.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Figure 1 shows the sectional view of an embodiment of an integrated wheel hub and bearing assembly in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Throughout this specification, the use of the word "comprise" and variations such as comprises and comprising may the inclusion of element(s) not specifically recited.

As illustrated in Figure 1, an embodiment of an integrated wheel hub and bearing assembly comprises a wheel hub (101), one or more wheel bearings (104) (referred to as "bearing" henceforth in the specification and claims), a dust shield (110), one or more seals (111) (referred to as "seal" henceforth in the specification and claims), a fixed spindle (103), a spindle shaft (102), a spacer(105), a washer (106), a lock nut (107), a cotter pin (108) and a cap (109). In the description and claims below, the term 'inner side' of the assembly denotes a side which is positioned inside of a vehicle's body and the term 'outer side' of the assembly denotes a side which is positioned outside of a vehicle's body, when the assembly is mounted on the vehicle.

The wheel hub (101) is integrally formed with the seal (111) and the wheel bearing (104) at a the inner side of the wheel hub (101). The wheel bearing (104) engaged can be of any kind. Preferably, a double-row tapered roller bearing is used to achieve a high load capacity. The bearing (104) is pre-greased and sealed properly to prevent the leakage of lubricants from the bearing (104) and also to prevent the penetration of mud, water and dust into the assembly, thus preventing the assembly from failing prematurely. The seal (111) is associated with the wheel hub (101) and a fixed spindle (103) as shown in the figure, to protect the assembly from premature failure by preventing the entry of water, mud, dust or any other external particles into the assembly, thus increasing the durability of the assembly. Further, said spacer (105) is positioned at the outer side of the assembly to provide a preload to the wheel bearing (104) and also to meet an abutment dimension. Moreover, the wheel hub (101) is mounted on the fixed spindle (103) by threading the lock nut (107) at a first end of the spindle (103), for keeping all the components of the assembly in their position properly. Further, the spindle (103) is attached to a spindle shaft (102). A washer (106) is positioned on the spindle (103) before threading the lock nut (107) to prevent the axial and radial movement of the wheel bearing (104). After threading the lock nut (107) on the spindle, the lock nut (107) is secured with a cotter pin (108) to prevent the lock nut (107) from backing off from its position. The cap (109) is associated with the spindle (103) and protects all the components of the assembly from the external environment. The dust shield (110) is positioned at the inner side of the assembly and fastened with the spindle (103). The dust shield (110) provides a primary level of protection and prevents the entry of water, mud or any other external particles into the assembly.

It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the above description is for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as limiting. Various modifications, additions, alterations, and improvements without deviating from the spirit and the scope of the invention may be made by a person skilled in the art.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

101-Hub 102-Spindle shaft 103-Spindle 104-Bearing 105-Spacer 106-Washer 107-Lock nut 108-Cotter pin 109-Cap 110-Dust shield 111-Seal

We Claim:

1. An integrated wheel hub and bearing assembly comprising: a wheel hub (101), said wheel hub being integrally formed with a bearing (104) and a seal (111) at an inner side of the wheel hub, wherein the bearing is pre-lubricated and sealed to prevent the leakage of lubricants from the bearing (104) and also to prevent the penetration of mud, water and dust into the assembly; a fixed spindle (103) that is associated with the seal (111), wherein the wheel hub (101) is mounted on the fixed spindle (103) by threading a lock nut (107) at a first end of the spindle (103), for keeping all the components of the assembly in their position properly, said spindle being attached to a spindle shaft (102); a spacer (105) positioned at an outer side of the assembly to provide a preload to the wheel bearing (104) and also to meet an abutment dimension; a washer (106) positioned on the spindle (103) before threading the lock nut (107) to prevent the axial and radial movement of the wheel bearing (104); a cotter pin (108) that secures the lock nut (107) and prevents the lock nut (107) from backing off from its position; a cap (109) that is associated with the spindle (103) and protects all the components of the assembly from the external environment; and a dust shield (110) that is positioned at an inner side of the assembly and fastened with the spindle (103), said dust shield (110) providing a primary level of protection and preventing the entry of water, mud or any other external particles into the assembly.

2. The integrated wheel hub and bearing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wheel bearing is a double-row tapered roller bearing.