Bearing–the Challenges of Modern Truck Design

Bearing design helps OEMs meet the environmental requirements of today's trucking industry.

Heavy truck designers and manufacturers in Canada and in the United States are all talking about the latest trend that promises to both improve and challenge the trucking industry. It includes finding new ways to reduce engine emissions while maximizing fuel economy.

In Canada, the industry is working together to popularize "enviroTrucks" that reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by utilizing the latest technologies. And in the United States, truck builders are focused on meeting new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations that address diesel engine emissions and idling times.

One way OEMs in the industry are building better trucks is by challenging suppliers to design components and sub - systems that reduce weight and improve fuel economy. When those suppliers can also provide products that lower cost, reduce inventory and simplify installation, partnering with them is n't just good for the environment — it's also good for business.

The Threaded Bearing Cup Design

At The Timken Company, a global friction management and power transmission solutions provider headquartered in Canton, Ohio, engineers are constantly looking for ways to improve overall system performance through smart bearing design. One of their recent innovations for trucking and off - highway pinion and differential shafts is the threaded cup bearing.

Bearing–the Challenges of Modern Truck Design
This figure shows the bearing system life vs. bearing setting. The new axle model has a life bogey of 1.6 million kilometers. After applying Timken® High performence bearings to the new model, the weighted average system life improves by 3.4 times. The high performance bearings also reduced axle weight and improved performance, resulting in benifits that can include lower initial axle costs, increased fuel economy and less adverse effects on the environment. These are predicated results derived from product testing. Results will vary depending on a number of factors, including the application and the operating environment.
The threaded cup was originally designed to eliminate early service warranty problems occurring on heavy truck differential shafts, when the originally - specified transition cup fits would come loose and turn, causing the housing to wear. The threaded cup design eliminates the turning cup, and its design also results in more benefits — it can improve fuel economy, reduce parts and inventory costs, and simplify differential shaft assembly.

"On differential shafts in the traditional bearing cup design, two standard - tapered - single bearings are split - fit in the housing using threaded cup followers for bearing and gear mesh adjustment. The design also included separable locking devices with fasteners to prevent the followers from unthreading," says Glenn Fahrni, principal application designer at Timken. "Because the differential shaft requires an adjustable cup, the cup fits must be originally - specified as partially loose in the housing. This causes the cups to eventually work themselves loose rotationally until they begin wearing on the cup adjuster and housing."

Bearing–the Challenges of Modern Truck Design
An integrated threaded cup combines the TS cup, threaded cup follower and anti - rotational locking device into one component, reducing cost, weight and complexity.
To solve these problems, Timken integrated the threaded cup follower, tapered - single cup and rotational locking device into one component — the threaded cup assembly. The threads were moved from the old cup adjuster onto a portion of the cup outside diameter (OD).

"To provide an anti - rotational feature, we weld a low - carbon sheet metal ring to the carburized cup's backface," Fahrni said. "Timken has been issued a patent for the threaded differential bearing cup."

The Design Benefits

By combining the individual components of the traditional cup design into one, the threaded differential cup offers less complexity because there are fewer parts to inventory and handle during axle assembly. The result is easier and quicker assembly and less time spent adjusting the bearings and gear mesh.

Threaded cup designs also help OEMs reduce fuel consumption and maximize engine performance by creating less drag coming from the axles.

The threaded cup features Timken® high - performance bearings, sometimes referred to as P900. These high - performance bearings feature ultra - clean steel, which reduces the risk of fatigue spalling and bearing failure. The bearings also have smoother surface finishes that improve lubricant film thickness, resulting in up to four times the predicted bearing life compared to standard finishes. The smoother surfaces also reduce friction, contributing to improved fuel economy.

Special internal bearing profiles also spread the load more evenly across the bearing contact surfaces, keeping contact stress to acceptable levels.

"By combining clean steel, smoother surface finishes and special raceway profiles, we've been able to integrate several traditional components into the threaded cup bearing, making it capable of handling heavier loads without making the bearing bigger or heavier," Fahrni says. "It's what we call power density – increasing the bearing capacity - to - weight ratio, so that a smaller bearing can carry a greater load."

Since the integrated threaded cup weighs less than the traditional design, and also diminishes the overall housing width needed to support it, axle weight is saved. Fahrni says the overall weight savings help contribute to fuel economy and reduced engine emissions.

Reducing Assembly Time

Currently, Timken engineers are investigating the usage of a threaded cup bearing on the pinion shaft.

"On the pinion shaft, to correctly adjust the traditional pinion bearings the axle OEM has to keep anywhere from 40 to 55 different sizes of a variable length cone spacer at their assembly station," Fahrni says. "How the pinion head and tail bearing tolerances stack up determines which spacer size is used."

According to Fahrni, rolling torque is used as the bearing setting measurement method, and the tight - fitted cones are clamped through the spacer with a nut tightened to a very high clamp torque. If the wrong spacer size is initially used, you have to teardown the pinion shaft and rebuild with another spacer size.

Teardowns involve loosening the nut and pulling off the outer tight-fitted cone — a time - consuming process. Sometimes two rebuilds are required," Fahrni says. "A threaded cup on this shaft would result in only one fixed - length cone spacer size being needed and no production teardowns or rebuilds."
NBM&CW March 2009
Hydro Dyne's Hydraulic Equipment For Construction Industry

Hydro Dyne's Hydraulic Equipment For Construction Industry

In the dynamic world of construction, where efficiency and precision are paramount, the role of hydraulic power is nothing short of transformative. Hydro Dyne, with over 40 years of expertise in hydraulic equipment manufacturing, stands as

Read more ...

Mother India Forming's components for operator cabins and formworks

Mother India Forming's components for operator cabins and formworks

Mother India Forming demonstrated its commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency in its operations and also by localizing components at Excon. The company actively engages in sustainable manufacturing practices and is focusing

Read more ...

Bonfiglioli's Gearboxes For Excavators & Winch Drives For Tower Cranes

Bonfiglioli's Gearboxes For Excavators & Winch Drives For Tower Cranes

Italian gearbox and drives manufacturing major, Bonfiglioli, displayed its new 710 C gearbox for 20-ton track excavators and its 800 series winch drives for tower cranes. Informed Kennady V Kaippally, Country Manager, Bonfiglioli

Read more ...

Dana's Drivetrain Solutions & products for future of Electrification

Dana's Drivetrain Solutions & products for future of Electrification

Dana Incorporated, a global leader in delivering mobile drivetrain and motion solutions, showcased its innovative products and unveiled customized solutions supporting both conventional and electrified power sources.

Read more ...

COBO's Interactive Comfort seat, Steering Column Kit & tech solutions

COBO's Interactive Comfort seat, Steering Column Kit & tech solutions

COBO presented several product families, including electronic, electrom- echanical, fully integrated systems, mechanical (seats and steering columns assembly), instrument clusters, and power electronics. The seat, named ICS exemplified

Read more ...

Bondioli and Pavesi's Open & Close Circuit Pumps, Motor, Cooler & Kits

Bondioli and Pavesi's Open & Close Circuit Pumps, Motor, Cooler & Kits

Bondioli & Pavesi displayed its products made in Italy, as well as products made in India. These included open circuit axial pumps, close circuit pumps, motors, and coolers and kits for specific-purpose machines.

Read more ...

Dantal Hydraulics' Hydraulic Cylinders & green technologies

Dantal Hydraulics' Hydraulic Cylinders & green technologies

A key highlight of Dantal Hydraulics’ display was the hydraulic cylinders featuring piston rods that are plated at the company’s chrome plating plant. Informed Sanjay Talwar, Managing Director, Dantal Hydraulics

Read more ...

Gayatri's Advanced Asphalt Batch Mix Control System

Gayatri's Advanced Asphalt Batch Mix Control System

Gujarat company, Gayatri Control & Automation, introduced its asphalt batch mix control system with an advanced controller for asphalt applications. Its key advantage is the inclusion of more than 15 types...

Read more ...

Siddhi Equipment's Metal Detectors for Crushers & Screens

Siddhi Equipment's Metal Detectors for Crushers & Screens

Metal detector manufacturer, Siddhi Equipments’ stone crushers metal detectors are designed to facilitate higher productivity of the crushing units by reducing their maintenance requirements...

Read more ...

Kennametal's drilling, road rehabilitation & wear protection solutions

Kennametal's drilling, road rehabilitation & wear protection solutions

Kennametal India Limited displayed a comprehensive range of innovative foundation drilling, road rehabilitation, mining, and wear protection solutions. On display was the company’s Next-Gen Road King™...

Read more ...

Wipro's Hydraulics, TipMatics for tipper truck, actuator & scissor lift

Wipro's Hydraulics, TipMatics for tipper truck, actuator & scissor lift

Wipro Infrastructure Engineering, a diverse industrial engineering business and a leading global hydraulics player, showcased products and solutions that included Wipro Hydraulics...

Read more ...

PMC: Hydraulic pumps, motors, valves

PMC: Hydraulic pumps, motors, valves

PMC, a global leader in hydraulic device technologies for the last 50 years, is driving the success of its clients in a wide range of heavy construction machinery, farm machinery, special vehicles, ships, power plants...

Read more ...

INGECO: 47 Years of Experience in Manufacturing Custom-made Geared Boxes

INGECO: 47 Years of Experience in Manufacturing Custom-made Geared Boxes

Manufactured with the latest technologies, Ingeco gearboxes help construction equipment manufacturers achieve longer duty cycles, longer maintenance intervals, fewer breakdowns, and higher reliability. Ingeco is a supplier of custom-built

Read more ...

JK Fenner: Providing a One-Stop Solution for Power Transmission Products, Industrial Solutions & Automation Systems

JK Fenner: Providing a One-Stop Solution for Power Transmission Products, Industrial Solutions & Automation Systems

JK Fenner, a renowned name in the design and manufacture of power transmission products, industrial solutions, and automation systems for the automotive and construction industries, is meeting the needs of major sectors like Steel, Cement

Read more ...

Dinamic Oil: Offering high quality, energy efficient, customized Hoists and Planetary Gearboxes

Dinamic Oil: Offering high quality, energy efficient, customized Hoists and Planetary Gearboxes

Dinamic Oil, an Italian company operating in India since 2009, specializes in planetary gearboxes and hoisting solutions for the construction, industrial, and marine sectors. Their India operations offer complete solutions from design to execution, supporting

Read more ...

COBO’s ECO HE instrument cluster comes with improved features and user experience

COBO’s ECO HE instrument cluster comes with improved features and user experience

COBO's ECO HE instrument cluster is the ultimate evolution of the already impressive "ECO" line, with four different variants to choose from. This top-of-the-line ECO HE instrument cluster boasts a multitude of enhancements, such as a 3.5" TFT display

Read more ...

Burner India’s Biomass Pellet Burners & Stoves reduce carbon emission

Burner India’s Biomass Pellet Burners & Stoves reduce carbon emission

Burner India, manufacturer of oil, gas, and biogas fired burners, biomass burners, and thermic fluid heating systems, has been serving the infrastructure industry since 2001. “We are catering to different categories of plants like concrete

Read more ...

INGECO: 47 Years of Experience in Manufacturing Custom-Made Gears

INGECO: 47 Years of Experience in Manufacturing Custom-Made Gears

Manufactured with the latest technologies, Ingeco gearboxes help construction equipment manufacturers achieve longer duty cycles, longer maintenance intervals, fewer breakdowns, and higher reliability. Ingeco is a supplier of custom-built

Read more ...

Yanmar introduces e-powertrain strategy

Yanmar introduces e-powertrain strategy

Yanmar’s electrification strategy for off-road vehicles and OEM equipment is aimed at a sustainable future for all. The company is on its way to transform to new-energy sources with new products and alternative fuel technologies in all

Read more ...

MTA displays Control Panels & Smart Electric Center for Off-highway Applications

MTA displays Control Panels & Smart Electric Center for Off-highway Applications

MTA, a multinational company operating in the global automotive sector through 3 Business Units – Electric, Electronic and Power Electronic – showcased a Switch Control Panel and a Light Control Panel. The two keypads, both with

Read more ...

To get latest updates on whatsapp, Save +91 93545 87773 and send us a 'Saved' message
Click Here to Subscribe to Our eNewsletter.