Abstract: A tapered roller bearing that is well-suited for supporting a pinion in an automotive differential has a cone and a cup provided with opposed raceways that are crowned. The cone also has a thrust rib provided with a rib face at the large end of its raceway. In addition, the bearing has tapered rollers, each having a tapered side face that is crowned and a large end that is spherical. The rollers contact the raceways along their crowned side faces and the rib face along their spherical end faces. The roller length to large end diameter is less than 1.5. The crowning on the raceway, together with the crowning of the roller side face provide total end relief ranging between 700 &mgr;in. and 1500 &mgr;in. per inch. The centers of contact between the side faces and raceways are offset toward the rib face. The height of the rib face amounts to 30%-45% of the diameter of the large ends of the rollers. The radius of the spherical large end face for a roller exceeds 90% of the roller apex length.

Abstract: A monitoring and controlling system for monitoring and controlling various operating characteristics of machine components. The monitoring and controlling system includes a primary transceiver, with sensors and control devices, mounted integrally with the monitored component. The primary transceiver communicates with a secondary transceiver and receives its electrical power from the secondary transceiver without use of interconnecting communication or power cables. The integrated mounting of the primary transceiver and sensors within the monitored component without the use of interconnecting cables allows for replacement of the monitored component in harsh operating environments without the risk of damage to interconnecting electrical connectors and cables. The operating data detected by the sensor for the monitored component is communicated by the primary transceiver and the secondary transceiver to a monitoring network which analyzes the data to determine the need for maintenance of the monitored component.

Abstract: A compact locking nut has a body provided with a threaded bore along which the nut engages a thread so that upon rotation it will advance over a thread to a position suitable for securing and positioning a machine component such as a bearing. The nut has a machined back face along which it bears against the secured machine component and a front face at its other end. The body contains two grooves--one external in that it opens outwardly from the exterior surface and the other internal in that it opens into the bore--and these grooves divide the body into a clamping section, a locking section, and an intervening web which is thin enough to flex with relative ease. The external groove lies closest to the back face, whereas the internal groove lies closest to the front face. On its exterior the body has lands which extend out to the front face. Typically, the body derives from a forging having the lands and a bore.

Abstract: A locking nut includes a main ring having a threaded bore, a front end face at one end of the bore and a counterbore at the other end of the bore. Actually, the threaded bore opens into the counterbore through a recess which in turn opens out of a shoulder that forms the end of the counterbore. The main ring also has threaded holes which open out of the recess around the threaded center bore. In addition to the main ring, the nut has a secondary ring which fits into the counterbore and against the shoulder of the main ring. In the region of the threaded holes the secondary ring is relieved to the extent that it has a lesser diameter than the recess. The secondary ring also has a threaded bore, the thread of which matches the thread of the bore for the main ring. Indeed, the threads for the two rings are cut in the same machining operation, so that no interruption in pitch exists between the threads of the two rings.

Abstract: A hub rotates around a spindle on bearings which have angular raceways so that the bearings are capable of carrying both axial and radial loads and may be adjusted into a condition of preload with an axially directed force applied to one of the races, usually the outboard race on the spindle. That force which represents the preload in the bearings, is transmitted through a force sensor which produces a signal that reflects the magnitude of the force. By monitoring the force sensor, one can adjust the bearings to a desired preload.