GB1429492A - Driven axles - Google Patents

Abstract

1429492 Differential gear GKN TRANSMISSIONS Ltd 20 Dec 1973 [16 March 1973] 12864/73 Heading F2D In a motor vehicle axle of the kind having a differential housing 10 fitted to axle tubes 12, 13 surrounding half shafts 32, 33, and provided with a controllable dog clutch 44, 57 for locking the differential carrier 17 to one half shaft 33, the actuating means for the dog clutch is arranged at the outer end of the axle tube 13, therebeing an extension tube 34 between the axle tube and half shaft to transmit motion between one of the clutch elements and the carrier 7 or actuating means. This avoids the necessity for providing for actuating means in the housing 10 itself, and hence allows one housing to be used for axles with and without locking provision. In Fig. 1, the extension tube 34 transmits torque from the carrier 17, through permanently engaged dog teeth 36 to one clutch element 41 splined on the tube 34. The other clutch element 53 is biased out of engagement by a spring 58 reacting against the carrier 17 through the tube 34, and, through a thust bearing 59 and non- rotary piston 47, against a stop shoulder 63 on a cylinder 45 attached to an outboard housing 37. Supply of hydraulic pressure from a conventional master cylinder to a chamber 52 acts on the annular piston 47 to engage the dog clutch 44, 57. In Fig. 2, not shown, the dog clutch (80, 96) is at the carrier end of the half shaft, and is engaged by a piston at the outboard end, thrusting through the extension tube (99) which does not now transmit torque. In both cases the dog teeth 36 on the carrier 17 lie within the axial length of the carrier bearing 20, so that no increase in the size of the assembly aperture, covered by a pressing 61, is required. A mechanically acting shift fork may replace the hydraulic piston.