Spindle for heavy duty truck or trailer axle

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide reliable and safe axles and/or spindles for heavy duty trucks and trailers.
It is a further object to provide a spindle of the type described which utilizes a bearing stop adjacent the inner bearing which is non-integrally formed to reduce stress concentrations in the spindle.
To provide these and other objects of the invention, an improved spindle is for a heavy duty truck or trailer axle of the type which includes support for a wheel to be mounted thereon at a pair of axially disposed, independently mounted inner and outer tapered-roller bearings for rotation about an axis of the spindle.
The spindle is tubular and has a cylindrical end portion having a first diameter for receiving the outer tapered-roller bearings thereon, a cylindrical intermediate portion having a second diameter for receiving the inner tapered-roller bearing thereon and a major portion having transverse dimensions larger than the second diameter.
The improvement includes a first transition portion between the intermediate portion and the major portion having a frusto-conical outer surface free of any abrupt transition which could produce a concentration of force stresses in the tubular spindle.
A collar has a frusto-conical inner surface and is mounted on the first transition portion to locate a transverse surface thereon adjacent the intermediate portion which transverse surface acts as a bearing stop for the inner tapered-roller bearing stop for the inner tapered-roller bearing.
The collar is fixedly secured to the first transition portion at a region thereon which is axially remote from the intermediate portion to prevent the iner tapered-roller bearing from being capable of producing a concentration of force stresses in the tubular spindle at a location between the intermediate portion and the first transition portion.