Combined live axles and brake assemblies for vehicles

Claim 1

A combined live axle and brake assembly for vehicles comprising a wheel, a drive shaft, a relatively stationary axle tube within which said drive shaft is housed, inner and outer axially spaced wheel bearings mounted on said axle tube, a hub journalled for rotation on said wheel bearings, said hub being adapted to be driven by said shaft and comprising a mounting for the wheel, and said brake comprising a housing, relatively rotatable first and second sets of friction members associated with said axle and disposed within said housing in a position outboard of said wheel bearings, said first set of friction members being driven by said shaft, reduction gearing through which said second set of friction members is driven from said shaft at a different speed, first and second axially spaced braking faces provided on outboard and inboard sides respectively of said brake and between which said friction members are adapted to be clamped to apply said brake, an end cover forming an externally removable part of said housing, removal of said end cover providing direct access to said brake, and said end cover comprising the only part of said assembly which has to be removed to achieve said direct access, said end cover having an inner face which constitutes said first braking face, a movable member which is subjected to a brake-applying force, said movable member having an inner face which constitutes said second braking face, and a fluid control system which extends from the interior of said assembly inboard of said bearings to said brake, said fluid control system including at least one piston for producing a brake applying force, a bore in said housing in which said piston works, said bore being disposed outboard of said outer wheel bearing and inboard of said friction members, between said brake and said reduction gearing, whereby said piston is accessible after removal of said cover and said braking members without first demounting said wheel from said hub but leaving said reduction gearing intact, an inlet port for brake-applying fluid located inboard of said wheel bearings, and a duct extending from said inlet port to said bore to supply fluid under pressure to said piston.