Integral Ball Bearing Spindles for Automotive Wheel Applications

NDH integral ball bearing spindles were used for the first time on the front and rear wheel positions on GM's 1979 E Car and 1980 X Car and are the mainstream wheel bearing design for more future vehicles. This presentation reviews: wheel bearing history that led to the development of these spindles, program objectives, construction details, laboratory test experience, vehicle test programs, design validation procedures, and testing that was coordinated over a two year time period by a General Motors corporate reliability and product engineering task force.