Analysis of Front Axle Wheel End Temperature Measurements in Heavy-Duty Trucks

2025-01-0364

To be published on 09/15/2025

Event
Brake Colloquium & Exhibition - 43rd Annual
Authors Abstract
Content
The Front Axle wheel end assembly is a critical component of Vehicle functionality, comprising a wheel hub positioned to rotate smoothly on an Axle spindle. This rotational movement is enabled by bearings positioned between the hub and the spindle, allowing for frictionless rotation. The Front Axle wheel ends' temperature typically depends on several factors such as type of Vehicle, Load & driving conditions and health of the components involved. In general, the wheel ends can become warm during normal operation owing to friction generated by the rotation of the wheels and the interaction of various mechanical components such as Bearings and Brakes. However, if the temperature of the wheel ends becomes excessively hot, it could indicate potential issues such as Overheating brakes, Wheel bearing problems, improperly inflated tyres, and faulty components. As temperature rise, materials tend to expand. This expansion can affect the dimensions of critical components in the Front Axle wheel end, potentially leading to misalignment or increased friction between moving parts. Hence, it is very important to check the temperatures at various operating conditions and ensure to limit it within acceptance level to detect problems early on and prior to the Customer Vehicle operation. This paper emphasizes on the comparative test results of the Wheel ends' temperature between Conventional and Unitized Bearings and its physical measurements carried out in a same Vehicle. Conventional bearings, which typically consist of separate Inner and Outer bearing assemblies, might exhibit slightly higher operating temperatures compared to Unitized bearings owing to additional friction points and potential for misalignment. Unitized bearings, which integrate multiple components into a single assembly, tend to operate at slightly lower temperatures compared to conventional bearings due to reduced friction and improved alignment. The Vehicle level temperature measurements at various worst-case conditions carried out and proved that the measured values are in correlation with estimated results. Maintaining appropriate temperatures in the Front Axle wheel ends is crucial for ensuring optimal performance of the Vehicle's Braking system and drivetrain.
Meta TagsDetails
Citation
Pandiyan, M., Jayaraman, K., R, S., B, E. et al., "Analysis of Front Axle Wheel End Temperature Measurements in Heavy-Duty Trucks," SAE Technical Paper 2025-01-0364, 2025, .
Additional Details
Publisher
Published
To be published on Sep 15, 2025
Product Code
2025-01-0364
Content Type
Technical Paper
Language
English