In the complex transmission system of automobiles, axle sleeves and automobile ball cages play extremely critical roles. The axle sleeve mainly plays a supporting and positioning role to ensure the stable operation of the parts that match the ball cage; while the ball cage is responsible for accurately transmitting power to ensure that the wheels can rotate flexibly according to driving needs. When the axle sleeve is worn, the operating efficiency of the automobile ball cage will suffer many adverse effects.
First, the wear of the axle sleeve will cause a decrease in the matching accuracy. Under normal circumstances, there is a strict matching tolerance between the axle sleeve and the ball cage to ensure the smoothness of power transmission. Once the axle sleeve is worn, its size changes, the gap increases, and the ball cage will produce radial runout and axial movement during operation. This unstable movement causes the contact pressure between the steel ball and the groove in the ball cage to be unevenly distributed, and the local pressure increases suddenly, resulting in a significant increase in friction. During the driving process of the car, especially when driving at high speed or changing speed frequently, the ball cage needs to consume more energy to overcome the additional friction caused by the wear of the sleeve, which directly reduces the efficiency of power transmission, manifested as slow acceleration of the vehicle and increased fuel consumption.
Second, the metal debris generated by the wear of the sleeve will pollute the lubrication environment inside the ball cage. The metal particles shed from the worn sleeve will mix into the grease of the ball cage, destroying the performance and purity of the grease. These impurities will aggravate the wear between the various components in the ball cage, just like abrasives, further damaging the grooves and steel ball surfaces of the ball cage. As the wear increases, the operating resistance of the ball cage continues to increase, which not only reduces the operating efficiency, but also shortens the service life of the ball cage, increases the maintenance cost and downtime of the car.
Furthermore, the wear of the sleeve may cause uneven force on the ball cage. Due to the poor fit caused by the wear of the sleeve, the ball cage cannot evenly distribute the force to each steel ball when transmitting torque, and some steel balls bear too much load. This will cause abnormal noise and vibration during the operation of the ball cage, affecting the driving comfort. At the same time, uneven force may also cause deformation of the internal structure of the ball cage, further deteriorating its operating condition, greatly reducing the accuracy and stability of power transmission, and in severe cases may even cause the ball cage to fail, causing hidden dangers to vehicle driving safety.