SHAFT BALANCING SYSTEM AND METHOD OF BALANCING A SHAFT

1 . A method of balancing a shaft for an axle assembly, the method comprising:

rotating the shaft about an axis;

locating an imbalance location of the shaft while the shaft is rotating;

stopping rotation of the shaft such that the imbalance location is located directly above the axis;

positioning a powder deposition device above the imbalance location; and

depositing a powder composition onto the shaft with the powder deposition device to produce a balance weight proximate the imbalance location such that the powder composition is propelled by a heated supersonic gas and the powder composition plastically deforms and mechanically attaches to the shaft.

2 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:

stopping deposition of the powder composition;

rotating the shaft about the axis; and

determining whether the shaft has an imbalance.

3 . The method of claim 2 further comprising repeating the locating, stopping, positioning, and depositing steps when the shaft has the imbalance.

4 . The method of claim 1 further comprising preheating a surface of the shaft proximate the imbalance location before depositing the powder composition.

5 . The method of claim 4 wherein the surface of the shaft is heated with the heated supersonic gas that is provided by the powder deposition device without the powder composition.

6 . The method of claim 1 wherein the powder composition does not melt when deposited.

7 . The method of claim 1 wherein the powder composition is heated by the heated supersonic gas to a temperature that is less than a melting point of the powder composition.

8 . The method of claim 1 wherein the shaft is made of a first material and the powder composition is made of a second material that differs from the first material.

9 . The method of claim 1 wherein the powder composition does not undergo a phase change when deposited onto the shaft and the shaft does not experience grain growth in response to deposition of the powder composition.

10 . The method of claim 1 wherein the powder composition is deposited onto the shaft at an impact pressure of approximately 150-250 psi.

11 . The method of claim 1 wherein a surface temperature of the shaft increases by no more than 200° C. when the powder composition is deposited onto the shaft.

12 . A method of balancing a shaft for an axle assembly, the method comprising:

rotating the shaft about an axis;

locating an imbalance location of the shaft while the shaft is rotating;

stopping rotation of the shaft such that the imbalance location is located directly above the axis;

positioning a powder deposition device above the imbalance location; and

depositing a powder composition onto the shaft with the powder deposition device to produce a balance weight at the imbalance location, wherein the balance weight extends along a balance weight axis and the powder composition is deposited with the powder deposition device by moving the powder deposition device with respect to the balance weight axis and with respect to the shaft, wherein the powder composition is propelled by a heated supersonic gas and the powder composition plastically deforms and mechanically attaches to the shaft.

13 . The method of claim 12 wherein depositing the powder composition further comprises rotating the powder deposition device about the balance weight axis while the shaft is held in a stationary position when the powder composition is propelled by a heated supersonic gas against the shaft.

14 . The method of claim 12 wherein the balance weight has a tapered conical shape that extends further from the balance weight axis as a distance from the shaft increases.

15 . The method of claim 12 wherein the balance weight includes a first generally cylindrical shape that extends from the shaft and a second generally non-cylindrical shape extending from the first generally cylindrical shape, wherein the second generally non-cylindrical shape has a mass and a volume greater than a mass and a volume of the first generally cylindrical shape.

16 . The method of claim 15 wherein the second generally non-cylindrical shape has a tapered truncated conical shape.

17 . A shaft balancing system comprising:

a dynamic balancer that rotates a shaft about an axis and determines an imbalance location of the shaft; and

a powder deposition device that deposits a powder composition onto the shaft to produce a balance weight on the shaft proximate the imbalance location;

wherein the powder deposition device is located directly above the axis and the dynamic balancer holds the shaft in a stationary position when the powder composition is deposited.

18 . The shaft balancing system of claim 17 wherein the balance weight extends along a balance weight axis and the powder composition is deposited onto the shaft by revolving the powder deposition device about the balance weight axis and with respect to the shaft.

19 . The shaft balancing system of claim 17 wherein the powder composition is propelled by a heated supersonic gas and the powder composition plastically deforms and mechanically attaches to the shaft.

20 . The shaft balancing system of claim 19 wherein the heated supersonic gas is heated to a temperature not to exceed 500° C.