VEHICLE LINK COMPONENT, AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREFOR

• US 20160114641A1
• Filed: 05/28/2013
• Published: 04/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toray Industries Incorporated, Yorozu Corporation
• Original Assignee: Toray Industries Incorporated, Yorozu Corporation
• Inventors: IWASAWA, Shigeo, KURODA, Yoshito, KAWAGUCHI, Shuichiro, MORIWAKI, Yoshihiro, TABATA, Shota
• Application Number:
  US14/894,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20160114641A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 53/88 other parts for vehicles, e.g. cowlings, mudguards
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/48 using adhesives , i.e. using supplementary joining material; solvent bonding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1222 comprising at least a lapped joint-segment
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1224 comprising at least a butt joint-segment
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/12441 being a single wall
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/131 Single flanged joints, i.e. one of the parts to be joined being rigid and flanged in the joint area
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/53245 said articles being hollow
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7212 characterised by the composition of the fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7392 characterised by the material of at least one of the parts being a thermoplastic
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7394 characterised by the material of at least one of the parts being a thermoset
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/742 to metals or their alloys
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2307/04 Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/3002 Superstructures characterized by combining metal and plastics, i.e. hybrid parts
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/737 Articles provided with holes, e.g. grids, sieves nets B29L2028/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2200/1424 the lateral arm having an L-shape
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/14 Mounting of suspension arms
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2206/122 the arm having L-shape
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2206/7101 Fiber-reinforced plastics [FRP]
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2206/8207 by screwing
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2206/821 by gluing
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2206/91 : Assembly procedures
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 7/001 : Suspension arms, e.g. constructional features B60G7/006 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 7/008 : Attaching arms to unsprung part of vehicle B60G7/005, B60G7/006 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 7/02 : Attaching arms to sprung part of vehicle B60G7/006 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 11/006 : by gluing gluing of plastics material B29C65/48
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 9/01 : Welded or bonded connections

Abstract

The present invention comprises: a vehicle link component which is characterized in that a collar member is provided to a rotation fulcrum member-mounting hole section of a link body formed from carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), said collar member having a cylindrical section that extends inside the hole section in the direction of penetration of the hole section, and having an engagement section that extends in the direction along the surface of the link body from the cylindrical section; and a manufacturing method therefor. By employing the CFRP link body, a significant reduction in the weight of the vehicle link component can be achieved, and assembly can easily be performed as desired without causing damage by press-fitting a bush, or the like, even in the CFRP link body.

Claims

1. A vehicle link component characterized in that a collar member is provided to a rotation fulcrum member-mounting hole section of a link body formed from a carbon-fiber reinforced plastic, said collar member having a cylindrical section which extends inside said hole section in a direction of penetration of said hole section, and an engagement section which extends in a direction along a surface of said link body from said cylindrical section.

2. The vehicle link component according to claim 1, wherein said collar member is formed from a metal.

3. The vehicle link component according to claim 1, wherein an adhesive is interposed at least at a part of a portion between said collar member and said link body.

4. The vehicle link component according to claim 1, wherein said collar member has two engagement sections, and said collar member is fixed to said hole section of said link body by nipping said link body with said two engagement sections.

5. The vehicle link component according to claim 4, wherein one of said two engagement sections is a flange formed integrally with said cylindrical section, and the other is a nut screwed to a thread cut on an outer circumferential surface of said cylindrical section.

6. The vehicle link component according to claim 4, wherein said two engagement sections are both nuts screwed to a thread cut on an outer circumferential surface of said cylindrical section.

7. The vehicle link component according to claim 4, wherein one of said two engagement sections is a flange formed integrally with said cylindrical section, and the other is a retaining ring press-fitted to said cylindrical section so as to be press-contacted to one surface of said link body.

8. The vehicle link component according to claim 7, wherein said flange is formed in a trumpet shape extending from said cylindrical section by being enlarged in diameter, and at least a part of an inner circumferential surface of said hole section is formed in a shape along an outer circumferential surface of said flange.

9. The vehicle link component according to claim 1, wherein said rotation fulcrum member comprises a bush or a ball joint.

10. The vehicle link component according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle link component is a suspension arm.

11. A method for manufacturing a vehicle link component according to claim 1, comprising the steps of:

press-fitting a rotation fulcrum member into said collar member;

applying an adhesive to at least a part of a portion between said collar member and said link body;

inserting said collar member press-fitted with said rotation fulcrum member into a rotation fulcrum member-mounting hole of said link body; and

fixing said inserted collar member to said link body using said engagement section.