CN120359165A - Shaft support for a motor vehicle with double track - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a shaft support for a motor vehicle with double track, comprising a number of tubular support members (2), to which a number of vehicle members can be connected to a respective tubular support member (2) of at least a part of the number of tubular support members (2), for connecting a respective vehicle member of at least a part of the number of vehicle members, a connecting structure (40) is provided, which comprises one or more connecting tongues (4) on the respective tubular support member (2), the respective connecting tongues (4) comprising connecting sections (401) arranged on the outside of the respective tubular support member (2) for fixing the vehicle member. The shaft support according to the invention is characterized in that the respective connecting tongue (4) comprises an insertion section (402) which is inserted into the interior of the respective tubular support member (2), wherein an opening region (8) is provided on the respective tubular support member (2) such that a surface region (406) of the insertion section (402) overlaps the opening region (8), and an edge (9) of the opening region (8) is connected at least in regions with the surface region (406) of the insertion section (402) in a material-locking manner.

Description

Shaft support for a motor vehicle with double track

Technical Field

The invention relates to a shaft support for a motor vehicle with double track according to the preamble of claim 1.

Background

Via a shaft support, for example a front or rear shaft support, a vehicle component, for example a guide bar guiding a wheel, is coupled to the motor vehicle. For this purpose, the shaft support comprises connecting tongues which are arranged on corresponding support elements of the shaft support, for example stringers or crossbeams. These connecting tongues are usually connected to the carrier element afterwards, for example by welding.

In order to achieve stiffness targets with respect to driving dynamics and acoustic requirements and to achieve strength targets, in particular with respect to life, as stiff a connection of the connecting tongue plate to the carrier element as possible is required. In general, sufficient rigidity cannot be achieved simply by welding the connecting tongue plate to the mount member. In the prior art, there are therefore solutions for improving the connection of the connecting tongue plate to the carrier element with the use of a supporting plate.

For example, DE102020125974A1 discloses a shaft support, in which, in addition to direct welding, the connecting tongues are additionally connected to the stringers via a support plate, which is welded to the connecting tongues. Even with the use of support plates, cracks can occur in the carrier component or in the weld seam due to the high forces acting on the connected vehicle components.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a shaft support for a double track motor vehicle, which improves the connection of the shaft support to a vehicle component.

The object is achieved by a shaft support according to claim 1. The embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

The axle carrier according to the invention for a motor vehicle provided for double track comprises a number of tubular carrier elements (i.e. at least one tubular carrier element), to the respective tubular carrier element of at least a part of which a number of vehicle elements (i.e. at least one element of the motor vehicle) can be connected. For connecting a respective vehicle component of at least a part of the number of vehicle components, a connecting structure is provided, which comprises one or more connecting tongues on the respective tubular carrier component. The respective connecting tongue comprises a connecting section which is arranged on the outside of the respective tubular carrier member for securing the vehicle component. Preferably, the connecting structure comprises a pair of connecting tongues, one end of the vehicle component to be connected being arranged between the connecting sections of the two connecting tongues and being connected there to the connecting sections, for example by a threaded connection.

The shaft support according to the invention is characterized in that the respective connecting tongue comprises an insertion section which is inserted into the interior of the respective tubular support member, i.e. the respective tubular support member has a respective opening through which the insertion section protrudes into the interior of the support member. The insertion section is preferably arranged adjacent to the connection section. In addition, an opening region is provided on the respective tubular support member such that a face region of the insertion section overlaps the opening region. Since this surface area belongs to the insertion section, it is located in the interior of the carrier component. The edge of the opening region is connected to the surface region of the insertion section in an at least partially material-locking manner. In one embodiment, the face region overlaps only a portion of the open region. In another embodiment, the face region overlaps the entire opening region. The opening region is preferably formed in an elongate manner, wherein the longitudinal direction of the opening region preferably extends in the direction of insertion of the insertion member into the carrier member.

The shaft support according to the invention has the advantage that the stability of the connection between the connecting tongue and the support element is improved by the insertion section in the interior of the support element and by the corresponding material-locking connection on the insertion section. In particular, the material-locking connection is arranged further away from the connection section, via which the forces of the vehicle component are introduced into the connecting tongue. Furthermore, the insertion section reinforces the interior of the carrier member. In addition, no additional installation space is required for the insertion section, since the insertion section is arranged in the interior of the respective tubular support member.

Depending on the embodiment, the material-locking connection between the edge of the opening region and the surface region of the insertion section can be designed differently. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the edge of the opening region is welded at least in regions to the surface region of the insertion section. Alternatively or additionally, the cohesive connection can also be produced by means of bonding, soldering or the like.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the axle carrier according to the invention, the connecting section has a wall which is arranged in a defined plane along which the introduction of force of the vehicle component into the connecting section takes place when the vehicle component is fastened to the connecting section, the cohesive connection (the edge of the opening region being connected at least in some areas to the surface area of the insertion section via the cohesive connection) having at least one connecting seam which extends in the defined plane or parallel thereto and in particular having at least one weld seam. In this way, an optimized force introduction along the connecting seam is achieved.

In a further preferred embodiment, the opening region is provided on a defined wall of the respective tubular support member, wherein the defined wall is provided adjacent to a wall of the respective tubular support member via which the insertion section is inserted into the support member. Thus, an advantageous force introduction into the carrier element is achieved. Preferably, the defined wall is a horizontal wall, i.e. the wall extends in the horizontal direction (i.e. perpendicular to the force of gravity) in the motor vehicle when the respective tubular support member is mounted.

In a further preferred embodiment, the insertion section is derived from one leg of a pair of legs, the other leg of the pair of legs being connected, preferably in a material-locking manner, to the outer side of the respective tubular support member, and in particular being welded. The connection between the connecting tongue and the abutment member is thus improved again.

In a further embodiment of the shaft support according to the invention, the opening area is an opening with a continuous edge in the respective tubular support member. A particularly good introduction of the forces applied via the vehicle component is achieved in this case when the entire continuous edge of the opening is connected to the surface region of the insertion section in a material-locking manner and in particular welded.

Instead of providing an opening with a continuous edge as an opening area, in an alternative embodiment the opening area can also be formed by a bulge on the edge of the wall of the respective tubular carrier member, which bulge is preferably arranged adjacent to the connecting section.

In a further embodiment of the shaft support according to the invention, a support plate is provided on the respective tubular support element, the connecting section is supported on the support plate, and the connecting section is connected to the support plate in a material-locking manner and preferably welded. Such a support plate is shown, for example, in the document DE102020125974A1 mentioned at the beginning. The support plate is preferably formed integrally with the carrier member, but may be welded to the carrier member.

In a further preferred embodiment, the bulge described above is arranged adjacent to the support sheet, preferably with a continuous connecting seam, via which the edge of the opening region is connected, in particular welded, at least in regions to the surface region of the insertion section, but also the connecting section is connected, in particular welded, to the support sheet. The material-locking connection between the connecting tongue and the support element can thus be established in a simple manner by means of a continuous connecting seam.

The corresponding tubular support members of the shaft support may be configured differently depending on the embodiment. For example, the support element may be a longitudinal beam which extends in the longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle when installed therein. The support element may also be a cross member, which extends in the transverse direction of the vehicle when installed in the motor vehicle. Furthermore, the respective tubular support member may be integrally formed at least in the region where the connecting structure is provided. It is also possible for the support element to be formed in multiple parts, at least in the region in which the connecting structure is provided, for example to comprise a lower shell and an upper shell.

The axle carrier according to the invention can be provided for connecting different vehicle components. In particular, at least one of the connecting tongues provided on the carrier element can form a vehicle element in the form of a guide bar for connecting the vehicle wheel to the axle carrier. The at least one connecting tongue can also be designed for connecting vehicle components in the form of tie rods and/or struts for connecting the wheels of the motor vehicle to the axle carrier. In addition, at least one connecting tongue can be designed for connecting a vehicle component in the form of an element, in particular a motor pivot support, for connecting a drive assembly of a motor vehicle to a shaft support.

In addition to the shaft support described hereinabove, the invention also relates to a motor vehicle comprising one or more shaft supports according to the invention or according to one or more preferred embodiments of the invention.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention are described in detail below with the aid of the figures.

The drawings are as follows:

fig. 1 shows a plan view from above, which shows a variant of the shaft support according to the invention;

fig. 2 to 4 show a detail view in perspective of a connecting tongue plate according to a first embodiment of the invention;

fig. 5 and 6 show a detail view in perspective of a connecting tongue plate according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 shows a plan view from below of the connecting tongue plate from fig. 5 and 6;

FIGS. 8 and 9 show a perspective detail view of a pair of connecting tongues according to a third embodiment of the invention, and

Fig. 10 shows a plan view from below of the pair of connecting tongues from fig. 8 and 9.

Detailed Description

An embodiment of the invention is described below with the aid of the shaft support 1 described in fig. 1. A cartesian coordinate system having an x-axis, a y-axis and a z-axis is described herein in fig. 1 and also in other fig. 2 to 10. The coordinate system represents the spatial orientation in the corresponding figure. The x-axis corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle, the y-axis corresponds to the transverse direction of the motor vehicle, and the z-axis corresponds to the height direction or vertical direction of the motor vehicle.

The axle carrier 1 comprises two stringers 2 and two cross beams 3, each stringer comprising a connecting structure 40, which correspondingly comprises a pair of connecting tongues 4. By means of these connecting structures, a lower transverse bar of a respective one of the wheel suspensions is connected to one of the longitudinal beams 2. In this case, the head of the transverse bar is positioned between a corresponding pair of connecting tongues 4 and is screwed to these in a manner known per se. In the embodiment described here, the stringers form a carrier element in the sense of claim 1. The invention is not limited to the connection of the transverse links to the respective longitudinal links. In particular, the connecting structure 40 described below can also be used for connecting longitudinal rods or tie rods and/or compression rods or guide rods for connecting a drive assembly (for example a motor pivot support) to a shaft support, which connection can also be made in a different section from the longitudinal beam, for example in the transverse beam 3. The connecting tongue plate depicted in fig. 1 corresponds to a connecting tongue plate according to a third embodiment described further below. However, these connecting tongues can also be constructed according to the first and second embodiments explained below.

Fig. 2 to 4 show perspective views of a first embodiment of the connecting tongue, wherein the longitudinal beam 2 is partially depicted. In the embodiment depicted, the stringer 2 is a one-piece tubular member comprising a lower horizontal wall 201, an upper horizontal wall 202, and two vertical walls 203 and 204. On the wall 203, a connecting tongue 4 is provided, which, unlike the prior art, is inserted into the longitudinal beam 2. For this purpose, an opening 7 is provided in the wall 203, via which opening a part of the connecting tongue 4 is inserted into the interior of the longitudinal beam 2, as will be explained in more detail further below.

The connecting tongue 4 comprises a connecting section 401 which comprises a vertical wall 407 which extends in the transverse direction of the motor vehicle and in which the holes 5 and 6 are provided. The holes 6 are provided solely for manufacturing reasons, whereas the corresponding transverse rods are fastened by means of bolts via the holes 5. For this purpose, a second connecting tongue plate according to fig. 1 is provided, which is not shown in fig. 2 and also in the other fig. 3 to 7. The head of the transverse bar is arranged between the connecting tongues and is screwed there, said head for this purpose comprising a through-hole through which the respective screw extends.

In addition, a lower horizontally extending wall 405 and an upper partially horizontally and partially slightly obliquely extending wall 403 are provided on the connecting tongue 4. The two walls are integrally connected to the remainder of the connecting tongue 4 and are formed by means of a sheet bending or deep drawing process. The rear region of the upper wall 403 belongs to an upper leg 408, the underside of which rests on the outside of the longitudinal beam 2. As can be seen from fig. 2, the leg 408 is welded to the outside of the longitudinal beam 2 via a weld 11.

As can be seen particularly well from the perspective view of fig. 3, in addition to the upper leg 408, a lower leg in the form of an insertion section 402 is provided on the connecting flap 4. The insertion section 402 comprises a vertically extending wall 404 and a section comprising a horizontal wall 405, which partly covers the opening area 8 in the form of an elongated opening provided in the wall 201 below the stringers 2. This opening 8 and the surrounding edge 9 of the opening are very well visible in fig. 4.

As can also be seen from fig. 4, the horizontal wall 405 comprises a lower surface region 406 which is arranged in the interior of the longitudinal beam 2 and thus belongs to the insertion section 402. In addition, the horizontal wall 405 has a further lower surface region 406', which is arranged outside the longitudinal beam 2 and thus belongs to the connecting section 401. The face region 406 partially covers the elongated opening 8 extending in the vehicle transverse direction. Via this opening 8, the insertion section 402 and thus the connecting tongue 4 to the longitudinal beam 2 are connected by means of a weld seam 10 which extends in the transverse direction or in a plane in which the horizontal wall 405 of the connecting section 401 is arranged. The connecting tongue 4 is connected to the longitudinal beam 2 via this welding at a point remote from the connection point with the transverse guide, so that the stability of the connection between the connecting tongue and the longitudinal beam is increased.

Furthermore, the weld seam extending in the vehicle transverse direction allows a very good force introduction of the forces exerted by the transverse guide rods into the underlying horizontal wall 201 and not into the vertical walls 203, 204, which may poorly receive forces in the vehicle transverse direction. This is again represented by means of the force flow described in fig. 4. The forces exerted by the connected transverse rods are indicated in the figure by arrows F. The resulting force flow within the connecting tongue 4 or the longitudinal beam 2 is furthermore described by a virtual force line L. As can be seen, the weld seam 10 extends in a plane in which the force F is introduced into the connecting section 401, so that the force of the transverse bar is guided very well into the underlying wall 201.

Fig. 5 to 7 show a second embodiment of the connecting tongue 4. In these figures, identical or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment according to fig. 2 to 4. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment of fig. 2 to 4 in that the lower horizontal wall 405 is widened in the region belonging to the insertion section 402. In other words, a lower surface region 406 is thereby produced, which is wider in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle than in the embodiment of fig. 2 to 4.

Further, the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the elongated opening 8 is formed wider. This widening in combination with the wider face area 406 allows the weld bead 10 to be formed continuously around the opening 8, which is not possible in the first embodiment. The stability of the connection between the connecting tongue 4 and the longitudinal beam 2 is thus improved again.

Fig. 8 to 10 show views of a third embodiment of the invention, in which the entire connecting structure 40, consisting of a pair of two connecting tongues 4, is shown more precisely. The connection corresponds here to the connection which is also shown in the view of fig. 1. The same or mutually corresponding components already described in the previous embodiments are again denoted by the same reference numerals. The embodiment described in fig. 8 to 10 differs from the previous embodiments in that the longitudinal beam 2 is formed more precisely in two parts, comprising a lower shell 2a and an upper shell 2b. Furthermore, the upper shell 2b is again divided at a position between the two connecting tongues 4.

The two connecting tongues 4 have the same structure, except for the configuration of the upper horizontal wall 403. In particular, the upper horizontal wall in the connecting tongue plate arranged on the left side of fig. 8 is significantly thicker than the upper horizontal wall of the connecting tongue plate on the right side of fig. 8. The two connecting tongues 4 are again mounted into the stringers 2 via the respective openings 7. But more precisely, unlike the previous embodiments, no continuous opening is provided for welding the insertion section 402 with the stringers 2. Instead, a bulge 8 is used, which is formed on the front edge of the lower shell 2 a.

The two bulges 8 for the respective connecting tongues are very well visible in fig. 10, fig. 10 partially showing a plan view of the connecting tongue 4 or the lower shell 2a from below. As can be seen in particular from fig. 10, adjacent to the respective bulge 8, a support plate 12 is provided which is an integral part of the lower shell 2a and serves to support the connecting section 401 in the vertical direction. As can be seen, a weld seam 10 is provided for each connecting tongue 4, which connects the connecting section 401 or the face region 406' of the connecting section to the support plate 12, and also the insert section 402 or the face region 406 of the insert section to a partial section of the edge 9 of the bulge 8. By combining the support plate 12 with a continuous weld seam 10 (which connects both the connecting section 401 and the insertion section 402 to the longitudinal beam 2), a very good force introduction in the horizontal direction into the longitudinal beam and a very stable connection between the connecting tongue and the longitudinal beam are achieved.

The embodiments of the invention described hereinabove have a number of advantages. In particular, the connection between the connecting tongue and the carrier element in the form of a longitudinal beam is achieved in such a way that the introduction of force is ideally effected on the most rigid part of the carrier element in the load direction. The connecting tongue is connected here via welding both to the lower wall of the carrier element and to the upper wall of the carrier element. The corresponding insertion section of the connecting tongue plate effects a stiffening of the carrier element. The connecting tongues thus act like mud guards. By means of the connecting tongue plate with the insertion section, the structural space requirement can be reduced in the vertical direction compared to a connecting tongue plate surrounding the carrier member along its outer periphery. In the case of a limited installation space, the extension of the support element in its vertical direction is not limited in order to integrate the large connecting tongue.

With the second embodiment described hereinabove, the further advantage is achieved that a continuous annular weld bead with overlapping ends can be provided on corresponding openings in the carrier member, so that stresses and forces can be introduced and distributed over a larger area into the horizontal tube surface of the carrier member and stress peaks that would otherwise occur through the ends of the weld bead can be eliminated.

Furthermore, the connecting tongue plate with the insertion section according to the third embodiment described above can also be combined with a support plate which extends from the carrier member. The weld seam for connecting the connecting tongue to the carrier member is thus lengthened compared to the embodiment of the support plate with the connecting tongue without the insertion section. This lengthening results in the end of the weld seam remote from the transverse bar being further from the transverse bar than the vertical outer wall of the carrier member. Thus reducing the stress peaks on the weld on the underside of the standoff member and thus extending the lifetime of the standoff member. Furthermore, the reinforcement is additionally provided by the defined support plate, which positively influences the rigidity of the transverse link connection and improves the driving dynamics.

List of reference numerals

1-Axis support

2 Support component (longitudinal beam)

201 Lower horizontal wall of support member

202 Upper horizontal wall of support member

203 The front vertical wall of the abutment member

204 Rear vertical wall of the abutment member

2A lower shell

2B upper shell

3 Cross beam

40 Connection structure

4 Connecting tongue plate

401 Connection section

402 Insertion section

403 To the upper wall of the tongue

404 Into the vertical wall of the section

405 Connect the lower wall of the tongue plate

406, 406' Connect the surface areas of the lower wall of the tongue plate

407 Are connected to the upper leg of the tongue plate

408 Are connected to the upper leg of the tongue plate

5, 6 Openings in the connecting section

7 Openings in the support member

8 Open area in the abutment member

9 Edge of open area

10, 11 Weld

12 Support plate

Force F

L force line

X, y, z spatial directions

Claims (15)

1. Axle support for a motor vehicle with double track, comprising a number of tubular support members (2), on at least a part of which a number of vehicle members can be connected to the respective tubular support member (2) of the number of tubular support members (2), for connecting the respective vehicle member of the number of vehicle members, a connecting structure (40) is provided, which comprises one or more connecting tongues (4) on the respective tubular support member (2), the respective connecting tongues (4) comprising connecting sections (401) which are provided on the outside of the respective tubular support member (2) for fixing the vehicle member, characterized in that the respective connecting tongues (4) comprise insertion sections (402) which are inserted into the inside of the respective tubular support member (2), in that on the respective tubular support member (2) an opening area (8) is provided such that a face area (406) of the insertion section (402) overlaps with the opening area (8), and that the edge (9) of the opening area (8) is at least partly connected to the face area (402) of the material.

2. Shaft support according to claim 1, characterized in that the edge (9) of the opening region (8) is welded at least in sections to the face region (406) of the insertion section (402).

3. Axle support according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the connecting section (401) has a wall (407) which is arranged in a defined plane along which the introduction of force of the vehicle component into the connecting section (401) takes place when the vehicle component is fastened to the connecting section (401), the material-locking connection via which the edge (9) of the opening region (8) is connected at least in sections to the face region (406) of the insertion section (402), having at least one connecting seam (10) which extends in or parallel to the defined plane.

4. Shaft support according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the opening region (8) is provided on a defined wall (201) of the respective tubular support member (2), wherein the defined wall (201) is provided adjacent to a wall (203) of the respective tubular support member (2) via which the insertion section (402) is inserted into the respective support member (2).

5. The axle support according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insertion section (402) is one leg from a pair of legs, the other leg (408) of which is connected, preferably materially connected, with the outside of the respective tubular support member (2).

6. Axle support according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the opening area (8) is an opening with continuous edges in the respective tubular support member (2).

7. The shaft support according to claim 6, characterized in that the entire continuous edge (9) of the opening is connected to the surface area (406) of the insertion section (402) in a material-locking manner.

8. The axle support according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the opening area (8) is constituted by a bulge on the edge of the wall (201) of the respective tubular support member (2), preferably arranged adjacent to the connecting section (401).

9. Axle support according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a support plate (12) is provided on the respective tubular support member (2), on which support plate the connection section (401) is supported and with which the connection section (401) is connected in a material-locking manner.

10. Shaft support according to claim 9, characterized in that the support plate (12) is formed integrally with the support member (2).

11. Shaft support according to claim 9 or 10 in combination with claim 8, characterized in that the bulge is arranged adjacent to the support plate (12), preferably with a continuous connecting seam, via which not only the edge (9) of the opening region (8) is at least partially connected in a material-locking manner to the face region (406) of the insertion section (402), but also the connecting section (401) is connected in a material-locking manner to the support plate (12).

12. Axle support according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the respective tubular support member (2) is a longitudinal beam which extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle when installed in the motor vehicle, or that the tubular support member (2) is a transverse beam which extends in the transverse direction of the vehicle when installed in the motor vehicle.

13. Shaft support according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the respective tubular support member (2) is formed in one piece or in multiple pieces at least in the region where the connecting structure (40) is provided.

14. Axle support according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one connecting tongue (4) is configured for connecting a vehicle component in the form of a guide bar for guiding a wheel, for connecting a wheel of a motor vehicle with the axle support (1), and/or at least one connecting tongue (4) is configured for connecting a vehicle component in the form of a tie rod and/or a pressure bar, for connecting a wheel of a motor vehicle with the axle support (1), and/or at least one connecting tongue (4) is configured for connecting a vehicle component in the form of an element, in particular a motor swing support, for connecting a drive assembly of a motor vehicle with the axle support (1).

15. A motor vehicle comprising one or more axle carriers (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.