DE102010053731A1 - Elastic bearing for a component and method for its production - Google Patents

Abstract

An elastic mounting (4) for a component (2) made of a fiber-reinforced plastic material has an elastic material (6) and a metallic receiving element (5). The metallic receiving element (5) is connected to the component (2) via the elastic material, which is designed as a thermoplastic elastomer (6).

Description

The invention relates to an elastic mounting for a component according to the closer defined in the preamble of claim 1. Art also relates to a method for producing such a component.

Fiber-reinforced plastics or fiber composite plastics (FRP) are known from the general state of the art. These fiber-reinforced plastics are often used as lightweight materials, for example in the field of vehicle construction or in the aviation industry. They generally consist of fiber bundles, so-called rovings, for example of carbon, aramid, Kevlar and / or glass fibers, which are embedded in a plastic matrix of duroplastic or thermoplastic plastic material. The plastic matrix takes over the connection of the fibers with each other and ensures a stable shape of the component, while the reinforcing fibers themselves provide for the transmission of forces in the component.

As in the field of vehicle construction, a rapid series production is sought, which is process-reliable and without long waiting and curing times to enable the production of a fiber composite plastic play here thermoset matrix systems a minor role, as these typically make a rather complex and tedious processing necessary. The focus in the field of vehicle construction is therefore on the use of thermoplastic matrix systems. Frequently, pre-impregnated rovings, so-called prepregs, are used with the matrix material, or hybrid rovings are processed which, in addition to the reinforcing fibers, also comprise fibers of the thermoplastic matrix material. To produce a tubular component of such a fiber composite plastic with thermoplastic matrix material is intended to be exemplary of the DE 10 2008 010 228 A1 and the DE 10 2007 051 517 A1 to get expelled. From these two documents the so-called braided pultrusion is known, with which in particular bending and torsion-resistant tube profiles can be produced. In this case, a tubular fabric, in which a thermoplastic matrix material is already arranged, is pulled through a so-called pultrusion system with one or more braiding wheels or braided eyes and consolidated by heat input. At the exit from the plant, the semi-finished product is then deburred and cut to length. In this case, almost any predetermined, but for the respective tool constant profile shapes and fiber orientations can be realized.

• – Reduzierung des Bauteilgewichts
• – verbesserte Medien- und Chemikalienbeständigkeit im Vergleich zu Stahl
• – kein zusätzlicher Korrosionsschutz des Bauteils notwendig
• – verbessertes Dämpfungsverhalten des Werkstoffs
• – reduzierte Fertigungszeiten, höhere Effizienz der Fertigung
• – geringere Herstellungskosten
• – fasergerechte leichtbauende Lastweiterleitung.

Such components made of a fiber-reinforced plastic material with a thermoplastic matrix material have the following advantages:

• - Reduction of the component weight
• - improved media and chemical resistance compared to steel
• - No additional corrosion protection of the component necessary
• - Improved damping behavior of the material
• - reduced production times, higher production efficiency
• - lower production costs
• - fiber-friendly lightweight load transfer.

In particular, when used in the field of vehicle construction, this leads to significant savings in vehicle weight. This allows a significant reduction in the energy consumption of the vehicle per kilometer driven and a reduction in pollutant emissions.

Not only in the field of vehicle construction, it is often the case that components, in particular components in the area of the chassis, should be absorbed by elastic bearings or even need. Since these elastic bearings are often bolted to the component in conventional components, this technology is not readily transferred to the field of fiber-reinforced plastic materials. These are rather critical with regard to the introduction of loads via screws or the like, so that the connection of elastic bearings in the conventional construction makes a considerable additional effort in the production and structural planning of the component made of a fiber-reinforced plastic material required.

The object of the present invention is now to minimize or save this effort and specify an elastic support for a component made of a fiber-reinforced plastic material, which is correspondingly simple and efficient to implement, and which connected without significant additional effort with the component made of fiber-reinforced plastic material can be.

According to the invention this object is achieved by an elastic mounting with the features in the characterizing part of patent claim 1. A method for producing such elastic mounting is specified in claim 7. Further advantageous embodiments of the elastic bearing and the method will become apparent from the respective dependent claims.

The elastic bearing according to the invention provides a metallic receiving element, via which the storage, for example, in the area a vehicle or another component can be received in a conventional manner. For this purpose, appropriate brackets, the welding of the component or the like are conceivable. The metallic receiving element is connected in the inventive elastic storage on the elastic material with the component of the fiber-reinforced plastic material. The elastic material is formed as a thermoplastic elastomer. This thermoplastic elastomer takes on the elastic storage on the one hand and the connection between the component and the metallic receiving element on the other hand.

In particular, in the embodiment of the fiber-reinforced component with a thermoplastic matrix material is typically melted by heating during introduction of the thermoplastic elastomer between the metallic receiving element and the component, so that a very good form and in particular cohesive bond between the thermoplastic elastomer and the component the fiber reinforced plastic material is achieved. On the other hand, the thermoplastic elastomer then adheres to the metal receiving element and so easily and efficiently forms the elastic support for the component.

In a particularly favorable and advantageous development of the elastic bearing according to the invention, it is further provided that the metallic receiving element, at least in the areas in which it is in communication with the thermoplastic elastomer, having a coating with a thermoplastic material. Such a coating of the metallic receiving element with thermoplastic material additionally increases the adhesion between the thermoplastic elastomer and the coating, since a material bond is formed here. As a result, the composite of the elastic bearing can achieve even better adhesion properties between the materials involved and thus be made even more stable.

In an advantageous development of the elastic mounting, it is further provided that the metallic receiving element is designed as a hollow profile which surrounds the component, wherein the space between the component and the metallic receiving element comprises the thermoplastic elastomer. This structure, in which the metallic receiving element surrounds the component as a hollow profile and the entire space is filled with the thermoplastic elastomer, allows a very good storage of the component in at least all spatial directions, in particular in all spatial directions within the sectional plane across the hollow profile of the metallic receiving element , This creates a very secure and reliable connection of the component to the metallic receiving element by the elastic bearing.

In a further particularly favorable and advantageous embodiment of the elastic bearing described, it is further provided that the component is designed as a torsion bar spring or part of a torsion bar or as a roll stabilizer for a motor vehicle.

Turning rods or torsion bars or roll stabilizers are known from the general state of the art. These are torsion springs, which are intended to reduce the rolling motion of a vehicle or carry the vehicle and to respond to road bumps by rebound and rebound sufficiently and to accommodate weight shifts in the longitudinal and transverse directions. These components are often made of high strength spring steels due to the high material requirements in terms of stiffness and strength, especially in the torsional load, and typically designed as a tube or solid material. From the priority-giving patent application for the present patent application, it is also known to produce these torsion bar springs made of fiber-reinforced plastic, in particular from a substantially tubular member made of a fiber-reinforced plastic material. This achieves ideal properties in terms of weight, corrosion resistance, damping properties and the forces conducted in the area of the torsion bar spring. In particular, such arranged in the chassis area of vehicles components, such as the torsion bar spring, are often stored on elastic bearings. For this purpose, the inventively designed elastic bearing is ideal because the torsion bar, ideally in the tubular area, on the thermoplastic elastomer safely, reliably but still with a certain elasticity in the storage with the metallic receiving element, which is ideally designed as a hollow profile to the tubular member of the torsion bar can be connected. The structure is simple and efficient to manufacture and ensures best storage properties with minimal weight.

Hollow profiles, in particular for a torsion bar or a roll stabilizer, sometimes require complex geometries. Therefore, it is advantageous to produce them via an hydroforming process (hydroforming).

The inventive method for producing such elastic storage provides that the metallic receiving element is arranged in its desired position relative to the component, after which the metallic Receiving element and the component can be connected by injection of the thermoplastic elastomer between the metallic receiving element and the component. This is particularly simple and efficient and allows a very cost-effective production of the elastic bearing.

According to the invention, therefore, we produce a composite between a rigid inorganic material, a stiff organic material and an elastic organic material in one process. This eliminates otherwise required complex manufacturing stages.

In a very advantageous development of the method according to the invention, it is provided that the injection of the thermoplastic elastomer takes place in an injection molding machine as a 2K injection molding process. In particular, the injection of the thermoplastic elastomer in an injection molding as 2K injection molding process is ideally suited for mass production in the production of large quantities, for example for motor vehicles, and can be easily and effortlessly in a simple and easy to be integrated into a mass production process Produce the elastic bearing, for example, on the preferred component of a torsion bar or a roll stabilizer for a vehicle realize. The 2K injection molding process is particularly advantageously carried out in a variothermal mold with differently tempered zones: the actual injection molding process takes place in a cold zone while the elastomer is galvanized in a hot zone.

In an advantageous development of this, it is provided that the metallic receiving element in turn is at least partially coated with a thermoplastic plastic material. The coating with the thermoplastic material, typically before the further processing of the metallic receiving element, ensures the best possible bond between the thermoplastic elastomer and coated with thermoplastic material metallic receiving element on the one hand and the component of the fiber composite plastic with the preferred thermoplastic matrix on the other. The metallic receiving element can be used as an inlay and is injected in the so-called insert technique in an injection molding plant by means of the thermoplastic elastomer to a solid elastic bearing on the component of the fiber-reinforced plastic material. This results in a simple to manufacture, safe and reliable construction, the connection of the elastic bearing on the component with minimal effort in terms of the construction of the component as well as the material used. The structure is therefore correspondingly simple, inexpensive and very easy to build.

As described above, the metallic receiving element may preferably be formed as a hollow profile around the tubular member of the torsion bar. Then it is advantageous to expand the multi-component mold for the injection molding process by an IHU unit (hydroforming). Thus, not only (fully filled) solid sections can be produced, but also hollow sections (by means of inserted core). Particularly advantageous are hollow sections with fiber reinforcement, z. B. by braided core. In a subsequent process, the core can then be returned to the desired location in a mold similar to the in-mold coating (opening by, for example, about 0.1 mm) in order to selectively apply a bonding agent or the surface to a chemical Activate stimulator, so that the thermoplastic elastomer to be introduced adheres to the thermoplastic material.

Further advantageous embodiments of the elastic bearing according to the invention will become apparent from the further dependent subclaims and will be apparent from the embodiment, which will be described below with reference to the figures.

Showing:

1 a torsion spring of a substantially tubular member made of fiber-reinforced plastic material;

2 the torsion bar according to 1 with attached elastic bearings;

3 a cross section according to the line III-III in 2 ; and

4 the torsion bar spring with bearing elements for connection to a vehicle.

In the presentation of the 1 is purely exemplary of a component made of fiber-reinforced plastic material, a torsion bar spring 1 to recognize for a motor vehicle. The torsion bar spring 1 consists essentially of a tubular component 2 , which consists of a fiber-reinforced plastic material. The tubular component 2 For example, by braiding pultrusion and / or wrapping one in the component 2 remaining or lost core. The component can either be produced as a straight tube and then bent or it can be formed by wrapping and / or braiding a already near net shape preformed core. As cores are also braided pipes fiber-reinforced plastic material, cores made of foamed thermoplastic materials, but also cores made of sand, thin metallic hollow sections or generatively produced cores, which are produced for example by 3D printing process, laser sintering or the like conceivable. The core itself can, as already mentioned, in the tubular component 2 remain or be removed from this, for example, melted out, washed out with suitable solvents or the like.

Ideal for the invention described below is when the outer surface of the tubular member 2 is made of the fiber-reinforced plastic material, which is preferably formed as a thermoplastic matrix material which is reinforced with carbon fibers. The carbon fibers can ideally be used in the form of pre-impregnated fiber bundles or hybrid rovings and melted during braiding and / or wrapping of the tubular member and to the tubular member 2 have been condensed. Subsequent consolidation is possible and often useful.

At its two ends, the tubular member 2 Lasteinleitelemente 3 on, which either integral with the tubular member 2 trained or glued to this or connected by positive locking. In the area of these load introduction elements 3 will attack later in a conventional manner lever to forces in the field of torsion bar 1 initiate. In addition to this, the torsion bar spring as needed in 1 is shown, now corresponding bearing for receiving the torsion bar spring 1 on a vehicle not shown in its entirety. These bearings are designed as elastic bearings to compensate for vibrations and dampen and minor movements of the torsion bar 1 to allow against the vehicle and yet to ensure safe and reliable storage. In the presentation of the 2 These elastic bearings are in the area of the torsion bar spring 1 to recognize and by the reference numeral 4 Mistake. This in 2 illustrated embodiment has, as is common practice, two such elastic bearings 4 on. From the sectional view of 3 It can be seen that these elastic bearings 4 from an outer receiving element 5 exist, which typically as a metallic receiving element 5 is formed in the manner of a hollow profile or a metallic socket. This metallic receiving element 5 encloses the tubular component 2 the torsion bar spring 1 from the fiber reinforced plastic material. The space between the metallic receiving element 5 and the tubular member 2 is by a thermoplastic elastomer 6 filled, which together with the metallic receiving element 5 the elastic bearing 4 for the tubular component 2 formed of the fiber reinforced plastic material. The elastic bearing 4 can so forces, which in the in 3 shown cutting plane, ideally record. Also forces perpendicular to this cutting plane are due to the adhesion of the thermoplastic elastomer 6 on the metallic receiving element 5 on the one hand and the fiber-reinforced component 2 on the other hand. This creates an elastic storage 4 in all six degrees of freedom.

In the presentation of the 4 is the torsion bar 1 then to recognize again. Here are the elastic bearings 4 in storage elements 7 recorded, which in turn are connected to the vehicle. The bearing elements 7 take the elastic bearings 4 or their metallic receiving element 5 doing so in a conventional manner between a storage stock 8th and a bearing cap 9 , which are then connected to each other, in particular screwed together on. About the bearing elements 7 is the torsion bar 1 then connected to the vehicle or the body of the vehicle. About the load introduction elements 3 and suitable levers, which are not shown here, can then be done in a conventional manner, the connection to the parts of the chassis, their rolling movements by the torsion bar spring 1 should be dampened or balanced against each other.

The thermoplastic elastomer 6 can by a suitable process integration via a 2K injection molding process between the metallic receiving element 5 and the tubular member 2 be introduced. In the preferred embodiment of the tubular component 2 with a matrix of a thermoplastic material, such as PA, PPA or the like, then takes place when introducing the thermoplastic elastomer via the 2K injection molding process in a single operation, a solid, cohesive connection between the thermoplastic elastomer 6 and the component 2 , An adhesive connection also occurs between the metallic receiving element 5 and the thermoplastic elastomer. In order to additionally improve such a connection, it is ideally provided that the metallic receiving element 5 cleaned in an upstream process step and preferably provided with an adhesion promoter or primer. This adhesion promoter or primer then forms the basis for a coating in a thermoplastic material. The metallic receiving element 5 So at least in the later the thermoplastic elastomer 6 provided with an appropriate coating, so that it also here to an ideal adhesion of the thermoplastic elastomer in the Material connection with the coating, which in turn on the primer ideal on the metallic material of the receiving element 5 attaches, comes.

In terms of process technology, this can be realized, for example, in such a way that the metallic receiving element 5 cleaned accordingly and provided with adhesion promoter or primer and then with the thermoplastic material, such as PA, coated. The thus coated metallic receiving element 5 is then inserted as an inlay in a 2K injection molding machine, in which also the torsion bar 1 or the tubular component 2 of the torsion bar 1 is inserted. The two components 2 . 5 be fixed to each other at the desired distance and the gap between the metallic receiving element 5 and the component 2 is with the thermoplastic elastomer 6 , preferably by means of a 2K injection molding process, injected. In a single step, the injection molding process creates a finished elastic bearing 4 for the tubular component 2 made of fiber-reinforced plastic material. Injecting the thermoplastic elastomer 6 This results in a cohesive connection of the thermoplastic elastomer with the matrix material of the tubular component 2 , In addition, there is a cohesive connection between the thermoplastic elastomer and the thermoplastic material, with which the metallic receiving element 5 coated in the above manner. This insert technique makes it easy and efficient to have an elastic bearing 4 on the torsion bar spring 1 realize, which can be produced with minimal manufacturing effort, and which minimizes the weight of the composite of elastic bearing 4 and torsion bar 1 guaranteed.

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE 102008010228 A1 [0003]
• DE 102007051517 A1 [0003]

Claims (10)

Elastic storage ( 4 ) for a component ( 2 ) made of a fiber-reinforced plastic material, with an elastic material ( 6 ) and a metallic receiving element ( 5 ), characterized in that the metallic receiving element ( 5 ) over the elastic material, which as a thermoplastic elastomer ( 6 ) is formed, with the component ( 2 ) connected is. Elastic storage ( 4 ) according to claim 1, characterized in that the component ( 2 ) comprises a thermoplastic matrix material. Elastic storage ( 4 ) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the metallic receiving element ( 5 ) at least in the areas in which it reacts with the thermoplastic elastomer ( 6 ) has a coating with a thermoplastic material. Elastic storage ( 4 ) according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the component ( 2 ) is formed with a tubular cross-section. Elastic storage ( 4 ) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the metallic receiving element ( 5 ) is formed as a hollow profile, which the component ( 2 ), the space between the component ( 2 ) and the metallic receiving element ( 5 ) the thermoplastic elastomer ( 6 ) having. Elastic storage ( 4 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the component ( 2 ) as a torsion bar ( 1 ) or as part of a torsion bar ( 1 ) is designed for a motor vehicle. Process for producing an elastic bearing ( 4 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the metallic receiving element ( 5 ) in its desired position relative to the component ( 2 ) is arranged, after which the metallic receiving element ( 5 ) and the component ( 2 ) by injection of the thermoplastic elastomer ( 6 ) between the metallic receiving element ( 5 ) and the component ( 2 ). Process according to claim 7, characterized in that the injection of the thermoplastic elastomer ( 6 ) takes place in an injection molding plant as a 2K injection molding process. Method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the metallic receiving element ( 5 ) is at least partially coated with a thermoplastic plastic material. A method according to claim 9, characterized in that the metallic receiving element ( 5 ) is cleaned before coating and provided with a primer.

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