JP2009073385A - Supporting structure of propeller shaft - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a supporting structure of a propeller shaft capable of mounting a center bearing in work efficiency equal to or better than conventional technology and improving durability and reliability of center bearing peripheral members. <P>SOLUTION: This supporting structure of the propeller shaft is furnished with a first spline shaft 11 of the first propeller shaft 1, a second spline shaft 21 of the second propeller shaft 2, a sleeve 3 connected to the first and second spline shafts 11, 21 and the center bearing 4 positioned on the sleeve 3. Cushion rubber 5 on the side of an outer ring 42 of the center bearing 4 is fixed to a retainer 6, and the retainer 6 is mounted on the vehicle body side 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a propeller shaft support structure, and more particularly to a support structure in a center bearing portion.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a chassis frame cross member 7 (illustrated by a two-dot chain line) in a related art in which a two-piece propeller shaft assembly (assembly) 103 having a center bearing 4 is interposed via a cushion rubber 5 and a retainer 6. ) Is shown attached.
In the propeller shaft assembly 103, the first propeller shaft 1 and the second propeller shaft 2 are connected by a companion flange 10 on the first propeller shaft 1 side and a yoke flange 22 on the second propeller shaft 2 side. ing.

The first propeller shaft 1 has a spline shaft 11 fixed to the propeller shaft main body by welding, and a companion flange 10 that is spline-fitted to the spline shaft 11.
The spline shaft 11 has a spline forming portion 11a and a large diameter portion 11b having a diameter larger than that of the spline forming portion 11a, and the boundary between the spline forming portion 11a and the large diameter portion 11b is orthogonal to the axial direction. A flat surface 11f is formed.

The left and right end surfaces of the inner race 41 of the center bearing 4 are fixed at a position between a plane 11 f orthogonal to the axial direction and the left end surface 10 f of the companion flange 10.
The outer race 41 of the center bearing 4 is fitted into a ring-shaped member 51, and deviation from the ring-shaped member 51 is prevented by a snap ring (not clearly shown).
A cushion rubber 5 for vibration isolation is baked on the outer periphery of the ring-shaped member 51 by vulcanization.
The cushion rubber 5 is attached to the frame side so as to be accommodated between the inner peripheral surface of the retainer 6 and the cross member 7 on the frame side.

As the cushion rubber 5 is deformed in the radial direction, the vibration in the radial direction of the propeller shaft assembly 103 is absorbed.
Then, the axial movement of the propeller shaft assembly 103 or the dimensional error during assembly (so-called “variation”) is absorbed when the cushion rubber 5 and the retainer 6 slide or move relative to each other. The

However, in the prior art of FIG. 4, a sliding motion always takes place between the cushion rubber 5 and the retainer 6, and the cushion rubber 5 and the retainer 6 are worn due to friction during the sliding motion, resulting in settling. The wear and settling of the cushion rubber 5 and the retainer 6 cause an increase in vehicle body vibration.
In addition, since the position of the center bearing 4 is not fixed with respect to the retainer 6, depending on the mounting position, the load on the retainer 6 may increase, the retainer may be damaged, and the propeller shaft may fall off.

As a prior art different from FIG. 4, there is a prior art in which a cushion rubber and a retainer are baked and integrated when supporting a propeller shaft. In the related art, a long attachment hole is provided in the retainer, and an axial error during assembly is absorbed by the attachment hole.
However, in the related art, since the cushion rubber and the retainer are fixed, a force always acts on the cushion rubber in the axial direction. Such axial force causes the cushion rubber to generate heat violently, which may impair the life of the cushion rubber.
In addition, it is necessary to perform the mounting operation while adjusting the vehicle mounting position, which deteriorates workability. Furthermore, depending on the assembling procedure, the rubber may be distorted. In this case, the durability is lowered.

As another conventional technique, there is a technique in which a bolt hole of a retainer is formed as a long hole formed by overlapping a plurality of identical circles (see Patent Document 1).
In addition, a technique has been proposed in which a fixing portion between the vehicle body frame and the mounting bracket is disposed in front of the center bearing (see Patent Document 2).
However, none of these conventional techniques can solve the above-described problems.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-11425 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-7426

  The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and the center bearing can be mounted with workability equal to or higher than that of the prior art. An object of the present invention is to provide a propeller shaft support structure that improves the speed.

  The propeller shaft support structure of the present invention includes a first spline shaft (11) in the first propeller shaft (1) on the transmission side and a second spline shaft (21 in the second propeller shaft (2) on the final drive side. ), A sleeve (3) splined to the first spline shaft (11) and the second spline shaft (21), and a center bearing (4) located on the sleeve (3). The cushion rubber (5) on the outer ring (42) side of the center bearing (4) is fixed to the retainer (6), and the retainer (6) is attached to the vehicle body side (7). .

  The sleeve (3) is formed with a positioning projection (32) for the center bearing (4), and one end of the center bearing (4) in the axial direction of the propeller shaft is applied to the positioning projection (32). (Claim 2).

  The center bearing (4) is press-fitted into the sleeve (3).

  The center bearing (4A) is inserted into the sleeve (3A), and a male screw (33) is formed on the final drive side of the sleeve (3A), and a positioning projection (32A) of the center bearing (4A) is formed. The nut (9) screwed with the male screw (33) of the sleeve is arranged on the side opposite to the side of the center bearing (4A), and the center bearing (4A) has a positioning projection (32). And the nut (9) (claim 4).

  The center bearing (4) is constituted by a seal-integrated bearing.

  The center bearing (4A) is configured separately from the seal, and is provided with a dust cover (10).

According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, the first spline shaft (11) on the transmission side and the second spline shaft (21) on the final drive side are attached with the center bearing (4, 4A). Since the sleeve (3, 3A) is spline-coupled, the variation in length in the vehicle front-rear direction (axial direction of the propeller shaft) is caused by the spline fitting portion between the sleeve (3, 3A) and the spline shaft (11, 21). Can be absorbed.
Since the variation is absorbed by sliding of the sleeve (3, 3A) and the spline shaft (11, 21) in the spline fitting portion in the vehicle front-rear direction (axial direction of the propeller shaft), the cushion rubber (5) There is no need to slide on the retainer (6), and wear of the cushion rubber (5) is prevented.

  In addition, since variations in length in the vehicle longitudinal direction (axial direction of the propeller shaft) can be absorbed by the spline fitting portion between the sleeve (3, 3A) and the spline shaft (11, 21), the center bearing (4 4A) can be assembled from either the transmission side or the final drive side.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, variations in length in the vehicle longitudinal direction (axial direction of the propeller shaft) can be absorbed by the spline fitting portion between the sleeve (3, 3A) and the spline shaft (11, 21). The cushion rubber (5) on the outer ring side of the center bearing (4, 4A) is fixed to the retainer (6), so that the center bearing (4, 4A) is always mounted at the same position with respect to the retainer (6). I can do it.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First, a first embodiment will be described based on FIG.

In FIG. 1, the propeller shaft support structure according to the first embodiment includes a propeller shaft assembly 101 including a first propeller shaft 1, a second propeller shaft 2, and a sleeve 3. .
Then, in the propeller shaft assembly 101, the center bearing 4 press-fitted into the outer peripheral portion of the sleeve 3 is attached to the chassis frame cross member 7 (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1) by the cushion rubber 5 and the retainer 6. , Support.

  The first propeller shaft 1 is connected to a transmission side (not shown) (left side in FIG. 1), and the second propeller shaft 2 is connected to a final drive side (not shown) (right side in FIG. 1).

In the first propeller shaft 1, a spline shaft 11 is fixed to the end portion (the right end portion in FIG. 1) opposite to that connected to the transmission by welding.
The spline shaft 11 has a male spline 11S formed on the outer periphery.
In the second propeller shaft 2, a shaft portion (spline shaft) 21 is provided at the transmission side end portion (left end portion in FIG. 1) of the yoke shaft 20. A male spline 21S is formed on the spline shaft 21.
The male spline 11S and the male spline 21S have the same spline tooth pattern.

A female spline 31 is formed on the inner periphery of the sleeve 3 over the entire length of the sleeve 3.
A male spline 11S of the first propeller shaft 1 and a male spline 21S of the second propeller shaft 2 are fitted to the female spline 31 of the sleeve 3 so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the sleeve 3, thereby propeller shaft. An aggregate 101 is configured.

An annular protrusion 32 is formed at one location on the outer periphery of the sleeve 3. A flat surface 32f orthogonal to the axial direction is formed at the right end of the annular protrusion 32 in FIG.
The region (outer peripheral surface) 34 on the right side of the annular protrusion 32 on the outer periphery of the sleeve 3 has a smooth polishing finish on the outer peripheral surface.
The inner race 41 of the center bearing 4 is press-fitted into the polished outer peripheral surface 34. The center bearing 4 is fixed to the sleeve 3 at a position where the left end surface of the inner race 41 in FIG.

Although not clearly shown, in the first embodiment of FIG. 1, a bearing with a dust seal is used as the center bearing 4.
The outer race 42 of the center bearing 4 is fitted to the inner periphery of the ring-shaped member 51, and deviation from the base ring 51 is prevented by a snap ring or the like (not shown).

The cushion rubber 5 is baked and fixed to the outer periphery of the base ring 51 by vulcanization.
The cushion rubber 5 is used to suppress or block the vibration of the propeller shaft assembly 101 from being transmitted to the vehicle body side.
The outer peripheral part of the cushion rubber 5 is baked and fixed to the inner peripheral part of the retainer 6 by vulcanization.

The upper surface (in FIG. 1) of the retainer 6 is attached to the cross member 7 of the chassis frame by known means such as bolts and nuts (not shown).
In addition, the code | symbol C in FIG. 1 has shown the dustproof cover for protecting the spline shaft 11. FIG.

  According to the first embodiment having the above-described configuration, the first spline shaft 11 and the second spline shaft 21 are splined to the sleeve 3 to which the center bearing 4 is attached. (Axial direction) of the length can be absorbed by the spline fitting portion between the sleeve 3 and the spline shafts 11, 21.

  As the sleeve 3 and the spline shafts 11, 21 in the spline fitting portion slide in the vehicle front-rear direction (axis direction of the propeller shaft), variations in length during assembly in the vehicle front-rear direction are absorbed, so the cushion rubber 5 Need not slide on the retainer 6. Therefore, the cushion rubber 5 can be fixed to the retainer 6, and even if the cushion rubber 5 is fixed to the retainer 6, wear of the cushion rubber 5 is prevented.

  Further, the variation in the length in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle can be absorbed by the spline fitting portion between the sleeve 3 and the spline shafts 11 and 21 having the same tooth shape, so that the center bearing 4 can be assembled even from the transmission side. Can be assembled from the final drive side.

Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, the variation in the longitudinal length of the vehicle can be absorbed by the spline fitting portion between the sleeve 3 and the spline shafts 11, 21, and therefore the cushion rubber 5 on the outer ring side of the center bearing 4. Is fixed to the retainer 6, so that the center bearing 4 can always be mounted at the same position with respect to the retainer 6.
In other words, when attaching the retainer 6 to the frame side, it is not necessary to use a nerve to align the retainer 6, and the assembly time can be shortened.

Next, a second embodiment will be described based on FIGS.
The second embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3 differs from the first embodiment of FIG. 1 in the method of fixing the center bearing to the sleeve and the dustproof method of the center bearing.
Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the structure different from 1st Embodiment of FIG. 1 is mainly demonstrated.
3 is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG.

In FIG. 2, the propeller shaft assembly 102 includes a first propeller shaft 1, a second propeller shaft 2, and a sleeve 3A.
The first propeller shaft 1 and the second propeller shaft 2 are the same as in the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 3, the sleeve 3 </ b> A has a protrusion 32 </ b> A composed of a large-diameter portion 321 and a medium-diameter portion 322 (having a two-stage configuration). It is formed in the approximate center of.

In FIG. 3, in the area on the right side of the protrusion 32A in the sleeve 3A, the outer peripheral surface is subjected to smooth machining. A male screw 33 is formed on the right end side of the right side region of the protrusion 32A in the sleeve 3A.
The region of the sleeve 3A on the right side of the protrusion 32A and where the male screw 33 is not formed is also machined to make the surface smooth. Then, the center bearing 4A is inserted (or press-fitted) into the region where the male screw 33 is not formed. A boundary surface between the medium diameter portion 322 and the region where the male screw 33 is not formed is indicated by reference numeral 32f.
When the center bearing 4A is inserted (or press-fitted), it is inserted (or press-fitted) until the left end surface of the inner race 41 contacts the boundary surface 32f.
The spacer 8 is also inserted into a region on the right side of the protrusion 32A in the sleeve 3A, where the male screw 33 is not formed.

The spacer 8 has a cylindrical shape as a whole, and a flange 81 is formed at the right end in FIG.
The area of the sleeve 3A on the right side of the protrusion 32A, in which the male screw 33 is not formed, and the surface of the area (machined surface) are fitted to the spacer 8 so that the spacer 8 can smoothly move on the machined surface. It is a fit.
The diameter of the flange portion 81 of the spacer is substantially equal to the diameter of the large diameter portion 321 of the sleeve 3A. Further, the diameter of the cylindrical portion 82 excluding the flange portion 81 of the spacer 8 is configured to be approximately equal to the diameter of the medium diameter portion 322 of the sleeve 3A.
The axial length of the cylindrical portion 82 is configured to be the same as the axial length of the medium diameter portion 322 of the sleeve 3A.

A nut 9 formed with a female screw is screwed onto the male screw 33 of the sleeve 3A.
Prior to screwing the nut 9 into the sleeve 3A, the center bearing 4A is inserted (or press-fitted) until it comes into contact with the boundary surface 32f. Then, the spacer 8 is fitted from the right end of the sleeve 3A in FIG.
Next, the nut 9 is screwed into the male screw 33 of the sleeve 3A and tightened. By tightening the nut 9, the left end surface of the nut 9 presses the right end surface on the flange 81 side of the spacer 8, and the left end surface of the spacer 8 comes into contact with the right end surface of the inner race 41 of the center bearing 4A. .

When the center bearing 4A is sandwiched between the boundary surface 32f of the spacer 8 and the sleeve 3A, the space between the right end surface of the large diameter portion 321 and the left end surface of the flange portion 81 of the spacer 8 and both side surfaces of the center bearing 4A ( A gap is formed on both the left and right sides of the center bearing 4A. A pair of dust seals 10 is interposed in the gap.
In the second embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3, the center bearing 4 </ b> A is a bearing that does not include a dust seal.

In the second embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3, the center bearing 4A is removed from the sleeve 3A by loosening the nut 9 and removing the spacer 8 and the nut 9 from the sleeve 3A. Therefore, the degree of fitting between the inner race 41 of the center bearing 4A and the machined surface of the sleeve 3A can be made looser than shown in FIG.
Therefore, when the center bearing 4A is inserted into the machined surface of the sleeve 3A, the operation can be performed by the bare hands of the operator without using a dedicated press machine.
Other configurations and operational effects in the embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3 are the same as those of the first embodiment of FIG.

  It should be noted that the illustrated embodiment is merely an example, and is not a description to limit the technical scope of the present invention.

The fragmentary sectional view which showed the structure of 1st Embodiment of this invention. The fragmentary sectional view which showed the structure of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The principal part enlarged view of FIG. The fragmentary sectional view which showed the support structure of the propeller shaft in a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... 1st propeller shaft 2 ... 2nd propeller shaft 3 ... Sleeve 4 ... Center bearing 5 ... Cushion rubber 6 ... Retainer 7 ... Cross member 8 ... Spacer 9 ... Nut 11, 21 ... Spline shaft 32 ... Protrusion

Claims (6)

  A first spline shaft in the first propeller shaft on the transmission side, a second spline shaft in the second propeller shaft on the final drive side, and a sleeve that is splined to the first spline shaft and the second spline shaft. A propeller shaft support structure, comprising: a center bearing located on the sleeve; a cushion rubber on the outer ring side of the center bearing being fixed to the retainer, and the retainer being attached to the vehicle body side .   2. The propeller shaft support structure according to claim 1, wherein a protrusion for positioning the center bearing is formed on the sleeve, and one end of the center bearing in the axial direction of the propeller shaft is abutted against the positioning protrusion.   The propeller shaft support structure according to claim 2, wherein the center bearing is press-fitted into the sleeve.   The center bearing is inserted into the sleeve, and a male screw is formed on the final drive side of the sleeve, and the male screw of the sleeve is placed on the opposite side of the center bearing from the projection for positioning. The propeller shaft support structure according to claim 2, wherein a screwed nut is disposed, and the center bearing is sandwiched between a positioning projection and the nut.   The propeller shaft support structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the center bearing comprises a seal-integrated bearing.   The propeller shaft support structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the center bearing is formed separately from the seal and is provided with a dust cover.

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