JPH02286410A - Suspension device with a combination of spring and frp arm - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate the existing suspension spring to simplify the construction of a suspension device by extending left and right FRP arms slant in the front and rear directions, positioning to position them in V-shape or reverse V-shape as viewed from the top, and providing a hub carrier to the free end of the arms. CONSTITUTION:A cantilever type combination of spring and FRP arm 10 made of FRP is furnished in a Macpherson strut type suspension device 4 provided between each wheel 3 and a vehicle body 1. The right and left FRP arms 10 are extended slant in the front and rear directions of the vehicle body to position them in V-shape or reverse V-shape as viewed from the top. The base part 12 of each arm 10 is fixed to a vehicle side member 14, positioned at the rear of the wheel 3 travelling in straight forward direction, by means of a metal bracket 13, and the other end 20 is fixed to a hub carrier 27 by means of an end member 21 through a ball joint 26. Thus, the FRP arm 10 can be used as both a suspension spring and hub carrier supporting arm, and the existing suspension spring can be eliminated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a suspension system equipped with an FRP arm that also serves as a spring and is suitable for a front suspension of a vehicle such as an automobile.

C. Prior Art] Vehicle front suspensions, typically of the MacPherson strut or double wishbone type, support a hub carrier in a vertically movable manner using an arm with a link structure, and a suspension spring provided separately from the arm. supports the hub carrier and arm elastically. However, recently, the FF system of automobiles (
With the desire for cars with front engines and front wheel drive, four-wheel drive, and cars with low front noses, it has become difficult to secure enough space to install suspension springs around the bottom of the engine room. It's coming.

As a measure to eliminate such suspension springs, it has been considered to make the arm itself into a plate spring shape made of spring steel so that the arm itself can be elastically bent in the vertical direction. However, steel is ff1ffi
Not only is it large, but also Young's modulus is large and the resulting deflection is small, so special consideration is required to ensure the stroke necessary for the wheel to move up and down. It was practically difficult to make it into an arm.

In addition, as in the prior art shown in Patent Application Publication No. 58-501 (I21i Publication), an F
A suspension has also been proposed in which ball joints for supporting the hub carrier are provided at both ends of an arm made of RP (fiber reinforced plastic), and the hub carrier is swingably supported via these left and right ball joints.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the above-mentioned prior art, a long FRP arm extending between a pair of left and right wheels is used, and since this arm crosses under the engine compartment, the layout of the car etc. is subject to significant constraints when designing. In addition, regardless of whether the arm is made of FRP or steel, the conventional cantilever arm that also serves as a spring is a so-called horizontal leaf spring that extends in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the vehicle body (on both the left and right sides of the vehicle body). , the fixed end of the arm is just below the engine compartment.

For this reason, not only is there a big restriction in designing the layout of the engine room, etc., but also a subframe is required to fix the fixed end of the arm to the vehicle body. Further, depending on the shape of the engine room, it is impossible to use the above-mentioned arm.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to utilize the characteristics of an FRP arm that is lightweight and has a large amount of deflection, to have a simple and compact structure, and to create a structure that does not require special measures for the layout of the engine room, etc. The aim is to develop a suspension system equipped with an FRP arm that also serves as a spring, which can be attached to the vehicle body.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention, which was developed to achieve the above object, has a pair of left and right cantilevers that are provided independently from each other on the left and right sides of a vehicle body and can elastically bend in the vertical direction. Beam-shaped spring-use FRP
A suspension system including an arm, each fixed end of the FRP arm being fixed to the vehicle body side by a fixing means,
A hub carrier for holding a wheel is swingably provided on the free end side of the FRP arm via a ball joint, and the free end side of the FRP arm is moved in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body with respect to the fixed end. By extending diagonally, the left and right FRP arms are arranged in a convex shape or an inverted V shape in plan view to avoid interference with the wheels.

[Function] In the suspension system having the above configuration, the FRP arm that also serves as a spring functions as a structural member for supporting the hub carrier, and also functions as a suspension spring. In other words, the load of the vehicle body is supported by each FRP arm, and the left and right FRP arms elastically bend independently in response to human force in the vertical direction due to unevenness of the road surface while driving, so that the impact is not affected. Absorbed. This FRP arm is placed diagonally in a convex shape or an inverted V shape in plan view to avoid interference with the steered wheels, and the wheels (tires) are held on the free end side of the arm via a hub carrier. , extends diagonally backward from the fixed end side of the arm and is fixed to the vehicle body.

FRP arms have much greater flexibility than steel, making it possible to create a cantilevered arm structure that doubles as a suspension spring.

[Example] An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 7.
This will be explained with reference to the figures.

As conceptually shown in FIG. 1, there is an engine compartment 2 in the front of a vehicle body 1 of an automobile, and a pair of front wheels 3.3 serving as steering wheels are located on both left and right sides of the engine compartment 2. The wheels 3, 3 are steered left and right by a well-known steering linkage (not shown), and can turn left and right along an arcuate trajectory as shown by the two-dot chain line.

Between each wheel 3.3 and the vehicle body 1 there is provided a MacPherson strut type suspension 4 as shown in FIG. Each suspension device 4 includes a cantilever FRP arm 10 that also serves as a suspension spring. This FRP
The arm 10 is formed into an arched band shape that is slightly upwardly convex in a free state using a matrix resin and continuous reinforcing fibers mainly along the longitudinal direction, similar to a known FRP spring plate. There is.

As shown in Figure 1, left and right FRP arms 10.1
0 extend diagonally in the front and rear direction of the vehicle body 1,
In order to avoid interference with the wheels 3.3, they are arranged in a convex shape or an inverted V-shaped opening in plan view. Each FR
The base end side, that is, the fixed end 12 of the P arm 10 is rigidly fixed to a vehicle body side member 14 rearward in the direction of travel of the vehicle with respect to the wheels 3.degree. 3 by a metal bracket 13 as an example of a fixing means.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the flat box-shaped bracket 13 has an opening 15 at one end (the side into which the arm 10 is inserted). Moreover, this bracket 13 is formed in a tapered shape that widens toward the back such that the width W1 on the opening 15 side is narrower than the width W2 on the back side when viewed from above. For flange-like installation, the base 16 is connected to an appropriate fastening part 1 such as a bolt or rivet.
7, it is rigidly fixed to a member 14 on the vehicle body side.

Inside the bracket 13, a thermoplastic elastic body 18 made of a thermoplastic polymer material is adhered to the entire outer circumference of the FRP arm 10. Further, a rubber-like elastic body 19 is loaded so as to fill the gap between the end face of the arm 10 and the bracket 13 and between the thermoplastic elastic body 18 and the bracket 13 located on both sides of the arm 10. ing.

The rubber-like elastic body 19 is made of a polymeric material having rubber-like elasticity, such as urethane elastomer, and the arm 10
The end face of the bracket 13 and the thermoplastic elastic body 18 are all fixed to each other with an adhesive.

Therefore, the fixed end 12 side of the arm 10 swings within a certain angle range θ0 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body using the artificial corner C of the opening 15 of the bracket 13 as a fulcrum, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. can do.

The thermoplastic elastic body 18 and the rubber-like elastic body 19 prevent the fixed end 12 of the FRP arm 10 from being worn out, and also serve to equalize the tightening surface pressure applied to the fixed end 12. Therefore, the thermoplastic elastic body 18 and the rubber-like elastic body 19 are connected to the arm 1.
For example, elastomer reinforced with fibers is used so that it has a hardness of 0 or less and has appropriate elasticity and flexibility so that it will not "sag" even when subjected to repeated loads. good.

An end member 21 is attached to the other end of the arm 10, that is, to the free end 20 side.
is attached. This end member 21 is constructed as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

The housing 22, which forms the main part of the end member 21, is made by bending a thick metal plate into the following shape. That is, the housing 22 includes a first support wall 23 that is bent into a substantially rectangular shape in a side view (T15 view). First support wall 23
The tip side is a ball joint mounting part 24,
This joint attachment portion 24 is inclined upward by an angle θ1 with respect to the arm attachment portion 25. Joint mounting part 24
A ball joint 26 is fixed to the hub carrier 27, and a hub carrier 27 is swingably supported by the ball joint 26. Hub carrier 27, axle and strut damper 28
is provided. Therefore, the load point is located near the center of the ball joint 26.

The first support wall 23 is superimposed on the lower surface side of the arm 10 in the drawing through a sheet-like liner 30 made of a rubber-like elastic body. The liner 30 is fixed to the arm 10 and the first support wall 23 by adhesive.

A pair of side walls 31 rising up on both left and right sides of the first support wall 23.
32 faces the side surface of the arm 10. Second support walls 33.34 continuous to the upper ends of these side walls 31.32 are bent inward so as to face each other. Note that the second support walls 33 and 34 may have a box shape in which they are connected to each other. The side walls 31, 32 are shown in a side view (
In FIG. 5), it is tapered at an angle θ2 such that the height h2 at the other end is lower than the height hl at one end (right side in the figure). Therefore, the height of the second support wall 33, 34 also gradually decreases from the right side to the left side in the figure.

A metal seat plate 41 made of steel or the like is attached to the upper surface side of the arm 10 in the drawing through a sheet-like liner 40 made of a rubber-like elastic body.
is polymerized. The liner 40 includes the arm 10 and the seat plate 41
and is fixed by adhesive. Liners 30 and 40 are
This is useful for preventing wear of the arm 10 and for equalizing the tightening surface pressure applied to the arm 10. Therefore, the liner 30° 40 has a hardness lower than that of the arm 10, has appropriate elasticity and flexibility, and is made of, for example, elastomer fiber so that it will not "sag" even when subjected to repeated loads. It would be better to use something that has been strengthened.

Seat plate 41 and second support! 33 and 34, the wedge spring 42 is made of a strong material with spring elasticity, such as heat-treated steel, and is U-shaped or V-shaped in side view.
It is bent into a slightly open shape. (rust spring 42
The width Wo is set to be slightly narrower than the distance between the side walls 31 and 32.

The opening angle θ3 of the wedge spring 42 in its free state is greater than the taper angle θ2 of the side wall 31.32. The wedge spring 42 is driven between the second support walls 33, 34 and the seat plate 41 from the right side in the figure.

The caulking portion 51.52, which is used as a detent means 50 for fixing the wedge spring 42, recesses a portion of the side wall 31.32 inwardly after the wedge spring 42 has been driven into said predetermined position. This caulking part 51.52
This prevents the wedge spring 42 from moving in the direction of removal.

Furthermore, the vicinity of the plate end of 20 examples of the free end of arm lO and the seat plate 41
A hole 55 is provided in each of the first support wall 23 and the first support wall 23 in the thickness direction. A bolt 56 is inserted into this hole 55, and by screwing in and tightening a nut 57,
Near the plate end of the arm 10, the first support wall 23 and the liner 3
0, 40, seat plate 41, etc. are restrained from each other in the thickness direction.

According to the fixing structure of the end member 21 configured as described above, the FRP arm 10 and the housing 22 are firmly fixed to each other by the wedge spring 42, and the liner 30.
Since the arm 10 and the end member 21 function as a buffer, relative movement such as rubbing against each other in the longitudinal direction does not occur. Therefore, problems such as the reinforcing fibers of the arm 10 being cut due to friction do not occur.

As shown in FIG. 7, the arm 10 of this embodiment is formed with an upward angle θ4 on the free end 20 side. By providing such an elevation angle θ4 and also providing the housing 22 with the elevation angle θ1,
When a standard load is applied to the arm 10 and its deflection is in a neutral state, the axis of the ball joint 26 can be arranged near the neutral point of the swing angle of the ball joint 26. However, depending on the case, an arm 10 having a shape as shown in FIG. 8 may be adopted.

Further, by forming a tapered leaf shape in which the plate thickness gradually decreases from the fixed end 12 toward the free end 20, a predetermined spring constant may be obtained in a shorter span. However, FRP arms having the same width and thickness in the longitudinal direction may be adopted.

! f! A modification of the FRP arm 10 is shown in FIG. This arm 10 has a tapered cross section in which the thickness t1 of a portion 10a on the front edge side facing the front side in the direction of travel of the vehicle is larger than the thickness t2 of the portion 10b on the rear edge side.
The strength of the portion 10a on the leading edge side is increased. By doing so, it is possible to improve the impact resistance when a stone or an obstacle thrown up from the road surface touches the front edge of the arm 10. A portion of the arm 10 on the free end 20 side is formed into a flat shape with substantially the same thickness t3 in order to fix the housing 22.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 1O, the portion 10 on the leading edge side
The strength of the portion 10a on the front edge side may be increased by making the section a have a swollen cross-sectional shape with a rounded outer diameter. A portion of the arm 10 on the free end 20 side is formed into a flat shape with substantially the same thickness t3 in order to fix the housing 22.

Furthermore, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, by adopting the FRP arm 1-0 which is curved in an arc shape in plan view, interference between the wheel 3.3 and the arm 10.10 can be easily avoided. You may. In this case as well, the pair of left and right arms 10.10 are disposed diagonally in a generally convex shape or an inverted V shape. Note that the FRP that also serves as a cantilever suspension spring in the present invention
The arm is also applicable to a double wishbone type arm.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, the FRP arms provided independently for each of the left and right wheels serve both as a suspension spring and a hub carrier support arm, which is different from those used in conventional suspension systems. It becomes possible to eliminate the additional suspension springs, and the suspension system can be made more compact, its structure simpler, and lighter.

Further, since the fixed end of the FRP arm that also serves as a spring according to the present invention can be fixed to a member on the vehicle body side at the rear of the engine room, etc., it can be mounted on the vehicle body without being restricted by the layout of the engine room.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 7 show an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a part of a vehicle equipped with an FRP arm that also serves as a spring, FIG. 2 is a front view of a suspension system, and FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing a partial cross section near the fixed end of the arm in the suspension system;
The figure is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Figure 2, Figure 5 is a front view of the part showing ball joint installation, Figure 6 is a plan view of the part showing ball joint installation, and Figure 7 is a FRP arm. 8 is a front view showing a modification of the FRP arm,
FIGS. 9 and 10 are perspective views showing partially sectional views of other modified examples of the FRP arm, and FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view of a portion of a vehicle showing another embodiment of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Vehicle body, 2... Engine room, 3... Wheels, 4... Suspension system, 10... FRP arm that also serves as a spring, 12... Fixed end of spring, 14... Vehicle body side parts of,
20...Free end of the spring. Applicant's agent: Takehiko Suzue, patent attorney 3゜Relationship with the case of the person making the amendment

Claims (1)

[Claims] A suspension system equipped with a pair of left and right cantilever-shaped spring-duty FRP arms that are provided independently on the left and right sides of a vehicle body and can be elastically bent in the vertical direction, and the above-mentioned FR
Each fixed end of the P arm is fixed to the vehicle body side by a fixing means, and a hub carrier for holding a wheel is provided on the free end side of the FRP arm so as to be swingable via a ball joint. By extending the free end side of the arm diagonally in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body with respect to the fixed end, the left and right FRP arms are arranged in a V-shape or inverted V-shape in plan view to avoid interference with the wheels. A suspension system equipped with an FRP arm that also serves as a spring.