JPH0674248A - Joint made of composite material - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To impart a joint angle without impairing the lightweight advantage of a power transmission shaft made of FRP and without causing the lowering of the strength thereof. CONSTITUTION:Plural inserts 12 are disposed on a concentric circle with a power transmission shaft 10, and fibers impregnated with resin are continuously wound between the respective inserts 12 and the power transmission shaft 10 to form a flange 13. In the flange 13, the outer peripheral part of each insert 12 and the outer peripheral part of the power transmission shaft 10 are formed into thick wall parts 16, and a part between each insert 12 and the power transmission shaft 10 is formed into a thin wall part 17. A yoke required heretofore from the end part of the power transmission shaft 10 is thereby dispensed with, and a joint angle is imparted by the flexure of the thin wall part 17.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a composite material joint integrally provided at the end of a power transmission shaft made of fiber reinforced plastic.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Propeller shafts for automobiles are one of the power transmission shafts. In recent years, as the demand for weight reduction of automobiles has increased, various attempts have been made to manufacture the propeller shafts from fiber reinforced plastic. By the way, since the propeller shaft is interposed between the transmission and the differential that are installed at different heights, a universal joint capable of forming a predetermined joint angle is required as the joint. There are many types of universal joints such as hook joints (cardan joints), flexible joints, constant velocity joints, etc. However, when the joint angle is not so large (several degrees), a flexible joint is generally used.

FIG. 4 shows one of the above flexible joints.
This shows a disc joint 1 made of fiber reinforced plastic (extracted from the German GKN catalog). In this structure, six bolt insertion holes 2 are arranged on a pitch circle, and the portion having the bolt insertion holes 2 is formed as a thick portion 3 having a relatively large thickness (about 3 mm), and the thick portion is also formed. 3 is formed as a thin portion 4 having a relatively thin wall (about 1 mm). Car disc joint 1
Is bolted on one side to a three-pronged metal yoke (not shown) provided at the end of the propeller shaft using the three bolt insertion holes 2 on every other side, while the other side is bolted to the other three. The bolt insertion hole 2 is used to bolt to a three-pronged metal yoke (not shown) provided on the transmission or differential, and the thin-walled portion 4 is bent so that a predetermined joint angle can be obtained. .

[0004]

However, according to the disc joint 1, since it is necessary to provide metal yokes at both ends of the propeller shaft (power transmission shaft), the main body of the power transmission shaft is made of fiber reinforced plastic. Even if it is manufactured to be lightweight, there is a problem that the weight advantage of the yoke is impaired due to the increased weight of the yoke. Further, since the bolt insertion hole 2 is post-processed by cutting, the fiber is divided, and there is a problem that the strength reduction around the bolt insertion hole 2 cannot be avoided.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to achieve a predetermined joint angle without impairing the lightweight advantage of a power transmission shaft made of fiber reinforced plastic. It is to provide a joint made of a composite material that can be applied and can secure sufficient strength.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is configured to be integrally provided at the end of a power transmission shaft, and has a diameter larger than that of the power transmission shaft and arranged concentrically therewith. A plurality of coupling inserts, and a flange formed by continuously winding resin-impregnated fibers between the insert and the power transmission shaft, wherein the flange includes an outer peripheral portion of the insert and the power transmission. The outer peripheral portion of the shaft is a thick portion formed by laminating fibers in the axial direction, and the portion between the insert and the power transmission shaft is a thin portion formed by laminating fibers in the radial direction. To do.

[0007]

In the composite material joint configured as described above, the weight is reduced because the yoke is removed from the power transmission shaft integrally with the end portion of the power transmission shaft. Moreover, the bending of the thin portion of the flange can ensure a predetermined joint angle, and since the joining insert is used for joining with the mating member, the strength can be surely guaranteed.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2, 10 is a hollow propeller shaft (power transmission shaft) made of fiber reinforced plastic,
Reference numeral 11 is a joint according to the present invention, which is integrally provided at both ends (one side is omitted) of the propeller shaft main body 10. The propeller shaft 10 is made of a resin-impregnated fiber as a raw material and is manufactured by using a filament winding method, a tape winding method, or the like, and as the fiber, glass fiber, carbon fiber, silicon carbide fiber, or the like is used. As the resin, epoxy resin, polyimide resin, unsaturated polyester resin or the like is selected.

The joint 11 has four connecting inserts 12 each having a diameter larger than that of the propeller shaft 10 and arranged concentrically with the propeller shaft 10, and a resin impregnated between the insert 12 and the propeller shaft 10. And a flange 13 made of fiber reinforced plastic formed by continuously winding the thus-prepared fiber. The insert 12 serves as a coupling portion for a transmission or a differential (not shown), and a female screw 12a is formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical shape. The flange 13 is located on the open end side of the propeller shaft 10 and is located near the center of the propeller shaft 10 including the front portion 14 including two inserts 12 facing each other, and the rear portion including two inserts 12 also facing each other. And a side portion 15. These front part 14 and rear part
Each of 15 has an outer peripheral portion of each insert 12 and an outer peripheral portion of the propeller shaft 10 as a thick portion 16,
A portion between each insert 12 and the propeller shaft 10 is a thin portion 17.

In the joint 11 constructed as described above, the propeller shaft is bolted to the transmission or differential yoke (not shown) using the female threads 12a of the four inserts 12.
The 10 can be directly connected to the transmission and the differential, and the assembling work becomes easy.
Further, since the present joint is provided with the thin-walled portions 17 on the left and right portions of each insert 12, it is possible to secure a predetermined joint angle by bending the thin-walled portions. By the way, when the dimension and shape of the thin portion 17 that gives a joint angle up to 4 degrees with an allowable torque of 2000 N · m, one thin portion 17 should be set to a width of 20 mm, a length of 50 mm, and a thickness of 1 mm. I found out. Furthermore, in this joint 11, the yoke, which has been indispensable in the past, can be eliminated from the end of the propeller shaft 10, so the weight of the propeller shaft 10 can be reduced, and in addition, the insert 12 can be used as a transmission or a differential. Since it is used for coupling with, it guarantees the strength as well. In this embodiment, in particular, the thin portions 17 are provided in two rows with a gap in the axial direction, so that the thin portions can be secured to the maximum extent, and the allowable range of deflection is expanded as much as possible.

The procedure for manufacturing the joint 11 will be described below with reference to FIG.

When manufacturing the joint 11, four inserts 12 (hereinafter, I, II, III, IV in the order of arrangement) with respect to the propeller shaft 10 set in a jig (not shown).
And position), and further propeller shaft 10
A guide (not shown) for guiding the resin-impregnated fiber is arranged around the and around each insert 12. Then, two inserts I and III or II and IV facing each other are selected, and a resin-impregnated fiber (hereinafter, simply referred to as a fiber) is inserted between the selected two inserts and the propeller shaft 10. Wrap according to the process of. Note that, here, the case where the inserts II and IV are selected will be described.

In the process, starting from one point (start point) P on the outer circumference of the propeller shaft 10 corresponding to insert III, insert IV and insert
The fiber is wound around the propeller shaft 10 through the inside of I to form the first layer 1A of the thick portion 16, and the winding position is changed in the axial direction inside the insert I, and the fiber is wound outside the insert II. Between insert I and II and insert II
Insert the first layer 1a, 1b of the thin part 17 between
The first layer 1B of the thick portion 16 is formed on the outer periphery of II.
Next, insert the fiber that has been threaded inside Insert III.
Wrap around the outside of IV and insert the first layers 1c and 1d of the thin portion 17 between the inserts III-IV and between the inserts IV-I,
The first layer 1C of the thick portion 16 is formed on the outer periphery of the insert IV. After that, the winding position is returned in the axial direction inside the insert I, and the fiber is wound around the outer circumference of the propeller shaft 10 and returned to the starting point P while forming the first layer 1D of the thick portion 16. When the fibers are returned to the starting point P,
The winding point is changed in the axial direction.

In the process, first, the fiber is applied to the thin portion.
The second layer 2c of the thick portion 16 is formed by stacking and guiding the first layer 1c of the 17 to form the second layer 2c, and then winding the fibers axially on the outer side of the insert IV. And then
The fibers are again overlapped and guided on the first layer 1d of the thin portion 17 to form the second layer 2d. Next, a fiber is passed inside the insert I, which is wound around the insert II by the same procedure as for the insert IV, and the second layers 2a and 2b are overlapped on the first layers 1a and 1b of the thin portion 17, respectively. Then, the second layer 2B is formed by superposing it on the first layer 1B of the thick portion 16 and returning to the starting point P. Then, at the start point P, the winding position of the fiber is changed in the axial direction inside the insert III, and the fiber is wound around the entire circumference of the propeller shaft 10 through the inside of the inserts IV, I, and II, and the thick portion
16 second layers 2A, 2D are formed and returned to the starting point P again.

In the process, the fibers are wound in the same procedure as in the process, and the third layer 3A of the thick portion 16, the third layer 3a of the thin portion 17, the third layer 3B of the thick portion 16 and the thin portion 17 are used. 3rd layer of
b, the third layer 3c of the thin portion 17, the third layer 3C of the thick portion 16, the third layer 3d of the thin portion 17 and the third layer 3D of the thick portion 16 are sequentially formed.

In the step, the fibers are wound in the same procedure as in the step, and the fourth layer 4c of the thin portion 17, the fourth layer 4C of the thick portion 16, the fourth layer 4d of the thin portion 17 and the thin portion 17 4th layer 4
a, the fourth layer 4B of the thick portion 16, the fourth layer 4b of the thin portion 17, the fourth layer 4A of the thick portion 16 and the fourth layer 4D of the thick portion 16 are sequentially formed.

After that, if the inserts I and III are selected, the positions are changed axially, and the same four steps as described above are carried out, the front part 14 or the rear part 15 is formed.
The thin portion 17 is secured for both.

In the above embodiment, an example in which four inserts 12 are used has been described, but the number of inserts 12 is arbitrary, and three or five or more inserts 12 may be used. Further, although a cylindrical body having an internal thread 12a, that is, an internal thread member is used as the insert 12, instead of this, a cylindrical member having only a bolt insertion hole or a bolt-shaped external thread having an external thread A member can be used.

[0020]

As described above in detail, according to the composite material joint according to the present invention, the weight of the power transmission shaft made of fiber reinforced plastic is reduced and a predetermined joint angle is given. Yes, its utility value is great. Further, since the joining insert can be used for joining with the mating member, the strength is surely guaranteed and the reliability is remarkably improved. Further, since the power transmission shaft can be directly connected to the mating member, it greatly contributes to the improvement of the assembling property.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the structure and manufacturing procedure of a composite material joint according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing an external shape of the present composite material joint.

FIG. 3 is a development view showing a manufacturing procedure of the present composite material joint.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the shape of a conventional disc joint.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Propeller shaft (power transmission shaft) 11 Joint 12 Insert 13 Flange 16 Thick part 17 Thin part

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A composite material joint integrally provided at an end of a power transmission shaft made of fiber reinforced plastic, the joint having a diameter larger than that of the power transmission shaft and arranged concentrically therewith. Insert, and a flange formed by continuously winding resin-impregnated fibers between the insert and the power transmission shaft, the flange being the outer peripheral portion of the insert and the outer periphery of the power transmission shaft. The composite material is characterized in that the portion is a thick portion in which fibers are laminated in the axial direction, and the portion between the insert and the power transmission shaft is a thin portion in which fibers are laminated in the radial direction. Made joint.