KR101549918B1 - Suspension arm of vehicle and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A suspension arm of a vehicle and a manufacturing method thereof are disclosed. The suspension arm of a vehicle includes: a rod made of a carbon fiber reinforced plastic fabric; a bushing pipe and a ball joint case separately joined to both ends of the rod to be integrated; a reinforcing member made of unidirectional carbon fiber reinforced plastics to surround the rod, the bushing pipe, and the ball joint case to connect and reinforce them; and an outer skin material made of carbon fiber reinforced plastics to cover the reinforcing member. Therefore, the present invention provides a lightened suspension arm.

Description

[0001] Suspension arm of vehicle and manufacturing method [

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a suspension arm of a vehicle and a method of manufacturing the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a suspension arm of a vehicle such as a lateral arm, which is made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) And a method for producing the same.

BACKGROUND ART [0002] Generally, a suspension of a vehicle is a device for connecting a vehicle body and a wheel. The suspension includes a spring for absorbing vibration or shock transmitted from the road surface to the vehicle body, a shock absorber for controlling the operation of the spring, .

The suspension system of the vehicle is classified into various types according to the way of controlling the operation of the wheels. The suspension system of the multi-link type suspension system is composed of 3 to 5 links (arm) It is possible to optimally adjust the wheel alignment change when the suspension is moved up and down in a state in which the force is applied to the front and rear, and to the left and right according to the arrangement of the links, and the balanced steering characteristics can be ensured.

A conventional lateral arm or a letter link used in the above-described multi-link suspension has been manufactured by the following manufacturing method.

First, the retort rod of the retort arm is manufactured by drawing or casting process, and the ball joint case and bushing pipe are made into press and casting, and welded to the letter rod and both ends

Then, the ball stud, which is the ball joint part, is manufactured by forging and pretreatment, and the bearing is made by the plastic injection method. The cap and ring clip are manufactured by pressing process, dust cover is made by rubber vulcanization process, ball stud and bearing are assembled, and first body arm case part is mounted, cap is covered and assembled by a process called swaging do. The final step is to cover the dust cover and attach it to the ring clip.

However, in the conventional method of manufacturing a lateral arm as described above, since the lateral rod is manufactured through the drawing process using the steel material and then the bushing pipe is welded, due to the characteristics of the steel material, the weight is heavy, , There is a problem that deformation and rigidity are weakened due to welding of the bushing pipe.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and it is possible to meet the trend of lightening the weight of the vehicle by reducing the weight by using carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) material, To provide a suspension of a vehicle and a method of manufacturing the same which can improve durability and impact resistance and improve ride comfort and driving performance of a vehicle. It has its purpose.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a suspension of a vehicle comprising a rod made of a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic fabric, a bushing pipe integrally coupled to both ends of the rod, A reinforcing member made of a unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced plastic material, and a jacket made of a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic fabric that surrounds the reinforcing member.

At both ends of the rod, fitting grooves are formed, and the bushing pipe and the ball joint case can be respectively inserted into the fitting groove.

Wherein the bushing pipe comprises a cylindrical pipe body having axially opposed surfaces open to each other, a reinforcing rib projecting radially outward from an outer circumferential surface located radially outward of the pipe body and continuous in a circumferential direction, And a coupling protrusion protruding radially outward from the reinforcing rib to be fitted and fitted in the fitting groove of the rod.

Wherein the ball joint case includes a cylindrical case body having axially opposed surfaces open to each other, a coupling protrusion protruding radially outward from an outer circumferential surface located radially outward of the case body to be engaged with the cage of the rod, Two protruding jaws formed on the outer circumferential surface of the case body, the protruding jaws being spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the height direction of the case body and continuous in the circumferential direction, and a receiving groove formed between the two protruding jaws, .

The ball joint case may be made of an aluminum material.

The bushing pipe may be made of steel.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a suspension of a vehicle, the method comprising: fabricating a bushing pipe and a ball joint case; fabricating a rod using a carbon fiber reinforced plastic fabric; Forming a reinforcing member by using a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic material woven in one direction, winding the reinforcing member around the outer periphery of the first assembly, Forming the carbon fiber-reinforced plastic fabric film on the mold, setting the carbon fiber-reinforced plastic fabric film and the second assembly on the mold, pressing the carbon fiber-reinforced plastic fabric film on the mold for a predetermined time And applying heat and pressure at a predetermined temperature.

The carbon fiber-reinforced plastic films have a thickness of 0.25 mm or more and can be adhered via an epoxy resin.

The predetermined time may be between 50 minutes and 70 minutes, and the predetermined temperature may be between 160 ° C and 200 ° C.

And assembling the ball stud, the bearing and the dust cover to the ball joint case of the molded suspension arm.

As described above, according to the suspension arm of the vehicle and the method of manufacturing the same according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the carbon fiber reinforced plastic material is used, the overall weight is reduced compared to the case of the conventional steel material, So that it is possible to reduce the weight of the vehicle and to improve the fuel economy.

In addition, it is possible to manufacture Suspension Arm with high strength, high durability and impact resistance by special manufacturing method using carbon fiber reinforced plastic material, and it is possible to improve ride comfort and driving performance .

1 is a perspective view of a lateral arm of a vehicle manufactured by a manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in Fig.
3 is a longitudinal sectional view of Fig.
4 is a perspective view of an assembly in which a unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced plastic material is wound according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a perspective view of a bushing pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a perspective view of a ball joint case according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a flowchart of a manufacturing method of a suspension arm of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 3, a suspension arm, that is, a lateral arm of a vehicle manufactured by a manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a rod-shaped arm body 10 having a longer length than the thickness or diameter .

The arm body 10 may include a rod 102 having a substantially rectangular cross-section formed by using a carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) material as a core.

The rod 102 may, of course, be shaped to have a cross-section other than a rectangular cross-section.

The reinforcing member 104 may be adhered to the outer surface of the rod 102 in a wrapping manner.

The reinforcing member 104 may be formed of a uni-directional CFRP material woven in one direction.

Since the reinforcing member 104 has a woven shape in its longitudinal direction, it can have a high tensile strength characteristic along its length direction.

The outer surface of the reinforcing member 104 may be wrapped with a covering material 106 made of a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) fabric so as to be integrally bonded.

The shell material 106 may be wrapped in a laminated form with a certain pattern.

At both ends of the rod 102, a bushing pipe 20 and a ball joint case 40 may be inserted and coupled.

That is, each end of the rod 102 has a fitting groove, and the bushing pipe 20 and one end of the ball joint case 40 can be inserted into the fitting groove.

4, when the bushing pipe 20 and the ball joint case 40 are fitted to both ends of the rod 102 as described above, the reinforcement member 104 of the unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced plastic material And can be wound in a manner to entirely enclose the rod 102, the bushing pipe 20, and the ball joint case 40.

When the reinforcing member 104 is wound like this, the rigidity of the lateral arm is increased due to the high tensile rigidity of the reinforcing member 104, and the connection between the rod 102 and the bushing pipe 20 and the ball joint case 40 The stiffness can also be increased.

Referring to FIG. 5, the bushing pipe 20 includes a cylindrical pipe body 22 whose axially opposite surfaces are open, and a radially outwardly positioned radially outer side of the pipe body 22 radially outwardly A reinforcing rib (24) protruding and formed in a circumferentially continuous shape; And engaging protrusions 26 protruding radially outward from the reinforcing ribs 24.

The engaging protrusion 26 may be inserted into the fitting groove of the rod 102 to be engaged therewith.

The bushing pipe 20 may be made of steel.

Referring to FIG. 6, the ball joint case 40 includes a cylindrical case body 42 having axially mutually opposed surfaces opened, and a radially outer peripheral surface of the case body 42 in the radial direction And an engaging protrusion 44 protruding outwardly.

The ball stud of the ball joint and the bearing may be inserted and coupled to the case body 42.

The engaging projection 44 may be engaged with the fitting groove of the rod 102 to be engaged.

Two protruding protrusions 46 are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the case body 42 and are continuous in the circumferential direction and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the vertical direction of the case body 42, The reinforcing member 104 can be wound in the receiving groove 48 when the reinforcing member 104 is wound on the outer peripheral surface of the ball joint case 46 .

The ball joint case 40 may be made of aluminum.

Referring to FIG. 7, the method of manufacturing a suspension-type cancer according to the embodiment of the present invention can be performed in the following order.

First, a ball joint case 40 is manufactured using an aluminum material, and a bush pipe is manufactured using a steel material.

A rod 102 is fabricated using a carbon fiber reinforced plastic fabric material.

The manufactured bushing pipe 20 and the ball joint case 40 are coupled to the rod 102 using coupling protrusions to form a first assembly.

The reinforcing member 104 is manufactured using the carbon fiber-reinforced plastic material woven in one direction.

The reinforcing member 104 is wound on the outer circumferential surface of the first assembly, that is, on the outer circumferential surface of the bushing pipe 20, the ball joint case 40, and the rod 102 to form a second assembly.

Carbon fiber reinforced plastic fabric films (sheath materials) are cut to fit the shape of the mold. The carbon fiber-reinforced plastic film can be a film having a thickness of 0.25 mm or more, and an epoxy resin can be adhered between each film to adhere a plurality of films.

And the second assembly is set in a mold and heated and pressed at a temperature of about 160 DEG C to 200 DEG C for about 50 to 70 minutes by a hot press method, The reinforcing member, the bushing pipe, and the ball joint cases are joined to each other while thermally welding the carbon fiber-reinforced plastic fabric films. Finally, the molded suspension arm is removed from the mold by demolding the mold.

The ball stud, the bearing and the dust cover are assembled to the ball joint case of the suspension member formed as described above to complete the suspension arm.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, And all changes to the scope that are deemed to be valid.

10: arm body
20: first bushing pipe
40: Ball joint case
50: Ball joint
102: Load
104: reinforcing member
106: sheath material

Claims (16)

A rod made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic fabric;
A bushing pipe and a ball joint case integrally coupled to both ends of the rod;
A reinforcing member made of a unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced plastic material that is wound around the rod, the bushing pipe, and the ball joint case to connect and reinforce each other; And
And a cover member made of a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic fabric that surrounds the reinforcing member;
Wherein the bushing pipe and the ball joint case are inserted into and engaged with the fitting groove, respectively;
The bushing pipe
A cylindrical pipe body having open surfaces facing each other in the axial direction;
A reinforcing rib projecting radially outward from an outer circumferential surface located radially outward of the pipe body and being continuous in a circumferential direction; And
A coupling protrusion protruding radially outward from the reinforcing rib to be fitted and fitted in the fitting groove of the rod;
And a suspension arm for supporting the suspension arm. delete delete The method according to claim 1,
The ball joint case
A cylindrical case body in which axially facing surfaces are opened;
An engaging protrusion protruding radially outward from an outer circumferential surface located radially outward of the case body and fitted into the cam groove of the rod;
Two protruding jaws formed on an outer circumferential surface of the case body, spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the height direction of the case body and formed continuously in the circumferential direction; And
A receiving groove formed between the two protruding jaws to which the reinforcing member is wound;
Wherein the suspension arm comprises: The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the ball joint case is made of an aluminum material. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the bushing pipe is made of a steel material. Fabricating a bushing pipe and a ball joint case;
Fabricating a rod using a carbon fiber reinforced plastic fabric;
Forming a first assembly by inserting and joining the manufactured bushing pipe and the ball joint case into the rod, respectively,
Fabricating a reinforcing member using a carbon fiber reinforced plastic material woven in one direction;
Forming a second assembly by winding the reinforcing member around the outer periphery of the first assembly;
Aligning the carbon fiber reinforced plastic fabric films to the shape of the mold;
Setting the aluminized carbon fiber-reinforced plastic fabric film and the second assembly in a mold;
Molding by applying heat and pressure at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time by a hot press method;
Wherein the method comprises the steps of: 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the carbon fiber-reinforced plastic films have a thickness of 0.25 mm or more and are bonded via an epoxy resin. 8. The method of claim 7,
The predetermined time is between 50 minutes and 70 minutes,
Wherein the predetermined temperature is between 160 [deg.] And 200 [deg.] C. 8. The method of claim 7,
Assembling the ball stud, bearing and dust cover to the ball joint case of the molded suspension arm. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the fitting groove is formed at both ends of the rod, and the bushing pipe and the ball joint case are fitted into the fitting groove, respectively. 12. The method of claim 11,
The bushing pipe
A cylindrical pipe body having open surfaces facing each other in the axial direction;
A reinforcing rib projecting radially outward from an outer circumferential surface located radially outward of the pipe body and being continuous in a circumferential direction; And
A coupling protrusion protruding radially outward from the reinforcing rib to be fitted and fitted in the fitting groove of the rod;
Wherein the step of assembling the suspension comprises the steps of: 12. The method of claim 11,
The ball joint case
A cylindrical case body in which axially facing surfaces are opened;
An engaging protrusion protruding radially outward from an outer circumferential surface located radially outward of the case body and fitted into the cam groove of the rod;
Two protruding jaws formed on an outer circumferential surface of the case body, spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the height direction of the case body and formed continuously in the circumferential direction; And
A receiving groove formed between the two protruding jaws to which the reinforcing member is wound;
Wherein the step of forming the suspension comprises the steps of: 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the ball joint case is made of an aluminum material. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the bushing pipe is made of a steel material. 16. A suspension of a vehicle manufactured by a manufacturing method according to any one of claims 7 to 15.

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