The present invention pertains to a control arm for the wheel suspension of a motor vehicle with an arm body made of at least one sheet metal part and at least one pivotal point located on the arm body for the connection to a fixing point on the vehicle body side, whereby the pivotal point is designed as a circular mounting bushing for an elastic bearing element.
Control arms of this type are also called suspension arms and usually consist of single or double steel sheets connected to one another, whereby the sheet construction can be provided in sections to increase the stiffness with corrugations or edgings. The control arms in this case have pivotal points for fixing wheel-related components as well as, in addition, pivotal points for fixing the control arm on the vehicle body side. These pivotal points are usually designed such that a certain mobility, which is created by means of an elastic bearing, for example, by means of rubber elements, is guaranteed in these points. These rubber elements are mounted on the control arm in circular mounting bushings, which, in the state of the art, are connected to the actual arm body in various ways.
For example, auxiliary housings, which are bolted on or riveted on the control arm as separate components, are known. Other types of construction provide for connecting additional sheet metal shells for mounting rubber elements or corresponding mounting bushings to the arm housings, for example, by means of welding operations.
All of the structural measures described have the drawback that the mounting bushings or bearing components to be connected to the arm housing are manufactured in separate production steps and are then to be connected to the actual arm housing. This means an increased number of production steps and mounting steps and increased production costs connected therewith, whereby, moreover, additional components have negative consequences in relation to warehousing costs.
In addition, possibilities of providing two-sheet arm bodies, which consist of upper and lower parts welded to one another, with two-part mounting bushings, as this is disclosed, for example, in Patent Application WO 02/074562 A2, have become known from the state of the art. The drawback of the structural embodiment shown there lies in an increased inaccuracy of the mounting bushing as a result of the split located in the mounting plane.
Therefore, starting from the existing state of the art, the object of the present invention is to provide a design of a control arm for the wheel suspension of a motor vehicle in relation to its pivotal points, particularly to the vehicle body, so that a simplified, cost-effective production is guaranteed and the control arm is optimized with regard to its weight.
According to the invention, a control arm for the wheel suspension of a motor vehicle is provided with an arm body made of at least one sheet metal part and with at least one pivotal point or region for connection to a fixing point on the vehicle body side. The pivotal point is designed as a circular mounting bushing for an elastic bearing element. This mounting bushing is molded in one piece with the arm body. The mounting bushing comprises a bearing area having a ring-shaped design as well as a mounting strap fixed on the arm body.
This object is accomplished according to the present invention in that the wall of the mounting bushing is molded in one piece with the arm body and consists of a bearing area having a ring-shaped design as well as a mounting strap fixed on the arm body.
Due to this structural design, the additional components of the pivotal points, which were needed up to now for the manufacture of the control arms of this class, are omitted; moreover, the manufacture of the arm body is simplified in that the shaping of the necessary mounting bushing for the elastic bearing element can be performed simultaneously with the transforming of the sheet components used for the arm body.
For the fixing of the mounting strap on the arm body, it has proven to be advantageous if this strap is fixed on the arm body by means of welding, gluing, riveting, bolting, clinching or tox clinching. The types of fixing mentioned represent a cost-effective variant of the processing in relation to the necessary manufacturing procedures.
In addition, it has proven to be expedient to design the bearing area and the mounting strap, such that these essentially have identical width dimensions.
Two exemplary embodiments of the subject of the present invention are explained in detail below based on the attached drawings. The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.
In the drawings:
Referring to the drawings in particular, the arm body 1 of a control arm according to the present invention shown in
The exemplary embodiment shown in
While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2004 011 766.7 | Mar 2004 | DE | national |
This application is a United States National Phase application of International Application PCT/DE2005/000353 and claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of German Patent Application DE 10 2004 011 766.7 filed Mar. 9, 2004, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/DE2005/000353 | 3/1/2005 | WO | 00 | 9/7/2006 |