Patent Application
20160312853
The disclosed inventive concept relates generally to a damper hub assembly and a method of forming the same.
Torsional vibration damper may be used to reduce torsional vibrations due to torque exerted on the crankshaft of a vehicle engine.
For instance, publication US2008/0047392A1 discloses a torsional vibration hub assembly with a rubber insert to deliver torsional vibration control.
In one or more embodiments, the present invention provides a damper hub assembly, which includes a hub with a through-aperture defined by an aperture wall and to receive therein a portion of a crankshaft, the aperture wall positioned between face and back surfaces; and an insert contacting the face and back surfaces and the aperture wall.
In another or more embodiments, the present invention provides a method of forming a damper hub assembly, the method including providing an insert, the insert including anterior and posterior portions and a middle portion positioned there-between, the middle portion being of a radial width smaller than that of the anterior or posterior portion, and contacting the anterior, the posterior and the middle portions with a fluid material via injection molding to form a hub supported on the insert.
One or more advantageous features will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of one or more embodiments when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
For a more complete understanding of one or more embodiments of the present invention, reference should now be made to the one or more embodiments illustrated in greater detail in the accompanying drawings and described below by way of examples wherein:
As referenced in the FIG.s, the same reference numerals are used to refer to the same components. In the following description, various operating parameters and components are described for different constructed embodiments. These specific parameters and components are included as examples and are not meant to be limiting. The drawings referenced herein are schematic and associated views thereof are not necessarily drawn to scale.
As is detailed herein elsewhere, the present invention in one or more embodiments is believed to be advantageous in providing a damper hub assembly with relatively simplified structure, reduced weight and enhanced performance stability.
In one or more embodiments, and as illustratively depicted in
Referring back to
In particular, and further in view of
In addition, and due to the configuration that the face portion 130 of the hub 102 is received within the pocket 144 of the insert 104, unwanted movement along a radial direction “R” may also be effectively reduced. Because the face portion 130 may be received within the pocket 144 of the insert 104, an inner diameter “DH” of the through-aperture 122 is smaller in value than an inner diameter “DI” of the insert 104. The diameter DH and the diameter DI may be of any suitable value, with non-limiting examples thereof including 26.0 to 32.0 millimeters (mm) or 26.5 to 31.5 mm for DH and 28.0 to 34 mm or 28.5 to 33.5 mm for DI.
As mentioned herein elsewhere, the insert 104 with the pocket 144 thus configured may be particularly beneficial during formation of the damper hub assembly 100, where the pocket 144 may effectively provide a desirable level of confinement and stationary support for the formation of the hub 102 on and around the insert 104 during an injection molding process.
In certain embodiments, and as illustratively depicted in
As mentioned herein elsewhere,
Referring back to
Referring back to
The anterior section 214 of the insert 104 is depicted in
Referring back to
Referring back to
In certain embodiments and as dependent upon particular projects at hand, the fluid material may be carried out to contact the middle portion 124 prior to contacting the anterior or the posterior portions 114, 134. Of course, in certain other embodiments, the fluid material may contact the posterior portion 134 prior to contacting the anterior portion 114 or the middle portion 124. The order by which various portions of the insert 104 are contacted by the fluid material may be modified as needed.
In certain embodiments, the hub 102 differs in material from the insert 104, or the hub 102 includes a first material and the insert 104 includes a second material different from the first material. This is believed to be beneficial in that the insert 104 may be constructed out of or include the second material that is targeted for strength and torsion resistance, while the hub 102 may be constructed out of or include the first material that is targeted relatively more for its overall weight benefit. As mentioned herein elsewhere, and when the hub 102 is injection molded onto the insert 104, the first material may be an injection moldable material or a precursor, an intermediate or a product thereof, with non-limiting examples thereof including polymers and carbons. Accordingly the second material as included in the insert 104 may be a metallic material such as neat metals and/or metal alloys. In certain instances, a small amount of polymers and/or carbons may also be included in the insert 104 to prime its surface for subsequent injection molding. In this connection, the first and second materials may also differ in their respective melting points.
In one or more embodiments, the present invention as set forth herein is believed to have overcome certain challenges associated with damper hub assemblies. However, one skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion, and from the accompanying drawings and claims that various changes, modifications and variations can be made therein without departing from the true spirit and fair scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
