Patent Application
20090260931
The field to which the disclosure generally relates includes products and methods used to help dampen vibrations in components, and includes filler materials that are used with components to help dampen vibrations in the components.
Certain components are subjected to various vibrations or other oscillations when in operation. Such vibrations could have undesirable effects such as, among other things, generating noise, having increasing frequency amplitude, or having a prolonged period of vibration modes. Filler materials may be used with the components to help dampen or otherwise dissipate the vibrations.
One exemplary embodiment may include a product which may include a component that carries a filler material. The filler material may convert from a solid state and into a molten state when it is heated. Relative movement between the component and the filler material may help dampen vibrations in the component when the component is vibrated.
Another exemplary embodiment may include a method of making a product. The method may include providing a component that carries a filler material that may be in a solid state when the component is not in operation for a period of time. The method may also include melting the filler material to a molten state when the component is in operation to thus help dampen vibrations and other oscillations in the component if and when the component is vibrated or otherwise oscillated.
Another exemplary embodiment may include a product which may include a brake rotor having a hub portion and a cheek portion that extends from the hub portion. The cheek portion may carry a filler material that converts from a solid state and into a molten state from heat that is generated by the brake rotor when the brake rotor is in operation.
Other exemplary embodiments of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while disclosing exemplary embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The following description of the embodiment(s) is merely exemplary (illustrative) in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
The figures illustrate a component, such as an automotive component, that uses a filler material 10 to help dampen or otherwise dissipate vibrations or other oscillations in the component. This may help suppress, or reduce the intensity of, sound and noise that is emitted by the component when the component is vibrated at certain frequencies. The automotive component may be any component in an automobile that may be subjected to vibrations such as a brake rotor 12, an electrical motor, a transmission housing, an exhaust manifold, a cylinder head, brackets, or the like. Other components may include non-automotive applications including, but not limited to, sporting equipment, housing appliances, manufacturing equipment such as lathes, milling/grinding/drilling machines, or other components subjected to vibrations. Some of these components may be manufactured by a variety of processes including casting, machining, injection molding, or any other suitable process. In the examples shown, the brake rotor 12 may be subjected to vibrations when a pair of pads (not shown) is forced against the brake rotor by a caliper in order to generate friction that slows or eventually stops the associated automobile. The filler material 10 may also be used in drum brakes, for example, by providing the filler material in a drum brake housing.
Referring to
The filler material 10 may be carried by a component, such as the brake rotor 12, to help dampen vibrations and other oscillations in the component when the component is vibrated or otherwise oscillated. In other words, the filler material 10 may help dissipate vibrations, oscillations, and other associated effects in the component through energy absorption. For example, the filler material 10 may help suppress, or reduce the intensity of, sound and noise at certain frequencies. When the component is vibrated, relative movement and other contact at an interface formed between an inner surface located within the component and the filler material 10 absorbs energy, such as vibrations, to consequently dampen the vibrations. The filler material 10 may include a material that converts and changes from a solid state, or phase, and into a molten state, or phase, (e.g. semi-solid liquid, highly viscous liquid) when the material is melted by the generation or application of heat. The heat may be generated by operating the particular component. For example, in the case of the brake rotor 12, the heat may be generated from the braking operation when the pads are forced against the respective first and second cheek faces 22 and 24. In other embodiments, the heat may be produced by heating elements that are located adjacent the filler material 10 within the particular component.
In one example, the filler material 10 may include gallium. In some cases, gallium may convert from its solid state and into its molten state at a temperature that is slightly above room temperature, for example 30° C. (melting temperature). This temperature may be achieved in a particular component by the above-mentioned heating elements or when the component is being operated. For example, the heat generated in the brake rotor 12 and in the cheek portion 16 during the braking operation may be above room temperature and thus would convert the gallium from its solid state into its molten state. In some cases, the gallium may expand (e.g., 3.1%) when it converts from its molten state and into its solid state over a period of time such as when the brake rotor 12 is no longer operated, and thus adequate space may be needed where the gallium is carried in the particular component in order to accommodate for such expansion.
Referring to
In another example, the filler material 10 may include a wax such as, but not limited to, a paraffin wax. Depending on the exact composition, the wax or paraffin wax may convert from its solid state and into its molten state at a temperature between about 47° C. to about 64° C. (melting temperature). These temperatures can be achieved by the above-mentioned heating elements or when the component is being operated. For example, the heat generated from the braking operation to the brake rotor 12 and to the cheek portion 16 may be above these temperatures. In some cases, the wax or paraffin wax may expand when converting from the solid state into the molten state, and thus adequate space may be needed where the paraffin wax is being carried in the particular component in order to accommodate for such expansion.
Referring to
Other example methods that may be used to form the chamber 26 are not necessarily shown. For example, a sacrificial insert may be used. The sacrificial insert would be shaped and sized according to the desired shape and size of the particular chamber 26, and would be composed of a material that could withstand (i.e., not melt at) the temperature of the molten component material of the particular component during casting. The sacrificial insert would be positioned in a die of a cast molding machine in order to create the chamber 26 in a desired position in the particular component. After the molten component material is poured, the sacrificial insert may be removed, for example, by etching or machining, and thus leaving the chamber 26.
In all the above methods, the chamber 26 may define an enclosed space that is completely confined by and bounded by the particular component. The chamber 26 may have various shapes, sizes, and numbers other than those shown in order to accommodate different components. For example, several separate chambers may be defined at separate locations in a component in order to dampen vibrations at those locations.
A body 52 may form the outer structure of the insert 50 and may encase the filler material 10. In the example shown, the body 52 may completely enclose the filler material 10. In select exemplary embodiments, the body 52 may include various materials including cast iron, gray cast iron, aluminum, magnesium, steel, stainless steel, and any other variety of other alloys or metal matrix composites. The body 52 may define a cavity 54 having an inner surface 56 to hold the filler material 10 therein. The cavity 54 may extend from a first end 58, which defines a first opening 60, to a second end 62, which defines a second opening (not shown). The first and second openings may be closed to seal the filler material 10 within the cavity 54 by various techniques including stamping, plugging, welding, or the like.
The example method may be used to manufacture the insert 50 and subsequently insert it into the brake rotor 12. The method may comprise several steps including a step 64 where the body 52 may be provided as an elongated hollow body that may be formed by casting, machining, or the like. In a step 66, the body 52 and the cavity 54 may be filled with the filler material 10, and the first and second openings may be closed. Here, the body 52 may be completely or partially filled with a filler material 10. In a step 68, the body 52 may be bent into a desired shape such as the open ring-shape shown here; in some embodiments, this step may not be needed. Skilled artisans will know suitable bending processes such as the roll-type bending process. In a step 70, the body 52 may be at least partially flattened so that the body will fit within the particular component. Here, the body 52 may be flattened to have an oval shape in cross-sectional profile so that the insert 50 can fit in the cheek portion 16 of the brake rotor 12; in some embodiments, this step may not be needed. Skilled artisans will know suitable flattening processes including a stamping process, a pressing process, and the like. In a step 72, the insert 50 is inserted into the particular component. Here, the insert 50 may be cast-in-place to be completely within and completely bounded by the cheek portion 16 of the brake rotor 12. Such cast-in-place processes may be performed by using locating pins, clamps, magnets, and the like to suspend and position the insert 50 within the cheek portion 16. The body 52 may also be fixed to the component by welding, by adhesive, or by injection molding. Alternatively, the body 52 with the filler material 10 may be placed in a component in a manner that allows the body to move so that the movement of the body against the component also helps dampen the component.
The above description of embodiments of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations thereof are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.
