Patent Application
20110163513
The invention relates to an auxiliary frame, more preferably a rear axle auxiliary frame for motor vehicles with multi-link rear axles.
Such multi-link rear axles in themselves offer optimal possibilities for deliberately influencing the wheel control and the driving characteristics in a wide range of driving situations. Here, the links and also other elements of a vehicle are generally preassembled into a unit on an auxiliary frame, also described as bogie or axle support and these fastened to body regions or the chassis.
However, the rear axles known to date embodied in this way frequently have the disadvantage of very high manufacturing effort and are consequently cost-intensive.
The present invention was based on the object of manufacturing such rear axles, faster, simpler and thus more cost-effectively and to expand the possible applications, which because of the higher quantities involved, in turn results in lower-priced products.
In addition, costs are to be further reduced, accuracy increased and quality improved through the use of advanced and cost-effective casting technologies as well as optimal materials.
According to the invention this is achieved in that an auxiliary frame, more preferably a rear axle auxiliary frame, is equipped in such a manner that it consists of two lateral auxiliary frame parts which are embodied at least approximately in a V-shaped manner in such an arrangement that the vertexes thereof face each other and are joined to each other via a central auxiliary frame part that extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, the lateral auxiliary frame parts and the central auxiliary frame part are configured as hollow profiled members and the lateral auxiliary frame parts comprise at least three of the following receptacles or recesses for
This can be particularly advantageous if the V-shaped lateral auxiliary frame parts comprise a U-shaped cross section with reinforcement ribs running between the legs.
The V-shaped lateral parts in their vertex region can have the foot of a Y moulded on with a cross section corresponding to the central auxiliary frame part, wherein the central auxiliary frame part can be accommodated in the vertex regions or the foot region of the Y. A square hollow profiled member, which can be an extruded profile, can be suitable as profile for the central auxiliary frame part in a particularly advantageous manner.
When using central auxiliary frame parts of different lengths, vehicles with different track width can be equipped with uniform lateral auxiliary frame parts which, because of the quantities employed, substantially favors economical manufacture.
It is furthermore advantageous if the lateral auxiliary frame parts and/or the central auxiliary frame part consist of light metal, wherein Al-alloys are particularly suitable. Here, the lateral auxiliary frame parts can be die-castings and the central auxiliary frame part, as already mentioned, an extruded profile. Such parts can be connected with each other also in a relatively simple manner through welding.
The recesses for the fastening of the auxiliary frame to the body or for passing-through of fastening elements in this case are each practically provided at the end of the legs of the lateral auxiliary frame parts.
A further inventive idea relates to a particular embodiment of a longitudinal link which can be used both in connection with an auxiliary frame of the kind described as well as with rear axles embodied in a different manner. Said longitudinal link is characterized in that said longitudinal link in its region between an articulation point on the auxiliary frame and its wheel support region moulded onto its other end as one piece is a hollow profiled member. Here, the hollow profiled member can be a closed profile for example a round profile, which preferentially consists of light metal, for example of an Al-alloy.
It is particularly advantageous with regard to the achievement of great stiffness if the longitudinal link in its region between fastening point on the auxiliary frame and its wheel support region additionally contains a hollow body, while it can be advantageous with regard to the achievement of light-weight construction, if the longitudinal link is an Al-chill casting, in which the additional hollow body is cast-in.
The invention is explained in more detail by means of the
Here,
The auxiliary frame 1, with view of
At the ends of the V-shaped legs the fastening points or the receptacles for the passing-through of fastening means for the articulation of the auxiliary frame to the body or the chassis of the vehicle are provided, specifically the left lateral auxiliary frame part A has a fastening point 12, a rear fastening point 13 and the right lateral auxiliary frame part B a front fastening point 14 and a rear fastening point 15. In addition, the auxiliary frame has receptacle points for the fastening of parts of the rear axle which for the sake of simplification are provided with the same reference symbols each for the right and the left lateral part and in part are also shown only once, since it practically concerns mirror-image arrangements.
The longitudinal link 17 is articulated on the fastening point 16, the top and bottom transverse links 18, 19 are articulated on the fastening points 20, 21.
For the stabilizer 22, as is more preferably evident in connection with
As is more preferably evident in connection with
By varying the length of the central auxiliary frame part C rear axles with different track width can be created in a particularly economical manner.
To realize an economical rear axle more preferably, however not exclusively, in connection with the present invention a longitudinal link 17 according to
The longitudinal link 17 with its wheel support region 31 moulded on as one piece can be manufactured in a particularly favorable manner as an aluminum chill casting, which, in its region 17a located between the fastenings points 30 and 34, contains an aluminum tube that is cast in. As a result, the corresponding longitudinal link is embodied as hollow profiled member for great stiffness with low mass and low costs at the same time.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2005 043 764.8 | Sep 2005 | DE | national |
This application is a divisional of and Applicants claim priority under 35 U.S.C. §§120 and 121 on U.S. application Ser. No. 10/990,312 filed on Feb. 11, 2008, which application is a national stage application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of PCT Application No. PCT/DE2006/001581 filed Sep. 8, 2006 which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 from German Patent Application No. 10 2005 043 764.8 filed Sep. 13, 2005, the disclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 11990312 | Feb 2008 | US |
| Child | 12932899 | US |
