As shown in
The stabilizer bar 10 includes at least one bushing assembly 20 that is used mount the stabilizer bar 10 to a vehicle structure (not shown), such as a frame or rail member for example. Two bushing assemblies 20 are shown in the example of
The bushing assembly 20 is shown in greater detail in
As shown in
The sleeve 28 and bushing 30 are shown in greater detail in
The sleeve 28 defines an outer surface 50. The bushing 30 is directly mounted to this outer surface 50. The bushing 30 can be a separate piece or can be molded or bonded to the sleeve 28 to form a single piece component. The bushing 30 may or may not include a slit comparable to slit 46 of sleeve 28 depending on a desired attachment configuration between bushing 30 and sleeve 28.
In one example, the sleeve 28 is formed from a plastic material and the bushing 30 is formed from a resilient material, such as rubber for example. By using a plastic sleeve to mount the rubber bushing, beneficial noise reduction is provided because a frictional interface for the bushing is formed between a plastic material and a rubber material instead of between a metal material and a rubber material as in prior art configurations.
The locking mechanism 32 is integrally formed as part of the sleeve 28, such that the locking mechanism 32 and sleeve 28 form a single piece component. In the example shown, the locking mechanism 32 is molded as one piece at the first end 42 of the sleeve 28.
The locking mechanism 32 comprises a slot portion 52 that includes a first plurality of teeth 54, and an extension portion 56 that includes a second plurality of teeth 58. At least one of the slot portion 52 and the extension portion 56 is moved in a direction transverse to the axis 26 such that the extension portion 56 is inserted into the slot portion 52. In the example shown, the slot 52 and extension 56 portions each include a grip surface 60 that is engageable by a user to move at least one of the slot portion 52 and extension portion 56. The grip surface 60 preferably includes a textured surface with ridges to prevent slippage during locking.
During insertion, the first 54 and second 58 pluralities of teeth engage each other in ratcheting manner to lock the sleeve 28 and bushing 30 to the stabilizer bar 10. Further, during locking, the edges 48 move toward each other, reducing the size of the internal bore 40, to securely squeeze and clamp the sleeve 28 around the stabilizer bar 10. This secure attachment provides an anti-walk feature that prohibits relative lateral movement between the bushing 30 and the stabilizer bar 10 along the axis 26.
The unique locking sleeve provides a simple and effective method and apparatus for securing a bushing to a stabilizer bar in a manner that prevents unwanted relative movement between the bushing and stabilizer bar during suspension loading. The locking sleeve also provides an additional benefit of noise reduction by providing a mounting interface for the bushing such that the bushing is not mounted directly to the stabilizer bar. The noise reduction is accomplished without having to subject to the bushing to any type of additional processing to fix the bushing under compression to the stabilizer bar.
Although a preferred embodiment of this invention has been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.