Off-road vehicle composite material trailing arm and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the field of automobile technology, and specifically, is a composite material trailing arm for an off-road vehicle and a method for making the same. The trailing arm includes a support frame layer; the outer side of the support frame layer is covered with a film layer and a carbon fiber material layer. The support frame is composed of balsa wood material, aluminum material and strong glue. While ensuring good mechanical properties, the present invention effectively reduces the mass of the trailing arm, and has good impact resistance, is not easy to break, and still has a high safety factor under harsh driving conditions, thereby ensuring the safety of the driver. In addition, the present invention provides a new structural connection form for this structure, in which the aluminum material is partially embedded in the carbon fiber material layer, and partially processed into a mounting hole, thereby eliminating the welding error of the traditional trailing arm structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of automobiles, and in particular is an off-road vehicle composite material trailing arm and a manufacturing method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Nowadays, people have higher and higher requirements for the performance of off-road vehicles, and the size of the unsprung mass of off-road vehicles is an important measure of off-road vehicle performance. Among them, the weight reduction of trailing arms has become the goal of many off-road vehicles. At present, off-road vehicles generally use steel pipe welded trailing arms and steel plate stamped trailing arms, which have the problems of excessive mass and low strength. In addition, these two types of trailing arms require different degrees of welding technology, resulting in different degrees of welding errors. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present invention provides an off-road vehicle composite material trailing arm and a manufacturing method thereof. The composite material adopted by the trailing arm includes carbon fiber cloth, balsa wood material and aluminum material. While ensuring good mechanical properties, the mass of the trailing arm is effectively reduced, thereby solving the problem of excessive mass of the existing off-road vehicle trailing arm. In addition, the connection form of the present invention avoids errors caused by welding.

[0004] The technical solution of the present invention is described as follows in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0005] A composite trailing arm for an off-road vehicle, the trailing arm 6 comprising a supporting frame layer; a layer of adhesive film is laid on the outer side of the supporting frame layer; and a carbon fiber material layer 2 is laid on the outer side of the adhesive film layer.

[0006] The carbon fiber material layer 2 is made of interwoven carbon fiber cloth with 45-degree interlaced plies, and the number of layers of the carbon fiber material layer 2 is 6-20.

[0007] The connecting part of the trailing arm 6 with the wheel side assembly 8, the connecting part with the shock absorber lower ear piece 9 of the shock absorber 5, the connecting part with the front point ear piece of the trailing arm, and the upper and lower corner parts of the trailing arm use aluminum material 4 as the core material; the remaining parts use balsa wood material 1 as the core material to build a supporting frame of the trailing arm; the aluminum material 4 and the balsa wood material 1 are connected by super glue 3.

[0008] The trailing arm 6 is connected to the rod end bearing and the front point 7 of the trailing arm through a first connecting member; the first connecting member is a square shell-shaped aluminum structure 10; the square shell-shaped aluminum structure 10 includes a top plate 11-1, a bottom plate 11-2, a side plate 12 and a back plate; a bolt hole with a diameter of 12 mm is opened on the side plate 12; the top plate 11-1, the bottom plate 11-2 and the back plate are pre-embedded in the carbon fiber material layer 2 as core materials.

[0009] The connection portion between the trailing arm 6 and the wheel assembly 8 is provided with a hole with a diameter of 80 mm for passing the transmission shaft and three bolt holes with a diameter of 10 mm for connecting the wheel assembly.

[0010] The trailing arm 6 and the lower ear piece 9 of the shock absorber are connected by a second connecting piece; the second connecting piece is a U-shaped aluminum structure 13; the U-shaped aluminum structure 13 is composed of a rectangular plate 15 located in the middle and ear shafts 14 extending from both ends of the rectangular plate 15; the ear shaft 14 is provided with two bolt holes with a diameter of 10 mm; the rectangular plate 15 is pre-embedded in the carbon fiber material layer 2 as a core material.

[0011] A method for manufacturing an off-road vehicle composite trailing arm, the method comprising the following steps:

[0012] Step 1: Build the core material;

[0013] Step 2: Lay the carbon cloth;

[0014] Step 3: Vacuuming;

[0015] Step 4: thermoforming;

[0016] Step 5: Take out of the oven;

[0017] Step 6: Cut off the scraps and punch holes on the trailing arm 6 after it is taken out of the furnace.

[0018] The specific method of step one is as follows:

[0019] 11) Design the core material drawing; for balsa wood material 1, directly cut the required shape by hand according to the drawing; for aluminum material 4, directly mill or wire cut the required shape according to the drawing;

[0020] 12) The core material processed in step 11 is constructed into the shape of a support frame according to the design requirements, and the core materials of each part are bonded with super glue 3 and solidified until the bonding is firm;

[0021] The specific method of step 2 is as follows:

[0022] Lay a film layer on the built support frame, and lay the cut carbon fiber interwoven fabrics at different positions outside the film layer in the form of 45-degree interwoven layers between two adjacent fabrics;

[0023] The specific method of step three is as follows:

[0024] Wrap the towing arm 6 covered with carbon fiber cloth with non-woven cloth and breathable felt in turn; the non-woven cloth is used to separate the felt cloth from the carbon fiber cloth; put the wrapped towing arm 6 into a vacuum bag made of snake glue and plastic cloth; leave a hose connected to the valve at the bonding part of the vacuum bag, and then use a vacuum pump to evacuate the bag to maintain the air pressure value of 99mpa;

[0025] The specific method of step 4 is as follows:

[0026] Put the towing arm 6 into the oven, set the oven temperature to 80 degrees, preheat for 30 minutes, then set the oven temperature to 120 degrees, and heat for 90 minutes after reaching the temperature;

[0027] The specific method of step five is as follows:

[0028] After the trailing arm 6 is cooled, it is taken out of the furnace, the vacuum bag, the air-permeable felt and the non-woven fabric are removed, and the surface is cleaned.

[0029] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0030] 1) The composite material used in the present invention includes carbon fiber cloth, balsa wood material and aluminum material, which effectively reduces the mass of the trailing arm while ensuring good mechanical properties.

[0031] 2) The present invention has good impact resistance and is not easy to break or shatter. Under harsh driving conditions, it still has a high safety factor to ensure the safety of the driver.

[0032] 3) The new structural connection form adopted by the present invention can effectively avoid welding errors while ensuring the connection strength. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 It is a schematic cross-sectional view between the layers of the composite material trailing arm;

[0034] Figure 2 This is a structural model diagram of a composite material trailing arm;

[0035] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the installation of the composite material trailing arm, the shock absorber, the fisheye bearing and the front ear of the trailing arm;

[0036] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the installation of the composite trailing arm, wheel rim assembly and shock absorber lower ear.

[0037] Figure 5a A reference diagram of the use state of the first connecting member;

[0038] Figure 5b is a structural schematic diagram of a first connecting member;

[0039] Figure 6a A reference diagram of the second connecting member in use state;

[0040] Figure 6b It is a schematic structural diagram of the second connecting member.

[0041] In the figure: 1. light wood material; 2. carbon fiber cloth; 3. super glue; 4. aluminum material; 5. shock absorber; 6. trailing arm; 7. rod end bearing and front point ear of trailing arm; 8. wheel side assembly; 9. lower ear of shock absorber; 10. square shell-shaped aluminum structure; 11-1. top plate; 11-2. bottom plate; 12. side plate; 13. U-shaped aluminum structure; 14. ear shaft; 15. rectangular plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] See also Figure 1 , Figure 2 A composite trailing arm for an off-road vehicle, the trailing arm 6 comprises a supporting frame layer; a layer of adhesive film is laid on the outer side of the supporting frame layer; a carbon fiber material layer 2 is laid on the outer side of the adhesive film layer.

[0043] The carbon fiber material layer 2 is made of interwoven carbon fiber cloth with 45-degree interlaced plies, and the number of layers of the carbon fiber material layer 2 is 6-20.

[0044] The connecting part of the trailing arm 6 with the wheel side assembly 8, the connecting part with the shock absorber lower ear piece 9 of the shock absorber 5, the connecting part with the front point ear piece of the trailing arm, and the upper and lower corner parts of the trailing arm use aluminum material 4 as the core material; the remaining parts use balsa wood material 1 as the core material to build a supporting frame of the trailing arm; the aluminum material 4 and the balsa wood material 1 are connected by super glue 3.

[0045] See also Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5a , Figure 5b The trailing arm 6 is connected to the rod end bearing and the trailing arm front point 7 through a first connecting member; the first connecting member is a square shell-shaped aluminum structure 10; the square shell-shaped aluminum structure 10 includes a top plate 11-1, a bottom plate 11-2, a side plate 12 and a back plate; a bolt hole with a diameter of 12 mm is opened on the side plate 12; the top plate 11-1, the bottom plate 11-2 and the back plate are pre-embedded in the carbon fiber material layer 2 as core materials. The side plate 12 is exposed to the outside.

[0046] See also Figure 3 , Figure 4 The connection portion between the trailing arm 6 and the wheel assembly 8 is provided with a hole with a diameter of 80 mm for passing the transmission shaft and three bolt holes with a diameter of 10 mm for connecting the wheel assembly.

[0047] See also Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 6a and Figure 6bThe trailing arm 6 and the shock absorber lower ear piece 9 are connected by a second connecting piece; the second connecting piece is a U-shaped aluminum structure 13; the U-shaped aluminum structure 13 is composed of a rectangular plate 15 located in the middle and ear shafts 14 extending from both ends of the rectangular plate 15; the ear shaft 14 has two bolt holes with a diameter of 10 mm; the rectangular plate 15 is pre-embedded in the carbon fiber material layer 2 as a core material. The ear shaft 14 is exposed to the outside.

[0048] A method for manufacturing an off-road vehicle composite trailing arm, the method comprising the following steps:

[0049] Step 1: Build the core material;

[0050] The basic shape of the trailing arm is constructed directly using the core material, which is free from the restrictions of the mold on the shape of the trailing arm, so that the shape of the trailing arm is optimized to reduce the weight of the trailing arm as much as possible.

[0051] The specific method is as follows:

[0052] 11) Design the core material drawing; for balsa wood material 1, directly cut the required shape by hand according to the drawing; for aluminum material 4, directly mill or wire cut the required shape according to the drawing;

[0053] 12) The core material processed in step 11) is constructed into the shape of a support frame according to the design requirements, and the core materials of each part are bonded with super glue 3 and solidified until the bonding is firm.

[0054] Step 2: Lay the carbon cloth;

[0055] The specific method is as follows:

[0056] Lay a film layer on the built support frame, and lay different layers of carbon cloth at different positions outside the film layer in the form of 45-degree interlaced layers of two adjacent cloths. The specific number of layers should ensure that the stress here does not exceed one third of the yield strength of the carbon fiber material. The yield strength depends on the carbon fiber material used;

[0057] Step 3: Vacuuming;

[0058] The specific method is as follows:

[0059] Wrap the towing arm 6 covered with carbon fiber cloth with non-woven cloth and breathable felt in turn; the non-woven cloth is used to separate the felt cloth from the carbon fiber cloth; the breathable felt is used to absorb excess resin and prevent the sharp part of the towing arm from piercing the vacuum bag. Put the wrapped towing arm 6 into a vacuum bag made of snake glue and plastic cloth; leave a section of hose connected to the valve at the bonding part of the vacuum bag, and then use a vacuum pump to evacuate the bag to maintain a certain pressure value. The specific pressure value is determined according to the characteristics of the raw materials, such as 99mpa according to the material used.

[0060] Step 4: thermoforming;

[0061] Put the towing arm 6 into the oven, set the heating temperature and time according to the characteristics of the raw materials, such as setting the oven temperature to 80 degrees according to the characteristics of the materials used, preheat for 30 minutes, then set the oven temperature to 120 degrees, and heat for 90 minutes after the temperature is reached.

[0062] Step 5: Take out of the oven;

[0063] After the trailing arm has cooled, take it out of the furnace, remove the vacuum bag, breathable felt and non-woven fabric, and clean the surface.

[0064] Step 6: Cut off the scraps and punch holes on the trailing arm 6 after it is taken out of the furnace.

Claims

1. An off-road vehicle composite trailing arm, characterized in that: The trailing arm (6) comprises a supporting frame layer; a layer of adhesive film is laid on the outer side of the supporting frame layer; and a carbon fiber material layer (2) is laid on the outer side of the adhesive film layer; The connecting portion of the trailing arm (6) and the wheel side assembly (8), the connecting portion of the trailing arm (6) and the shock absorber lower ear piece (9) of the shock absorber (5), the connecting portion of the trailing arm and the front ear piece, and the upper and lower corner portions of the trailing arm use aluminum material (4) as the core material; the remaining portions use balsa wood material (1) as the core material to build a supporting frame of the trailing arm; the aluminum material (4) and the balsa wood material (1) are connected by strong glue (3); The trailing arm (6) is connected to the rod end bearing and the front point (7) of the trailing arm via a first connecting member; the first connecting member is a square shell-shaped aluminum structure (10); the square shell-shaped aluminum structure (10) comprises a top plate (11-1), a bottom plate (11-2), a side plate (12) and a back plate; a bolt hole with a diameter of 12 mm is formed on the side plate (12); the top plate (11-1), the bottom plate (11-2) and the back plate are pre-embedded in the carbon fiber material layer (2) as core materials; The trailing arm (6) and the shock absorber lower ear piece (9) are connected via a second connecting piece; the second connecting piece is a U-shaped aluminum structure (13); the U-shaped aluminum structure (13) is composed of a rectangular plate (15) located in the middle and ear shafts (14) extending from both ends of the rectangular plate (15); the ear shaft (14) is provided with two bolt holes with a diameter of 10 mm; the rectangular plate (15) is pre-embedded in the carbon fiber material layer (2) as a core material.

2. The off-road vehicle composite trailing arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The carbon fiber material layer (2) is made of interwoven carbon fiber cloth with 45-degree interlaced plying, and the number of layers of the carbon fiber material layer (2) is 6-20.

3. The off-road vehicle composite trailing arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connection portion between the trailing arm (6) and the wheel rim assembly (8) is provided with a hole with a diameter of 80 mm for passing the transmission shaft and three bolt holes with a diameter of 10 mm for connecting the wheel rim assembly.

4. The method for manufacturing a composite trailing arm for an off-road vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The preparation method comprises the following steps: Step 1: Build the core material; Step 2: Lay the carbon cloth; Step 3: Vacuuming; Step 4: thermoforming; Step 5: Take out of the oven; Step 6: Cut off the scraps and punch holes on the trailing arm (6) after it is taken out of the furnace.

5. The method for manufacturing a composite trailing arm for an off-road vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that: The specific method of step one is as follows: 11) Design the core material drawing; for balsa wood (1), directly cut the required shape by hand according to the drawing; for aluminum (4), directly mill or wire cut the required shape according to the drawing; 12) The core material processed in step 11) is constructed into the shape of a support frame according to the design requirements, and the core materials of each part are bonded together using strong glue (3) and solidified until the bonding is firm; The specific method of step 2 is as follows: Lay a film layer on the built support frame layer, and lay the cut carbon fiber interwoven fabrics at different positions outside the film layer in the form of 45-degree interwoven layers between two adjacent fabrics; The specific method of step three is as follows: The towing arm (6) covered with carbon fiber cloth is wrapped with non-woven cloth and breathable felt in sequence; the non-woven cloth is used to separate the felt cloth from the carbon fiber cloth; the wrapped towing arm (6) is placed in a vacuum bag made of snake glue and plastic cloth; a hose connected to a valve is left at the bonding point of the vacuum bag, and then the vacuum bag is evacuated with a vacuum pump to maintain a pressure value of 99 MPa; The specific method of step 4 is as follows: Place the towing arm (6) in the oven and set the oven temperature to 80 degrees. Preheat for 30 minutes. Then set the oven temperature to 120 degrees. Once the temperature is reached, heat for 90 minutes. The specific method of step five is as follows: After the trailing arm (6) has cooled, it is taken out of the furnace, the vacuum bag, the air felt and the non-woven fabric are removed, and the surface is cleaned.

Images