Steering hub bearing durability test tool and method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a tooling and method for endurance testing of a steering hub bearing, and relates to the field of steering hub bearings, including tires, etc. The tire is arranged on a tooling base through a tire grounding platform, the steering hub assembly is fixed on a brake assembly through a steering hub, the clevis assembly is connected to a steering hub bearing arranged on the steering hub, and the shock absorber is connected to a vertical hydraulic cylinder; the steering hub is connected to a horizontal hydraulic cylinder through a horizontal loading tooling; one side of a lower arm assembly is fixedly connected to the clevis assembly, and the other side of the lower arm assembly is fixed to the tooling base through a lower arm fixing tooling. The present invention can completely simulate the stress condition of the steering hub bearing when the car is turning; simulate the angle change when the car turns left and right, that is, provide a test condition of alternating rotation in different directions; since the bearing is inclined at an installation angle relative to the ground, with the bearing as a reference system, its own stress changes continuously with the angle rotation, and the technical solution of the present invention can simulate the stress change.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of steering hub bearings, and in particular to a steering hub bearing durability test tool and method. Background Art

[0002] Existing steering hub assembly (such as Figure 2 , 3 As shown, it consists of a steering hub and a steering hub bearing) and its function is to provide a rotating axis for tire steering (such as Figure 1 Steering hub bearings are first-generation bearings. The traditional durability test method is to install the product on the test bench through the tooling, load constant axial and radial forces, and the bearings rotate continuously in the same direction at a certain speed.

[0003] However, the existing test methods have the following defects:

[0004] 1. In the bearing durability test, the existing test bench and tooling can only rotate the bearing 360° continuously in the same direction, and cannot provide the test conditions of alternating rotation in different directions (and the rotation angle does not exceed 170°);

[0005] 2. In the bearing durability test, the existing test bench and tooling can only provide a constant loading force value, and cannot provide a test condition where the loading force value changes continuously with the rotation of the bearing. Summary of the invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a steering hub bearing durability test tool and method. Compared with the traditional bearing durability test tool, the test method adapted by the tool is closer to the actual vehicle state and has higher test accuracy. After actual verification, the test method can reproduce the bearing grease leakage phenomenon after the actual vehicle durability, which cannot be reproduced by the traditional bearing durability test method.

[0007] The objective of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions: the steering wheel hub bearing durability test tool comprises a tire, a steering wheel hub assembly, a clevis assembly, a shock absorber, a lower swing arm assembly, a brake assembly, a tire grounding platform, a tool base, a lower swing arm fixing tool, a vertical loading tool and a horizontal loading tool; the tire is arranged on the tool base through the tire grounding platform, the steering wheel hub assembly is fixed on the brake assembly through the steering wheel hub, the clevis assembly is connected to the steering wheel hub bearing arranged on the steering wheel hub, a shock absorber is fixedly installed on the clevis assembly, the shock absorber is connected to a vertical hydraulic cylinder through a vertical loading tool, and the vertical hydraulic cylinder is used to apply a vertical force to the steering wheel hub assembly; a steering tie rod mounting hole is provided on the steering wheel hub, and the steering tie rod mounting hole is connected to a horizontal hydraulic cylinder through a horizontal loading tool, and the horizontal hydraulic cylinder is used to apply a horizontal force to the steering wheel hub assembly; one side of the lower swing arm assembly is fixedly connected to the clevis assembly, and the other side of the lower swing arm assembly is fixed to the tool base through a lower swing arm fixing tool.

[0008] As a further technical solution, the first ball head of the lower swing arm assembly is connected and fixed to the bottom of the horn assembly, and the second ball head and the third ball head of the lower swing arm assembly are respectively fixed by a lower swing arm fixing tool and a tool base.

[0009] As a further technical solution, the vertical loading tooling is connected to the vertical hydraulic cylinder via a vertical connecting head.

[0010] As a further technical solution, the horizontal loading tooling is connected to the horizontal hydraulic cylinder via a horizontal connecting head.

[0011] The test method using the above-mentioned steering hub bearing durability test tooling includes the following steps:

[0012] 1) Connect and fix the first ball head of the lower swing arm assembly to the bottom of the horn assembly, and fix the second ball head and the third ball head of the lower swing arm assembly through a lower swing arm fixing tool and a tool base respectively;

[0013] 2) Apply grease between the tire and the tire grounding platform to reduce friction;

[0014] 3) Connect the vertical connector of the vertical loading tooling to the vertical hydraulic cylinder, and connect the horizontal connector of the horizontal loading tooling to the horizontal hydraulic cylinder;

[0015] 4) Set the working load and working time of the vertical hydraulic cylinder and the horizontal hydraulic cylinder, start the vertical hydraulic cylinder and load the vertical force to simulate the longitudinal force value of the shock absorber in the real car, and start the horizontal hydraulic cylinder and load the horizontal force at the same time. The horizontal hydraulic cylinder reciprocates in the horizontal direction to simulate the reciprocating motion of the steering rod in the real car;

[0016] 5) When the test time reaches the working time set in step 4), stop the test;

[0017] 6) Remove the steering hub assembly, clean it and measure the weight of the steering hub assembly after the test as M1. The difference between the weight M0 of the steering hub assembly before the test and the weight M1 after the test is the amount of grease leakage of the steering hub assembly during the test. Compare the obtained grease leakage amount with the total grease injection amount of the steering hub assembly to determine whether the steering hub assembly is qualified.

[0018] As a further technical solution, in step 2), an air blowing device is used toward the position between the tire and the tire ground contact platform to accelerate heat dissipation.

[0019] As a further technical solution, in the step 4), the working time of the vertical hydraulic cylinder and the horizontal hydraulic cylinder is 96 hours as one cycle, which lasts for six cycles in total; in each cycle, the vertical hydraulic cylinder is maintained at 1.0 times the full load wheel load for 72 hours, at 1.5 times the full load wheel load for 21.6 hours, and at 0.7 times the full load wheel load for 2.4 hours. At the same time, the frequency of the reciprocating motion of the horizontal hydraulic cylinder is 0.5Hz, and the working time of the horizontal hydraulic cylinder is consistent with that of the vertical hydraulic cylinder.

[0020] As a further technical solution, the distance of the reciprocating motion of the horizontal hydraulic cylinder is based on the maximum steering angle of the tire.

[0021] As a further technical solution, in step 6), if the amount of grease leakage from the steering hub assembly is less than or equal to 5% of the total grease injection amount, the steering hub assembly is judged to be qualified; if the amount of grease leakage from the steering hub assembly is greater than 5% of the total grease injection amount, the steering hub assembly is judged to be unqualified.

[0022] The beneficial effects of the present invention are: it can completely simulate the stress condition of the steering wheel hub bearing when the car is turning; it can simulate the angle change when the car turns left or right, that is, provide a test condition of alternating rotation in different directions (the rotation angle does not exceed 170°); because the bearing is installed at an inclined angle relative to the ground, with the bearing as the reference system, its own force changes continuously with the angle rotation, and the technical solution of the present invention can simulate the force change. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the position of the steering hub assembly on the vehicle chassis.

[0024] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the steering hub assembly.

[0025] Figure 3 It is a cross-sectional view of the steering hub assembly structure.

[0026] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the installation structure of the steering hub assembly and the test fixture.

[0027] Explanation of the accompanying drawings: tire 1, steering hub assembly 2, steering hub 21, steering tie rod mounting hole 211, steering hub bearing 22, clevis assembly 3, shock absorber 4, lower swing arm assembly 5, first ball head 51, second ball head 52, third ball head 53, brake assembly 6, tire grounding platform 7, tooling base 8, lower swing arm fixing tooling 9, vertical loading tooling 10, vertical connecting head 11, horizontal loading tooling 12, horizontal connecting head 13. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0029] Example: As attached Figure 4 As shown, the steering wheel hub bearing durability test tooling includes a tire 1, a steering wheel hub assembly 2, a clevis assembly 3, a shock absorber 4, a lower arm assembly 5, a brake assembly 6, a tire grounding platform 7, a tooling base 8, a lower arm fixing tooling 9, a vertical loading tooling 10 and a horizontal loading tooling 12; the tire 1 is arranged on the tooling base 8 through the tire grounding platform 7, the steering wheel hub assembly 2 is fixed to the brake assembly 6 through the steering wheel hub 21, the clevis assembly 3 is connected to the steering wheel hub bearing 22 arranged on the steering wheel hub 21, and the shock absorber is fixedly installed on the clevis assembly 3. 4. The vertical loading fixture 10 and the vertical connector 11 welded on the shock absorber 4 are used to connect the vertical hydraulic cylinder, which is used to apply vertical force to the steering hub assembly 2; the steering hub 21 is provided with a steering tie rod mounting hole 211, which is connected to the horizontal hydraulic cylinder through the horizontal loading fixture 12 and the horizontal connector 13, and the horizontal hydraulic cylinder is used to apply horizontal force to the steering hub assembly 2; one side of the lower swing arm assembly 5 is fixedly connected to the horn assembly 3, and the other side of the lower swing arm assembly 5 is fixed to the fixture base 8 through the lower swing arm fixing fixture 9. The first ball head 51 of the lower swing arm assembly 5 is connected and fixed to the bottom of the horn assembly 3, and the second ball head 52 and the third ball head 53 of the lower swing arm assembly 5 are respectively fixed to the fixture base 8 through a lower swing arm fixing fixture 9.

[0030] The test method using the above-mentioned steering hub bearing durability test tooling includes the following steps:

[0031] 1) Connect and fix the first ball head 51 of the lower swing arm assembly 5 to the bottom of the horn assembly 3, and fix the second ball head 52 and the third ball head 53 of the lower swing arm assembly 5 to the tooling base 8 through a lower swing arm fixing tool 9 respectively;

[0032] 2) Grease is applied between the tire 1 and the tire grounding platform 7 to reduce friction. The tire 1 does not directly contact the tooling base 8 but contacts the tire grounding platform 7 to avoid the minimum height of the horizontal hydraulic cylinder of the test equipment failing to meet the test position. Preferably, an air blowing device is used toward the position between the tire 1 and the tire grounding platform 7 to accelerate heat dissipation.

[0033] 3) Connect the vertical connector 11 of the vertical loading tool 10 to the vertical hydraulic cylinder, and connect the horizontal connector 13 of the horizontal loading tool 12 to the horizontal hydraulic cylinder;

[0034] 4) Set the working load and working time of the vertical hydraulic cylinder and the horizontal hydraulic cylinder. In this embodiment, the working time of the vertical hydraulic cylinder and the horizontal hydraulic cylinder is 96 hours per cycle, and a total of six cycles are continued; in each cycle, the vertical hydraulic cylinder is maintained at 1.0 times the full load wheel load for 72 hours, at 1.5 times the full load wheel load for 21.6 hours, and at 0.7 times the full load wheel load for 2.4 hours. At the same time, the reciprocating frequency of the horizontal hydraulic cylinder is 0.5Hz, and the reciprocating distance is based on the maximum steering angle of the tire 1 (the rotation angle does not exceed 170°), and the working time of the horizontal hydraulic cylinder is consistent with that of the vertical hydraulic cylinder. Start the vertical hydraulic cylinder and load the vertical force to simulate the longitudinal force value of the shock absorber 4 in the actual vehicle. At the same time, start the horizontal hydraulic cylinder and load the horizontal force. The horizontal hydraulic cylinder reciprocates in the horizontal direction to simulate the reciprocating motion of the steering rod in the actual vehicle, thereby driving the tire 1 to make reciprocating steering motion on the tire contact platform 7;

[0035] 5) When the test time reaches the working time set in step 4), stop the test and visually check whether there is grease leakage on the two exposed end faces of the steering hub bearing 22 in the steering hub 21. No grease can leak between the inner ring of the bearing and the sealing ring;

[0036] 6) Remove the steering hub assembly 2, clean it and measure the weight of the steering hub assembly 2 after the test to be M1. The difference between the weight M0 of the steering hub assembly 2 before the test and the weight M1 after the test is the amount of grease leakage of the steering hub assembly 2 during the test. Compare the obtained grease leakage with the total grease injection amount of the steering hub assembly 2. If the grease leakage of the steering hub assembly 2 is less than or equal to 5% of the total grease injection amount, the steering hub assembly 2 is judged to be qualified; if the grease leakage of the steering hub assembly 2 is greater than 5% of the total grease injection amount, the steering hub assembly 2 is judged to be unqualified.

[0037] Compared with the traditional bearing durability test method, the present invention is closer to the actual vehicle state and has higher test accuracy. After actual verification, the present test can reproduce the bearing grease leakage phenomenon after the actual vehicle durability, which cannot be reproduced by the traditional durability method.

[0038] It is understandable that, for those skilled in the art, any equivalent replacement or change to the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention should fall within the protection scope of the claims attached to the present invention.

Claims

1. A steering hub bearing durability test tool, characterized by: The invention comprises a tire (1), a steering wheel hub assembly (2), a clevis assembly (3), a shock absorber (4), a lower swing arm assembly (5), a brake assembly (6), a tire grounding platform (7), a tool base (8), a lower swing arm fixing tool (9), a vertical loading tool (10) and a horizontal loading tool (12); the tire (1) is arranged on the tool base (8) via the tire grounding platform (7); the steering wheel hub assembly (2) is fixed on the brake assembly (6) via the steering wheel hub (21); the clevis assembly (3) is connected to a steering wheel hub bearing (22) arranged on the steering wheel hub (21); A shock absorber (4) is fixedly installed, and the shock absorber (4) is connected to a vertical hydraulic cylinder via a vertical loading tool (10), and the vertical hydraulic cylinder is used to apply a vertical force to the steering hub assembly (2); a steering tie rod mounting hole (211) is provided on the steering hub (21), and the steering tie rod mounting hole (211) is connected to a horizontal hydraulic cylinder via a horizontal loading tool (12), and the horizontal hydraulic cylinder is used to apply a horizontal force to the steering hub assembly (2); one side of the lower swing arm assembly (5) is fixedly connected to the horn assembly (3), and the other side of the lower swing arm assembly (5) is fixed to the tool base (8) via a lower swing arm fixing tool (9); The first ball head (51) of the lower swing arm assembly (5) is connected and fixed to the bottom of the horn assembly (3), and the second ball head (52) and the third ball head (53) of the lower swing arm assembly (5) are respectively fixed to the tooling base (8) via a lower swing arm fixing tooling (9); The vertical loading tool (10) is connected to the vertical hydraulic cylinder via a vertical connecting head (11); The horizontal loading tool (12) is connected to the horizontal hydraulic cylinder via a horizontal connecting head (13).

2. A test method using the steering hub bearing durability test tool as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: 1) connecting and fixing the first ball head (51) of the lower swing arm assembly (5) to the bottom of the horn assembly (3), and fixing the second ball head (52) and the third ball head (53) of the lower swing arm assembly (5) to the fixture base (8) respectively through a lower swing arm fixing fixture (9); 2) Apply grease between the tire (1) and the tire contact pad (7) to reduce friction; 3) connecting the vertical connection head (11) of the vertical loading tool (10) to the vertical hydraulic cylinder, and connecting the horizontal connection head (13) of the horizontal loading tool (12) to the horizontal hydraulic cylinder; 4) Setting the working load and working time of the vertical hydraulic cylinder and the horizontal hydraulic cylinder, starting the vertical hydraulic cylinder and loading the vertical force to simulate the longitudinal force value of the shock absorber (4) in the actual vehicle, and starting the horizontal hydraulic cylinder and loading the horizontal force at the same time, so that the horizontal hydraulic cylinder performs reciprocating motion in the horizontal direction to simulate the reciprocating motion of the steering tie rod in the actual vehicle; 5) When the test time reaches the working time set in step 4), stop the test; 6) Remove the steering wheel hub assembly (2), clean it, and measure the weight of the steering wheel hub assembly (2) after the test to be M1. The difference between the weight M0 of the steering wheel hub assembly (2) before the test and the weight M1 after the test is the amount of grease leakage of the steering wheel hub assembly (2) during the test. The obtained amount of grease leakage is compared with the total amount of grease injected into the steering wheel hub assembly (2) to determine whether the steering wheel hub assembly (2) is qualified.

3. The test method according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the step 2), an air blowing device is used to blow air toward the position between the tire (1) and the tire grounding platform (7), thereby accelerating heat dissipation.

4. The test method according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the step 4), the working time of the vertical hydraulic cylinder and the horizontal hydraulic cylinder is 96 hours as one cycle, which lasts for six cycles in total; in each cycle, the vertical hydraulic cylinder is maintained at 1.0 times the full load wheel load for 72 hours, at 1.5 times the full load wheel load for 21.6 hours, and at 0.7 times the full load wheel load for 2.4 hours. At the same time, the frequency of the reciprocating motion of the horizontal hydraulic cylinder is 0.5 Hz, and the working time of the horizontal hydraulic cylinder is consistent with that of the vertical hydraulic cylinder.

5. The test method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The distance of the reciprocating motion of the horizontal hydraulic cylinder is based on the distance that enables the tire (1) to reach the maximum steering angle.

6. The test method according to claim 2, characterized in that: In step 6), if the amount of grease leakage of the steering hub assembly (2) is less than or equal to 5% of the total amount of grease injected, the steering hub assembly (2) is judged to be qualified; If the amount of grease leakage from the steering hub assembly (2) is greater than 5% of the total grease injection amount, the steering hub assembly (2) is judged to be unqualified.

Images