Protective cap for locally covering a pre-assembled or finished vehicle component

Abstract

The invention relates to a protective cap (1, 9, 12) for locally covering a preassembled or finished vehicle component (11), characterized in that the protective cap (1, 9, 12) is formed from biological and / or renewable raw materials. The protective cap (1, 9, 12) has a cover layer on its outer surface (6, 7) and / or inner surface, in particular the cover layer is formed by hardening. The protective cap has a good durability.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The invention relates to a protective cap for locally covering a pre-assembled or finished vehicle component. BACKGROUND

[0002] Such protective caps are known from DE 2017 203 687 A1. Such protective caps are used to protect the covered area during painting, transport and / or temporary storage. Such protective caps can be used once or multiple times. It is known that such protective caps are made of plastic, for example by means of an injection molding method. Here, the plastic is based on fossil raw materials, in particular oil or natural gas. Although such plastics can be recyclable, this can be associated with high energy consumption and / or high costs. SUMMARY

[0003] It was therefore the object underlying the invention to provide a protective cap which is improved in terms of ecology and economy. In particular, alternative embodiments should be provided.

[0004] The protective cap is designed to locally cover a pre-assembled or finished vehicle component. Preferably, the vehicle component is designed as a chassis component of a motor vehicle. The chassis component can be embodied as a joint or a ball joint. Alternatively, the chassis component can be designed as a link, a link component, a wheel carrier, a tie rod or an axle carrier, in particular with a joint or a ball joint. Here, the joint or the ball joint can be covered by the protective cap.

[0005] According to the invention, the protective cap is formed and / or made of biological and / or renewable raw materials.

[0006] It is advantageous here that the production of the protective cap on the basis of fossil raw materials can be dispensed with. The protective cap formed of biological and / or renewable raw materials is therefore more sustainable in terms of ecology. In comparison to a protective cap produced on the basis of fossil raw materials, the protective cap reduces the energy consumption and / or costs for the production and / or recycling of the protective cap, in particular.

[0007] Preferably, the protective cap is formed of recyclable raw materials. Preferably, the biological and / or renewable raw materials forming the protective cap are biodegradable and / or compostable. Thereby, a particularly environmentally friendly disposal of the protective cap which is no longer used can be achieved.

[0008] According to an improvement, the protective cap is made of a fiber casting material and / or a paper pulp material. In particular, the protective cap is made by means of a casting method. For example, the protective cap can be made by means of a suitable fiber casting method. Preferably, the protective cap is formed by means of an immersion method, for example from a paper pulp material.

[0009] The protective cap can be formed from a single one of the following raw materials or from any mixture of two or more of the following raw materials:

[0010] - a fibrous material, in particular based on hay, straw or hemp, and / or

[0011] - a pulp or cellulose, in particular based on cardboard, hardboard or paper, and / or

[0012] - a biopolymer, in particular a polylactic acid polymer or a polyhydroxyalkanoate or polyhydroxy fatty acid, and / or

[0013] - a palm leaf, and / or

[0014] - a sugar cane residue.

[0015] Reference is made here to biological and / or renewable raw materials, which can enable a particularly environmentally friendly or environmentally neutral production and / or disposal of the protective cap according to the application. Preferably, the protective cap is formed and / or made exclusively from at least one biological and / or renewable raw material.

[0016] According to a further embodiment, at least one additive is mixed to the raw material in order to change at least one material property. Here, such an additive can be chosen such that the wear resistance, the sliding properties, the lubricity, the moisture resistance, the heat resistance and / or the fire resistance of the protective cap is improved by means of the at least one additive. Depending on the additive used, the compostability and / or the recyclability of the protective cap can be changed or influenced.

[0017] According to an improvement, the protective cap can be configured in multiple layers. In particular, the materials of the multiple layers of the protective cap can differ from one another. Preferably, the protective cap has a cover layer on its outer surface and / or on its inner surface. The cover layer can be formed by hardening. In other words, by means of the cover layer a hardened surface for the protective cap can be provided. Thereby, the durability of the protective cap can be improved.

[0018] According to a further embodiment, the protective cap has a profile based on which multiple protective caps can be stacked on top of one another. Based on the stackable design of the protective caps, multiple protective caps can be installed particularly space-savingly or can be provided for fitting onto a vehicle component.

[0019] It is particularly advantageous if the protective cap is designed as a ball joint protective cap for protecting a pre-assembled or finished ball joint, in particular on a vehicle component or chassis component. Ball joints are used in a variety of ways in vehicle construction. In particular in the chassis, ball joints are used to connect chassis components, such as tie rods, tie rod components, wheel carriers, track rods, axle carriers, etc., to one another in a hinged manner or to connect them to the vehicle structure or to axle carriers fastened to the vehicle structure. Preferably, the ball joint is designed as a ball pin joint. In particular, the ball joint protective cap is designed to cover the pin portion and the sealing bellows of a finished ball joint. The ball joint protective cap can have a first section for covering the sealing bellows of the ball joint and a further section adjoining the first section for covering the pin portion of the ball joint. In particular, the further section for covering the pin portion can be plugged onto the pin portion.

[0020] Preferably, the protective cap has a wall thickness in the range of 1 mm to 3 mm. In particular, the protective cap has a wall thickness of 2 mm. The protective cap can be designed hollow and / or cup-shaped.

[0021] According to one refinement, the protective cap has at least one section, in particular two sections, which has a funnel-shaped or conical outer surface or outer side. Preferably, the outer surface or outer side is inclined at an angle in the range of 6° to 10° with respect to the longitudinal center axis of the protective cap. In particular, the outer surface or outer side is inclined at an angle of 8° with respect to the longitudinal center axis of the protective cap. The funnel-shaped or conical outer surface or outer side improves the stackability of a plurality of protective caps on top of one another. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0022] The application will be explained in detail below with the aid of the drawings. Identical reference signs refer to identical, similar or functionally identical components or elements. In the drawings:

[0023] Figure 1 a side view of a protective cap according to the application is shown,

[0024] Figure 2 a perspective side view of a chassis component with a protective cap according to the application is shown, and

[0025] Figure 3 a side view of a further protective cap according to the application is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Figure 1A side view of a protective cap 1 according to the application is shown. In this embodiment, the protective cap 1 is designed as a ball joint protective cap for protecting a ball joint which is pre-assembled or assembled and which is not shown in detail here. In this embodiment, the protective cap 1 is made of a renewable raw material. For example, the protective cap 1 is made of a paper pulp material based on waste paper, formed from cardboard, hardboard or paper. Thereby, the protective cap 1 is recyclable in a particularly environmentally friendly manner after its use.

[0027] The protective cap 1 is designed hollow and has a first section 2 and a second section 3. Here, the first section 2 is designed to cover a sealing bellows of the ball joint, which is not shown in detail here. The second section 3 is designed to cover a pin portion of the ball joint, which is not shown in detail here. The first section 2 and the second section 3 transition into one another. Here, the first section 2 and the second section 3 are arranged one after the other in the axial direction of a longitudinal center axis 4 of the protective cap 1.

[0028] The first section 2 has an outer diameter which is greater than the outer diameter of the second section 3. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the second section 3 has a ribbing on its outer circumference, wherein a plurality of ribs 5 extend parallel to the longitudinal center axis 4. For the sake of clarity, not all of the ribs 5 are provided with reference numerals. The ribs 5 can increase the rigidity and / or the load capacity of the protective cap 1.

[0029] The protective cap 1 has a wall thickness of 2 mm, in particular in the region of the first section 2 and the second section 3. The first section 2 has an outer surface 6 which, in this embodiment, is inclined at an angle of 8° with respect to the longitudinal center axis 4. In this embodiment, the second section 3 has an outer side or an outer surface 7 which, in this embodiment, is likewise inclined at an angle of 8° with respect to the longitudinal center axis 4. Thereby, a generally funnel-shaped or conical profile or outer contour results, whereby a plurality of protective caps 1 are stackable on top of one another.

[0030] Figure 2 A perspective side view of a chassis member 8 with a protective cap 9 according to the application is shown. In this embodiment, the chassis member 8 is designed as a connecting rod. In this embodiment, the chassis member 8 has a tubular connecting element 10. At both free ends of the connecting element 10, vehicle members designed as ball joints 11 are respectively fitted. The ball joints 11 are designed as ball pin joints.

[0031] The two ball joints 11 are respectively locally covered by means of the protective cap 9. Here, the sealing bellows of the respective ball joint 11 is covered by means of the first section 2 of the protective cap 9. The pin portion of the respective ball joint 11 is covered by means of the second section 3 of the respective protective cap 9.

[0032] Instead of the embodiment shown here, the protective cap 9 can be a protective cap according to the application which is designed as a ball joint protective cap for protecting a ball joint which is pre-assembled or assembled and which is not shown in detail here. In this embodiment, the protective cap 9 is made of a renewable raw material. For example, the protective cap 9 is made of a paper pulp material based on waste paper, formed from cardboard, hardboard or paper. Thereby, the protective cap 9 is recyclable in a particularly environmentally friendly manner after its use.Figure 1 The protective cap 1 is correspondingly designed. It is important that the protective cap 9 is made of biological and / or renewable raw materials.

[0033] Figure 3 A side view of a further protective cap 12 according to the application is shown. The structure of the protective cap 12 corresponds essentially to the protective cap 1 according to Figure 1 the application. In this respect, identical features have identical reference numerals and reference is made to the above description in order to avoid repetitions.

[0034] It can be well seen that in this embodiment the second section 3 of the protective cap 12 has a wall portion which has a meandering course. Thereby, with regard to a top view in axial direction of the longitudinal center axis 4, a star-shaped contour of the wall portion of the second section 3 results.

[0035] List of reference signs

[0036] 1 protective cap

[0037] 2 first section

[0038] 3 second section

[0039] 4 longitudinal center axis

[0040] 5 rib

[0041] 6 outer surface

[0042] 7 outer surface

[0043] 8 chassis member

[0044] 9 protective cap

[0045] 10 connecting element

[0046] 11 vehicle member / ball joint

[0047] 12 protective cap

Claims

1. A protective cap for locally covering a pre-assembled or finished vehicle component (11), characterized in that, The protective cap (1, 9, 12) is formed from biological and / or renewable raw materials, The protective cap (1, 9, 12) is made from a fiber-casting material and / or a paper pulp material by means of a casting method, The protective cap has a first section (2) for covering a sealing bellows of a ball joint and a second section (3) for covering a pin portion of the ball joint, the first section (2) and the second section (3) being arranged one after the other in the axial direction of a longitudinal center axis (4) of the protective cap (1), At least one of the first section (2) and the second section (3) has a funnel-shaped or conical outer surface (6, 7) which is inclined at an angle in the range of 6° to 10° with respect to the longitudinal center axis (4) of the protective cap (1, 9, 12).

2. The protective cap of claim 1, wherein The protective cap (1, 9, 12) is formed from biodegradable, compostable and / or recyclable raw materials.

3. The protective cap of claim 1, wherein, The protective cap (1, 9, 12) is formed from a single one of the following raw materials or from any mixture of two or more of the following raw materials: - a fiber material based on hay, straw or hemp, and / or - a paper pulp or cellulose based on cardboard, hardboard or paper, and / or - a biopolymer, a polylactic acid polymer or a polyhydroxyalkanoate or polyhydroxy fatty acid, and / or - a palm leaf, and / or - a sugar cane residue.

4. The protective cap of claim 1, wherein At least one additive is mixed with the raw material to change at least one material property.

5. The protective cap of claim 4, wherein, Wear resistance, sliding properties, lubricity, moisture resistance, heat resistance and / or fire resistance are improved by means of the at least one additive.

6. The protective cap of claim 1, wherein The protective cap (1, 9, 12) has a cover layer on its outer surface (6, 7) and / or inner surface, which cover layer is formed by hardening.

7. The protective cap of claim 1, wherein Based on the profile of its plurality of protective caps (1, 9, 12) being stackable on top of each other.

8. The protective cap of claim 1, wherein Designed as a ball joint protective cap for protecting a pre-assembled or finished ball joint (11).

9. The protective cap of claim 1, wherein, The protective cap has a wall thickness in the range of 1 mm to 3 mm.

10. The protective cap of claim 9, wherein, The protective cap has a wall thickness of 2 mm.

11. The protective cap of claim 1, wherein The outer surface (6, 7) is inclined at an angle of 8° with respect to the longitudinal center axis (4) of the protective cap (1, 9, 12). The protective cap (1, 9, 12) is formed from biodegradable, compostable and / or recyclable raw materials. The protective cap (1, 9, 12) is formed from a single one of the following raw materials or from any mixture of two or more of the following raw materials: - a fiber material based on hay, straw or hemp, and / or - a paper pulp or cellulose based on cardboard, hardboard or paper, and / or - a biopolymer, a polylactic acid polymer or a polyhydroxyalkanoate or polyhydroxy fatty acid, and / or - a palm leaf, and / or - a sugar cane residue. At least one additive is mixed with the raw material to change at least one material property. Wear resistance, sliding properties, lubricity, moisture resistance, heat resistance and / or fire resistance are improved by means of the at least one additive. The protective cap (1, 9, 12) has a cover layer on its outer surface (6, 7) and / or inner surface, which cover layer is formed by hardening. Based on the profile of its plurality of protective caps (1, 9, 12) being stackable on top of each other. Designed as a ball joint protective cap for protecting a pre-assembled or finished ball joint (11). The protective cap has a wall thickness in the range of 1 mm to 3 mm. The protective cap has a wall thickness of 2 mm. The outer surface (6, 7) is inclined at an angle of 8° with respect to the longitudinal center axis (4) of the protective cap (1, 9, 12).

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