Vehicle rigid axle and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to a rigid vehicle axle (8), which has an axle beam (2), at least two longitudinal arms (12) and at least one air spring bellows (62), wherein axle journals (16) or wheel carriers (48) are respectively arranged at the ends of the axle beam (2), at least two longitudinal arms (12) are rigidly connected to the axle beam (2), and at least one air spring bellows (62) is assigned to the respective longitudinal arm (12). The invention also relates to a method for producing the rigid vehicle axle (8). In order to adapt the rigid vehicle axle (8) to modern drive concepts, the invention proposes to provide at least one component of an electric drive (52, 54) in a hollow body (26), wherein a drive shaft (50) of the electric drive passes through the axle journal (16). In the method according to the invention, in order to form at least one journal connection (20) extending between two longitudinal arms (12), the longitudinal arm (12) connected to the journal connection, and a container (29) for at least one component (52, 54) of an electric drive, two housing elements (4, 6) made of sheet metal are formed and connected to one another, in particular welded to one another, to form a hollow body (26) surrounding a receiving space. At least one component (52, 54) of the electric drive is mounted in the receiving space.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a rigid axle for a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] The rigid vehicle axle proposed in DE 101 40 856 B4 has an axle beam section formed by two mutually connected shell elements. A hollow body is formed between these shell elements. In the prior art, the hollow body accommodates a spring bellows for supporting the rigid vehicle axle and has a corresponding bracket in the hollow body for this purpose. Summary of the invention

[0003] The invention is based on the problem of specifying a rigid vehicle axle which meets the requirements of modern drive concepts.

[0004] In view of this, the present invention proposes a rigid vehicle axle, which has an axle beam, at least two longitudinal arms and at least one bracket, wherein axle journals or wheel carriers are arranged at the ends of the axle beam, and at least two longitudinal arms are rigidly connected to the axle beam, and at least one bracket is assigned to the corresponding longitudinal arm. At least one air spring bellows is assigned to the corresponding longitudinal arm. At least one axle journal connection portion extending between the two longitudinal arms and a longitudinal arm adjacent to the axle journal connection portion are formed by two housing elements connected to each other. The two housing elements form a hollow body between each other. At least one component of an electric drive is arranged in the hollow body. The drive shaft of the electric drive passes through the axle journal.

[0005] The rigid vehicle axle according to the invention is designed essentially according to the specification of DE 10 2019 2015 18 A1. Therefore, with regard to the design, reference can be made essentially to this prior art. However, the rigid vehicle axle according to the invention does not have a spring support in the hollow body. Rather, the hollow body is suitable for accommodating at least one component of an electric drive, which is arranged inside the hollow body and connected to the hollow body.

[0006] In this case, at least the output shaft of the electric drive is usually coaxial with the journal or wheel carrier of the rigid vehicle axle.

[0007] DE102013009188A1 describes the arrangement of a generator in a sleeve, which is connected to a journal by a flange connection. The journal is penetrated by a drive shaft to the wheel of a rigid axle of the vehicle. In the prior art, the wheel drives the generator. Similar solutions are known for electric drives of semitrailers of trucks driven by electric drives. However, the flange connection is not sufficient to resist torsion and bending. Therefore, the previously known solutions for arranging the electric drive essentially in the rigid axle of the vehicle do not meet the requirements.

[0008] This is where the present invention comes in. As described in the aforementioned prior art DE 10 2019 2015 18 A1, the two housing elements are preferably connected together by welding. This creates a dimensionally stable hollow body. It has been shown that this hollow body is able to withstand the torque transmitted from the electric drive to the wheel. The hollow body also has sufficient bending and torsion resistance.

[0009] According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the rigid vehicle axle according to the invention has an insertion opening for inserting at least one component of the electric drive in a direction substantially at right angles to the axial extension of the drive shaft. Compared to previously known solutions with a sleeve for inserting the electric drive, this results in an enlarged installation space that simplifies assembly. The installation space is not restricted. On the contrary, the hollow body can be manufactured to have any size. By suitable selection of the wall thickness and / or by shaping the two housing elements, the rigidity provided by the hollow body in terms of flexure and torsion can be obtained.

[0010] Furthermore, the solution according to the invention also provides the possibility of connecting at least one component of the electric drive to at least one housing element in a simple manner, for example by screwing from the outside. This screwing is further simplified by the insertion opening, which allows insertion essentially in a direction perpendicular to the axial extension of the drive shaft.

[0011] The same applies to the mechanical damping of at least one component of the electric drive. These components are usually the electric drive and possibly a transmission arranged between the drive shaft and the electric drive.

[0012] Rigid vehicle axles of the type described above are subject to considerable mechanical stresses during operation, in particular due to vibrations and shocks. These shocks stress the rigid vehicle axle not only in terms of bending and torsion. To be precise, these shocks are usually transmitted directly to the components installed in the rigid vehicle axle. However, the tolerance of the components of the electric drive system to such shocks is reduced. Therefore, according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is recommended to apply at least one component of the electric drive to at least one housing element together with the insertion of a mechanical damping element. The assembly is usually completed by screwing at least one component under the insertion of the damping element. The damping element damps the vibrations or shocks to which the vehicle axle is subjected relative to at least one component of the electric drive, so that there is no risk of damage to the corresponding component due to shocks.

[0013] According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, in a manner known per se, the rigid vehicle axle is supported by a spring bellows, in particular by an air spring bellows. To this end, at least one housing element forms a spring console for supporting the air spring bellows. The spring console can in particular be formed as a cover for the aforementioned insertion opening. The cover can completely or partially protrude into the cavity, so that the overall height of the rigid vehicle axle is reduced compared to the chassis of the trailer.

[0014] According to a subsidiary aspect thereof, the invention proposes a method for producing a rigid vehicle axle.

[0015] The method corresponds essentially to the method described in DE 10 2019 201518 A1. With regard to preferred further embodiments of the rigid vehicle axle, reference is also made to the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Other advantages and details of the present invention are derived from the following description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0017] Figure 1 A perspective side view showing an embodiment of a rigid vehicle axle of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 Shown according to Figure 1 A perspective top view of a lower housing element of a rigid shaft;

[0019] Figure 3 Shown according to Figure 1 A perspective top view of an upper housing element of a rigid shaft;

[0020] Figure 4 It shows that Figure 2 A perspective view of the lower housing element shown after being welded to the other components of the vehicle's rigid axle; and

[0021] Figure 5 A longitudinal cross-section of the assembled embodiment is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The drawing shows an axle beam, designated by reference numeral 2, which is formed by connecting a lower shell element 4 and an upper shell element 6. The two shell elements 4, 6 are connected together by welding to form the axle beam 2. The connection line generally runs in the neutral fiber of the bending load on the axle beam 2.

[0023] The two housing elements 4 , 6 together form an axle beam section 10 , a trailing arm 12 and a bracket 14 . Figure 1 Only half of the entire vehicle rigid axle 8 is shown. The distal end of the axle beam portion 10 is located on the central longitudinal axis of the vehicle, regularly on the central longitudinal axis of the truck trailer. Thus, on the other side of the longitudinal axis marked L, the Figure 1 The structure shown to the left.

[0024] On the side opposite to the bracket 14 with respect to the axle beam part 10, a journal 16 is welded, which journal 16 is equipped with a conventionally shaped brake mounting flange 18. The journal 16 is connected by friction welding to a journal connection part 20, which is formed half by the lower housing element 4 and half by the upper housing element 6.

[0025] A bearing sleeve 22 is welded to the distal end of the trailing arm 12 , which houses the other components of a spherical plain bearing 24 of conventional design.

[0026] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 In particular, the axle beam 2 forms a hollow body, designated by reference numeral 26, between the connected housing elements 4, 6, so that the axle beam portion 10 and the journal connection portion 20 terminate in a hollow tube with a circular cross section. The trailing arm 12 is also welded to the bearing sleeve 22 as a hollow body that tapers conically at the ends.

[0027] Figure 2 and Figure 3 The deep-drawn housing elements 4 and 6 shown in the figure can form a half-axle beam, which has only one longitudinal arm 12 and a bracket 14 as well as a journal connection 20. However, the corresponding housing element 4, 6 can also be formed symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis L and thus form the journal connection 20, the longitudinal arm 12 adjacent to the journal connection 20 and the bracket 14 assigned to the longitudinal arm 12.

[0028] In this way, the axle beam 2 can be produced simply and economically by deep drawing and some finishing steps, which are described in more detail below. The starting material for the production of the lower shell element and the upper shell element, i.e. the plate to be deep drawn, has a varying wall thickness in order to correspond to the different stresses on the axle beam 2. For example, the trailing arm 12 is usually made of a thinner sheet than the axle beam part 10 or the journal connection part 20. For example, the different sheet thicknesses can be prepared by profile rolling (TRB-Tailor Rolled Blank) or by welding plates with different wall thicknesses. The wall thickness of the axle guide 12 is 2 mm-4 mm less than the wall thickness of the parts 10 and 20. For example, the plate forming the trailing arm 12 can have a thickness of 8 mm, while the parts 10, 20 are formed with a wall thickness of about 10 mm.

[0029] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown in the comparison, the upper housing element which is identical to the lower housing element 4 is initially formed by forming so that Figure 2The base of the lower housing element 4, which is indicated by reference numeral 28, is cut out to form a central insertion opening 30 provided on the upper housing element 6. The central insertion opening 20 provides access to a container 29 within the hollow body 26.

[0030] The insertion opening 30 is located in a plane including the axis 46 and the dividing plane between the two connected housing elements 4, 6. The axis 46 thus passes concentrically through the journal 16 as well as the journal connection part 20 and the shaft body part 10. The axis 46 forms the axis of rotation of the wheel carrier marked with the reference numeral 48, which is rotatably supported on the journal 16 via roller bearings. The wheel carrier 48 is connected to a drive shaft 50, which is located at the journal 16. Figure 5 The wheel carrier 48 is connected to a gearbox 52, which is mounted on the output side of the electric motor 54. The electric motor 54 and the gearbox 52 are connected and realized as a structural unit. The structural unit 58, 54 is bolted to the lower housing element 4, specifically to its bracket 14, by inserting a damping element 56.

[0031] The relatively large insertion opening 30 allows the insertion of relatively large components 52, 54 of the electric drive. For maintenance or repair purposes, these components 52, 54 can also be removed without having to remove the entire axle of the trailer. The components 52, 54 of the electric drive are accommodated in the container 29.

[0032] Figure 5 With reference numeral 58 is designated an air spring carrier which covers the insertion opening 30 and which is usually subsequently detachably connected to the upper housing element 6 and is screwed thereto, for example, as a plate-shaped air spring carrier 58. The air spring carrier 58 carries an air spring 60 which, in a manner known per se, has an air spring bellows 62 which, in a manner known per se, supports the axle beam 2 relative to the actual trailer.

[0033] Reference numerals list

[0034] 2-Axis beam

[0035] 4-Lower housing element

[0036] 6- Upper shell component

[0037] 8-Vehicle rigid axle

[0038] 10-Axle beam part

[0039] 12- Trailing arm

[0040] 14-Stand

[0041] 16-Journal pin

[0042] 18-Brake mounting flange

[0043] 20-shaft neck connection part

[0044] 22-Bearing sleeve

[0045] 24-Spherical bearing

[0046] 26-Hollow body

[0047] 28-base

[0048] 29-Container

[0049] 30-Insert opening

[0050] 32-Plunger

[0051] 34-Immersion opening

[0052] 36-Indentation

[0053] 38-Fixing hole

[0054] 40-Bearing element

[0055] 42-Feet

[0056] 44-Bearing hole

[0057] 46-axis

[0058] 48-Wheel frame

[0059] 50-Drive shaft

[0060] 52-Gearbox

[0061] 54-Motor

[0062] 56- Damping element

[0063] 58-Air spring bearing

[0064] 60-Air spring

[0065] 62-Air spring bellows

Claims

1. A vehicle rigid axle, comprising: an axle beam, at least two longitudinal arms, and at least one air spring bellows, at the ends of which axle beam is provided with axle journals in each case, the at least two longitudinal arms being rigidly connected to the axle beam and the at least one air spring bellows being assigned to the respective longitudinal arm, wherein at least one axle beam portion extending between the at least two longitudinal arms and a longitudinal arm adjacent to the at least one axle beam portion are formed by two shell elements, which are connected to each other and form a hollow body between the two shell elements, Therein, at least one component of an electric drive is arranged in the hollow body, and a drive shaft of the electric drive passes through the journal.

2. The vehicle rigid axle according to claim 1, wherein: The hollow body has an insertion opening which is designed to be suitable for inserting the at least one component of the electric drive in a direction substantially at right angles to the axial extent of the drive shaft.

3. The vehicle rigid axle according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one component of the electric drive is connected to at least one of the two housing elements.

4. The vehicle rigid axle according to claim 3, wherein: The at least one component of the electric drive is connected externally to at least one of the two housing elements by means of a thread.

5. The vehicle rigid axle according to claim 3, wherein: The at least one component of the electric drive bears against at least one of the two housing elements with the insertion of the mechanical damping element.

6. The vehicle rigid axle according to claim 1, wherein: At least one of the two housing elements has an air spring carrier for supporting the at least one air spring bellows.

7. A method for producing a rigid vehicle axle, comprising an axle beam, at least two longitudinal arms, at the ends of which axle journals are arranged in each case, and at least one bracket is assigned to the respective longitudinal arm for supporting an air spring bellows, In order to form at least one journal connection portion extending between the two longitudinal arms, a longitudinal arm connected to the journal connection portion, and a container for at least one component of an electric drive, two housing elements made of metal sheets are formed and the two formed housing elements are connected to each other to form a hollow body surrounding the container, and at least one component of the electric drive is installed in the container, and a drive shaft of the electric drive passes through the journal.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The two housing elements are initially formed as identical parts and a portion of the part comprising the at least one bracket is cut away in order to form the upper housing element.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein: At least one of the housing elements is formed from a metal sheet of varying thickness.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein: At least one of the two housing elements is formed from a metal sheet of varying thickness.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The two housing elements are connected by welding.

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