Composite type steering machine pressing block

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of composite steering machine briquet, the briquet mainly includes elastomer, screw plug, arc backing plate and the like component, the elastomer is formed by one injection molding with thermoplastic non-metal material, with good elasticity and buffering performance, multiple metal parts and elastic assembly in traditional structure can be replaced, simplify structure, reduce the number of parts.The briquet is fixed on rack by cooperation with screw plug, provide stable preload for gear and rack engagement, avoid free play generation.Meanwhile, elastomer can follow deformation in engagement process, effectively absorb and release impact load, avoid metal impact sound, improve vehicle NVH performance.The setting of arc backing plate can reduce friction, protect elastomer, prolong service life.The structure is suitable for multiple types steering system platform, with high assembly efficiency, good stability, strong adaptability, long service life and the like advantages, with good engineering application value and popularization prospect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of steering system technology, specifically to a composite steering gear pressure block. Background Technology

[0002] The automotive steering system mainly consists of components such as the steering wheel, steering column, steering gear, and steering tie rods. The driver's input force is transmitted through the steering wheel to the steering column, and then from the steering column to the rack and pinion mechanism inside the steering gear, thereby driving the wheels to steer. As the core component of the steering system, the smoothness of the steering gear's operation and its responsiveness directly affect the vehicle's handling performance and driving safety.

[0003] In the meshing transmission of gears and racks, to ensure that they always maintain a tight fit and avoid transmission lag or vibration caused by free play, a clearance adjustment mechanism is usually installed inside the steering gear to apply a stable preload to the rack. Common clearance adjustment mechanisms typically consist of a metal pressure block, an elastic element (such as a coil spring), and a buffer component (such as an O-ring), providing preload through a screw-plug clamping structure. While this type of structure is mature and reliable, it has the following drawbacks: The components are numerous and the structure is complex. In particular, the multi-metal parts are prone to collisions and noise during operation, especially under low-speed, small-angle rotation or external excitation. Furthermore, the elasticity and buffering functions are handled by different components, resulting in poor system coordination and adversely affecting the overall NVH performance (noise, vibration, and comfort) of the vehicle.

[0004] Therefore, existing clearance adjustment structures struggle to balance preload performance with the requirements of structural simplification and noise control. Especially given the trend towards improving overall vehicle comfort and modular assembly efficiency, there is an urgent need for a clearance adjustment block structure that is more compact, highly integrated, and possesses good elasticity and cushioning characteristics to address the problems of existing technologies and improve the overall performance of the steering system. Utility Model Content

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to overcome the existing defects and provide a composite steering gear pressure block that integrates multiple functional components such as metal pressure block, spring and buffer in the traditional structure into one, which significantly simplifies the structure, reduces the number of parts and improves assembly efficiency. The pressure block has good elasticity and fatigue resistance. While providing stable preload and compensating for gear meshing clearance, it can effectively absorb and release motion impact and avoid metal impact noise, which can effectively solve the problems in the background art.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution: a composite steering gear pressure block, comprising a rack, a housing, an elastomer, and a screw plug. The left end of the housing is configured as a semi-circular structure, and the left end of the housing wraps around the outer side of the rack. The right end of the housing has a hollow cylindrical section, in which the elastomer is disposed. One end of the elastomer abuts against the rack. The screw plug is screwed into the hollow cylindrical section and abuts against the elastomer. The contact surface between the elastomer and the rack is provided with a friction contact groove. The friction contact groove increases the contact area, making the structure more stable. The surface is equipped with an arc-shaped pad, which, together with the elastomer and the screw plug, forms a composite pressure block. This composite pressure block simplifies the structure of the clearance adjustment mechanism, reduces the number of parts, improves product performance, and enhances manufacturability. The arc-shaped pad enables contact with the rack, reducing friction while protecting the elastomer, reducing wear, and extending service life. The elastomer is made of non-metallic material that is melted and molded in one piece. After molding, it has a certain degree of elasticity, and its hardness and stiffness parameters can be adjusted by the raw material ratio. It can provide effective load, compensate for meshing clearance, and improve product performance.

[0007] The composite pressure block uses a "gap adjustment mechanism" to fix the elastomer on the rack with a screw plug, providing a preload and eliminating free clearance. During the rack's movement, the composite pressure block contracts and deforms due to the impact generated by the meshing of the gear and rack, absorbing and releasing the impact load and avoiding the impact noise between the composite pressure block and the shell.

[0008] Furthermore, the other end of the elastomer is provided with a groove, and the screw plug is provided with a convex structure. The groove serves to position the screw plug and cooperates with the screw plug to improve assembly efficiency. A central block is provided between the groove and the screw plug. The central block can apply force evenly to the elastomer and provide a stable and reliable preload.

[0009] Furthermore, the non-metallic material is one of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, thermoplastic elastomer, and modified nylon, and the non-metallic material has good elasticity and fatigue resistance.

[0010] Furthermore, the elastomer is configured as a cylindrical structure, and ribs are provided in the circumferential direction of the elastomer. These ribs reduce the contact area with the hollow cylindrical section, reduce friction, and at the same time ensure that there is a gap between the elastomer and the inner wall of the hollow cylindrical section, so as not to affect the deformation of the elastomer and ensure that it can reliably absorb and release impact loads.

[0011] Furthermore, the left end of the plug is provided with an internal hexagonal groove, which is used to adjust the position of the plug. A fastening nut is provided on the plug, and after the position is adjusted, it is further fixed by the fastening nut to prevent loosening.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are: 1. This utility model uses thermoplastic non-metallic materials to be molded in one piece through injection molding. It innovatively integrates the functions of the originally separate metal pressure block, elastic element and buffer into a single elastomer to form a composite pressure block. This structure significantly reduces the number of parts, avoids performance fluctuations caused by the misfitting of multiple parts, and simplifies the assembly process and assembly steps.

[0013] 2. The composite pressure block used in this utility model has good elastic deformation ability and can undergo micro-deformation when subjected to impact load, which can absorb impact and release energy, significantly reducing the vibration propagation path and noise source; this structure avoids hard contact between the pressure block and the shell, effectively suppressing the generation of abnormal noise.

[0014] 3. The elastic non-metallic material used in this utility model has high elastic modulus, excellent fatigue resistance and wear resistance. It can not only maintain a stable preload on the rack for a long time and effectively compensate for the meshing clearance, but also resist the performance degradation caused by long-term vibration and repeated load. The outer surface of the pressure block is also provided with an arc-shaped pad to reduce direct friction with the rack, further protect the surface of the elastomer and reduce the risk of wear. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the present invention. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the appearance and structure of this utility model; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the elastomer structure of this utility model. Figure 1 ; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the elastomer structure of this utility model. Figure 2 .

[0016] In the diagram: 1. rack, 2. elastomer, 3. groove, 4. center block, 5. screw plug, 6. fastening nut, 7. housing, 8. internal hexagonal groove, 9. arc-shaped pad, 10. friction contact groove, 11. convex rib, 12. hollow cylindrical segment. Detailed Implementation

[0017] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model. Example

[0018] Please see Figure 1-4This utility model provides a technical solution: a composite steering gear pressure block, including a rack 1, a housing 7, an elastomer 2, a screw plug 5, a fastening nut 6, an arc-shaped pad 9, a friction contact groove 10, a rib 11, a center block 4, and other structures.

[0019] The left end of the housing 7 is a semi-circular structure and is installed on the outer side of the rack 1; the right end of the housing 7 is provided with a hollow cylindrical section 12 for accommodating the elastic body 2; the elastic body 2 is disposed in the hollow cylindrical section 12, with one end abutting against the surface of the rack 1 and the other end being pressed by a screw plug 5; the screw plug 5 is screwed into the hollow cylindrical section 12 and applies axial preload through its front end contacting the elastic body 2 to compensate for the meshing clearance between the gear and the rack.

[0020] To enhance friction and clamping stability, a friction contact groove 10 is provided on the contact surface between the elastomer 2 and the rack 1; an arc-shaped pad 9 is covered on the surface of the friction contact groove 10 to increase the effective contact area, reduce the coefficient of friction, protect the surface of the elastomer 2, and extend its service life; the arc-shaped pad 9, together with the elastomer 2 and the screw plug 5, constitutes a composite pressure block that integrates elasticity, structure, and buffering functions.

[0021] Elastomer 2 is injection molded from thermoplastic non-metallic materials, preferably thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU), thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), or modified nylon (PA6 + toughening agent); the above materials have good elastic recovery performance, fatigue resistance and injection molding process adaptability; the material hardness, stiffness and other parameters can be adjusted by the raw material ratio according to the usage requirements, so as to meet the preload requirements and buffer response of different vehicle models.

[0022] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the elastomer 2 is designed as a cylindrical structure with multiple protruding ribs 11 on its outer circumference to reduce the actual contact area between it and the inner wall of the hollow cylindrical section 12, thereby reducing friction loss and retaining the necessary gap to ensure that the elastomer 2 can achieve free elastic deformation when subjected to meshing impact force.

[0023] The end of the elastomer 2 away from the rack 1 is provided with a groove 3, and the screw plug 5 is provided with a convex structure. Its end can be embedded in the groove 3 to achieve accurate positioning. The screw plug pressure is evenly distributed by the central block 4 to prevent local overload and improve the overall clamping effect and the life of the clamping block. The left end of the screw plug 5 is provided with an internal hexagonal groove 8, which is convenient for the installation tool to be inserted to adjust its position. A fastening nut 6 is provided on its outer side, which is fastened and locked after clamping and adjustment to prevent loosening.

[0024] During the operation of the steering system, when the gear and rack are relatively displaced and meshing impact occurs, the elastomer 2 will undergo slight deformation, thereby playing a role in mitigating impact and absorbing energy, significantly suppressing metal impact sound and vibration transmission, and improving the NVH performance of the whole vehicle.

[0025] The composite steering gear pressure block provided by this utility model is suitable for various types of gear-rack steering gears. It has a compact design, simplified manufacturing process, stable and reliable performance, and has good market application prospects.

[0026] The assembly and use method of the composite steering gear pressure block includes the following steps: 1. Housing installation: First, align the left semi-circular structure of the housing 7 with and cover the outer side of the rack 1 to fix it stably at the corresponding position on the rack axis; 2. Elastomer installation: Insert the elastomer 2, which is injection molded from thermoplastic non-metallic material in one piece, into the hollow cylindrical section 12 at the right end of the housing 7, so that one end of the elastomer 2 is tightly attached to the surface of the rack 1 for initial positioning. 3. Placement of arc-shaped pads: An arc-shaped pad 9 is embedded between the surfaces of the elastomer 2 and the rack 1 to reduce friction, protect the elastomer, and enhance contact stability. 4. Groove positioning and center block engagement: If a positioning structure is adopted, the convex front end of the screw plug 5 is inserted into the groove 3 set at the rear end of the elastic body 2, and the center block 4 is placed between the groove 3 and the screw plug to ensure the uniform transmission of the clamping load. 5. Tightening and locking of the screw plug: Use the installation tool to insert into the internal hexagonal groove 8 at the left end of the screw plug 5, screw the screw plug 5 into the hollow cylindrical section 12, so that its front end is in close contact with the elastomer 2 and a preload is applied to tighten the elastomer; after completing the position adjustment, tighten the locking nut 6 to lock the screw plug and prevent it from loosening during operation. 6. System Operation and Function Implementation: When the steering gear is in operation, the relative movement between the gear and the rack will cause impact load. The elastic body 2 undergoes slight compression deformation under pressure, absorbing and releasing the impact force, thereby providing stable meshing support, avoiding metal impact noise, and improving the smoothness and comfort of the vehicle.

[0027] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features and advantages of this utility model. Various changes and modifications may be made to this utility model without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of this utility model as claimed.

Claims

1. A composite steering gear pressure block, comprising a rack (1), a housing (7), an elastomer (2), and a screw plug (5), characterized in that: The left end of the shell (7) is set as a semi-circular structure, and the left end of the shell (7) wraps around the outer side of the rack (1). The right end of the shell (7) is provided with a hollow cylindrical section (12). The elastic body (2) is set in the hollow cylindrical section (12). One end of the elastic body (2) abuts against the rack (1). The screw plug (5) is screwed into the hollow cylindrical section (12) and abuts against the elastic body (2). The contact surface between the elastic body (2) and the rack (1) is provided with a friction contact groove (10). The surface of the friction contact groove (10) is provided with an arc-shaped pad (9). The arc-shaped pad (9), the elastic body (2) and the screw plug (5) together form a composite pressure block. The elastic body (2) is made of non-metallic material melted and molded in one step.

2. The composite steering gear pressure block according to claim 1, characterized in that: The other end of the elastomer (2) is provided with a groove (3), the screw plug (5) is provided with a convex structure, and a central block (4) is provided between the groove (3) and the screw plug (5).

3. The composite steering gear pressure block according to claim 1, characterized in that: The non-metallic material is one of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, thermoplastic elastomer, and modified nylon.

4. The composite steering gear pressure block according to claim 1, characterized in that: The elastic body (2) is configured as a columnar structure, and the elastic body (2) is provided with ribs (11) in the circumferential direction.

5. A composite steering gear pressure block according to claim 1, characterized in that: The left end of the plug (5) is provided with an internal hexagonal groove (8), and a fastening nut (6) is provided on the plug (5).

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