Method for producing a chassis component

Abstract

Method for producing a chassis component, wherein a structural component (3) pre-coated on its outer side is permanently and firmly connected to a joint cartridge (5) pre-coated on its outer side and pre-assembled to form a joint (2) by a material-to-material joining process, wherein a joint receptacle (15) is formed on the pre-coated structural component (3), the pre-coated joint cartridge (5) is inserted into the joint receptacle (15) in an axial direction (10) before the material-to-material joining process is carried out, characterized in that the outer circumferential surface (20) of the joint cartridge (5) is tapered at least in regions in the axial direction (10), wherein the outer circumferential surface (20) is conical at least in regions in the axial direction for centering the joint cartridge (5) during insertion of the same into the joint receptacle (15).

Description

The invention relates to a method for producing a chassis component according to the preamble of claim 1.A chassis component generally has a structural component and one or more joints firmly connected to the latter. For example, such a chassis component forms a two-point link, a three-point link or a flange joint, wherein the joint is usually integrated into the structural component by pressing, screwing or riveting. It is also possible to integrate the joint into a one-piece structural component housing. Such a chassis component is subject in particular to the following disadvantages: large installation space requirement, cost-intensive, large fluctuations in the joint characteristics, high weight, large number of individual parts, corrosion-prone regions (e.g. at the rolling edge of the joint), high inventory of semi-finished products and high logistics outlay.DE 603 04 709 T2 discloses a wheel suspension arm for a motor vehicle, which comprises a body formed from stamped sheet metal, which body is connected to a wheel carrier by means of a ball joint and to the vehicle body by means of two bearings. The ball joint comprises a lower socket which is inserted into a housing formed by the body and rests on the lateral edge of the housing via a lateral projection, and a cover which is placed on the lower socket and firmly connected to the surface of the body by laser welding.In this suspension arm, tolerances may be inconveniently added up while the lower mount and the lid are mounted on the body. Furthermore, the body, the lower mount and optionally the cover must be cleaned after assembly before a protective coating can be applied to these parts. It is also associated with a considerable outlay to provide the body and the lower mount and, if appropriate, the cover with different coatings.Furthermore, DE 24 54 155 A1 discloses a triangular steering arm of a motor vehicle which carries a helical spring and a shock absorber. The two bearing points which serve for linking them to the vehicle body and are arranged at a distance from one another and also their receiving point which serves for receiving a ball joint of the wheel carrier are arranged at the ends of an at least approximately triangular, substantially planar link base made of sheet steel. Welded to the side of the link base connecting the receiving point and the bearing point is a link bridge which consists of two struts of flat steel which are arranged at a distance next to one another and stand on edge and are connected to one another at least at their ends. Furthermore, a respective upstanding strip of flat steel is welded to the other two sides of the link base. In the region of the link bridge facing the receiving point, a spring plate is welded onto the link bridge on the one hand for fastening the helical spring. On the other hand, a bearing bolt is arranged between the struts of the link bridge for fastening the shock absorber.DE 103 44 082 A1 discloses a method for laser processing of at least two coated metal sheets, wherein during a first method step, heating by means of a laser beam is initially carried out in such a way that the coating vaporizes at least on the side of the metal sheet facing the laser beam. During a second process step, the sheets are welded over the de-coated region. Each sheet is individually positioned. Furthermore, each position to be welded is determined and de-coated on the side facing the laser beam. The partially de-coated sheets are positioned relative to one another in such a way that the de-coated regions face one another directly.DE 203 11 595 U1 discloses a joint cartridge with a substantially spherical housing.Proceeding from this prior art, the object of the invention is to be able to carry out the integration of the joint into the structural component in a simple manner with a high degree of accuracy in a chassis component of the type mentioned at the beginning. Furthermore, different coatings of joint and structural component should be simple to realize.This object is achieved according to the invention by a method according to claim 1. Preferred developments of the invention are given in the dependent claims.In the method according to the invention for producing a chassis component, a structural component precoated on its outer side is permanently firmly connected to a joint cartridge precoated on its outer side and preassembled to form a joint by a cohesive joining method.Since the joint cartridge already pre-assembled to form a joint is connected to the structural component, the mounting of individual parts of the joint on the structural component is dispensed with. As a result, a tolerance reduction can be achieved in the integration of the joint into the structural component compared to DE 603 04 709 T2. Since, furthermore, the joint cartridge is connected to the structural component by a cohesive joining method, the connection process of joint cartridge and structural component also takes place with very low tolerances. This makes it possible to achieve a higher accuracy than, for example, by pressing, screwing or riveting the joint into or onto the structural component. Finally, the joint cartridge and the structural component are already precoated, so that a different coating of joint cartridge and structural component is possible in a simple manner, since the joint cartridge and the structural component can be precoated independently of one another. The handling of the components to be connected to one another is also simplified, since an engineer can touch and grasp the joint cartridge and the structural component without any problem, without having to carry out a subsequent cleaning of these components, which would otherwise be necessary before a coating operation on account of contaminants which are attributable to the contact.The precoated structural component is permanently firmly connected to the precoated joint cartridge pre-assembled to form the joint, in particular by a cohesive connection which is formed by the cohesive joining method.The cohesive joining method is or comprises preferably a thermal method for the cohesive joining of materials, such as, for example, soldering or welding, such that the cohesive joining method can also be referred to as a thermal, cohesive joining method. Such a joining method is generally connected to a diffusion process, so that a connection produced by this method usually has a higher strength than a purely adhesive connection, such as an adhesive connection. The joining method is preferably a low-energy joining method or a joining method with a low total energy input. It can thus be ensured that one or more heat-sensitive components arranged on or in the joint cartridge, such as a bearing shell made of plastic, are not damaged by a heat input connected with the joining method. In particular, the cohesive joining method is or comprises beam welding, preferably laser beam welding. This makes it possible to achieve a particularly low-tolerance connection of the structural component to the joint cartridge.The joint cartridge is pre-assembled to form the joint. For this purpose, in particular an inner joint part is introduced into the joint cartridge and mounted movably therein before the structural component is connected to the joint cartridge. Thus, the joint can be manufactured with a high accuracy independently of the structural component. The inner joint part preferably extends out of the joint cartridge.The joint cartridge and the structural member are precoated. For this purpose, the joint cartridge and the structural component are each provided with a coating before the structural component is connected to the joint cartridge. These coatings are preferably different. Advantageously, the joint cartridge and the structural component are provided with the coating independently of one another. Preferably, the joint cartridge and the structural component are precoated by different coating methods. The coatings serve in particular for protecting the joint cartridge and the structural component from environmental influences, such as dirt and moisture. Preferably, the coatings form protective coatings. Preferably, the joint cartridge is precoated, i.e. provided with its coating, before the joint cartridge is preassembled to form the joint.The structural component is preferably precoated by dip-coating, in particular by cathodic dip-coating. For example, the structural component is precoated with a lacquer, which comprises an organic material, for example. The joint cartridge is preferably electroplated. For example, the joint cartridge is provided with a zinc-iron coating.The precoated structural component and the precoated joint cartridge are preferably pretreated for the material-bonding joining method. In particular, the precoated structural component and the precoated joint cartridge pre-assembled to form the joint are pre-treated for the material-bonding joining method. Preferably, the precoating of the joint cartridge, in particular of the joint cartridge pre-assembled to form the joint, is removed in regions before performing the material-bonding joining method, so that a decoating region is created on the joint cartridge. Preferably, the joint cartridge is connected with its de-coated region to the structural component by the material-bonding joining method. The regional removal of the precoating of the joint cartridge is preferably carried out by laser stripping or by another stripping method.In particular, the precoating of the structural component is removed in regions before the performance of the materially bonded joining method, so that a decoating region is created on the structural component. The structural component is preferably connected with its de-coated region to the joint cartridge by the material-bonding joining method. It has been found that a regional decoating of the precoated joint cartridge and of the precoated structural component can be realized with less effort than the material-bonded joining of an uncoated joint cartridge to an uncoated structural component. This is because the uncoated components generally have to be cleaned and coated after bonding.According to the invention, a joint receptacle is formed on the precoated structural component, into which the precoated joint cartridge pre-assembled to form the joint is inserted. In particular, a joint receptacle is formed on the precoated structural component, into which the precoated joint cartridge pre-assembled to form the joint is inserted before the material-bonding joining method is carried out. Preferably, the joint cartridge is inserted into the joint receptacle in an axial direction. The regional removal of the precoating of the structural component is preferably carried out during the formation of the joint receptacle.The joint receptacle is preferably formed by beam cutting, in particular by laser beam melt cutting. Since beam cutting can be carried out with very low tolerances, the formation and positioning of the joint receptacle on the structural component takes place with high accuracy.The joint receptacle is preferably formed with a round, a non-round, a quadrangular, a rectangular or a polygonal circumferential contour. This contour is in particular an inner circumferential contour which surrounds the joint cartridge after its insertion into the joint receptacle. The circumferential contour of the joint receptacle is preferably adapted to the outer circumferential contour of the joint cartridge. Thus, the joint cartridge is also preferably formed with a round, a non-round, a quadrangular, a rectangular or a polygonal circumferential contour. By forming a non-round, polygonal or polygonal circumferential contour, a form-fitting anti-rotation means can be realized in addition to the materially bonded connection. A polygonal or polygonal circumferential contour can also be used to define a rotational position of the joint cartridge with respect to the axial direction. A round circumferential contour, on the other hand, forms the advantage that the assembler can insert the joint cartridge into the joint receptacle with any desired rotational position with respect to the axial direction. The connection formed by the material-bonded joining method between the joint cartridge and the structural component is preferably strong enough to be able to form a sufficient anti-rotation means.The joint receptacle preferably comprises a recess into which the joint cartridge is inserted. According to a further development of the invention, the joint receptacle comprises or forms a hole which extends through the structural component and into which the joint cartridge is inserted. The recess of the joint receptacle is formed in particular by the hole. Preferably, the hole extends through the structural component in the axial direction. The through hole can be easily formed by the aforementioned beam cutting method and therefore with high accuracy.The joint cartridge preferably has a radial shoulder with which the joint cartridge is placed against the structural component in the axial direction when inserted into the joint receptacle. The shoulder in this case bears in particular against an edge of the joint receptacle. Preferably, the shoulder has a greater extension in the radial direction than the joint receptacle or the hole. The placement of the shoulder on the structural component forms a positioning aid when the joint cartridge is inserted into the joint receptacle in the axial direction. The shoulder is in particular an outer shoulder. Preferably, the shoulder is a circumferential shoulder. Preferably, the joint cartridge has on its outer circumferential surface a circumferential collar on which the shoulder is formed. The term "radial" identifies in particular any desired direction running perpendicular to the axial direction.According to the invention, the outer circumferential surface of the joint cartridge is formed tapering at least in regions in the axial direction. In this case, the outer circumferential surface is designed to be conical at least in regions in the axial direction. The tapering or conical configuration of the outer circumferential surface of the joint cartridge is preferably used for centering the joint cartridge during the insertion thereof into the joint receptacle. Thus, for example, possible tolerances in the diameter of the joint receptacle can be compensated.Preferably, the structural component is firmly connected to one or more other joints. According to one embodiment of the invention, the structural component is firmly connected to the one or more other joints before the joint receptacle is formed on the structural component. In particular, the location at which the joint receptacle is formed on the structural component is determined depending on the position or positions of the other joint or joints firmly connected to the structural component. The or each of the positions is preferably characterized or formed by a kinematic point of the respective other joint. Thus, the location at which the joint receptacle is formed on the structural component is preferably determined as a function of the kinematic point or points of the other joint or joints firmly connected to the structural component. This allows a significant gain in accuracy to be achieved compared to conventional chassis components in which the joint receptacle is already formed before the structural component is connected to one or more other joints, since the mounting of each of these other joints is connected with inaccuracies in position. In kinematic terms, a distinct improvement over the prior art is thus possible. The other joint or joints preferably comprise or form rubber or elastomer bearings.The joint is or forms in particular a ball joint. Preferably, the joint inner part forms a ball stud having a joint ball, which is introduced with its joint ball into the joint cartridge and is mounted movably therein before the structural component is connected to the joint cartridge. In this case, the ball stud is mounted with its joint ball in particular rotatably and / or pivotably in the joint cartridge. Preferably, the ball stud extends out of the joint cartridge through a joint cartridge opening. According to a further development of the invention, the ball stud is mounted in a sliding manner in a bearing shell which is introduced into the joint cartridge and preferably consists of plastic.The wall of the joint cartridge in the region of the joint cartridge opening is preferably shaped, in particular bent, in the direction of the ball stud. In this case, the region of the wall to be formed is preferably free of the precoating of the joint cartridge, since otherwise the precoating could chip off in this region. According to an alternative, the wall of the joint cartridge can be preformed in the region of the joint cartridge opening, but also in the direction of the ball stud. According to another alternative, the gel cartridge opening can also be covered with a closure ring which is fastened to the joint cartridge and through which the ball stud extends. However, by forming the wall of the joint cartridge in the region of the joint cartridge opening, smaller tolerances can be achieved than with a closure ring, since no additional component is required. The closure ring or the preformed or formed region of the wall covers the joint ball preferably in the axial direction, so that the ball stud is secured to the joint cartridge in the axial direction and in particular cannot be pulled out of the latter. The shaping of the wall of the joint cartridge in the region of the joint cartridge opening or the fastening of the closure ring to the joint cartridge is preferably carried out before the connecting of the structural component to the joint cartridge.According to one embodiment of the invention, the ball stud is introduced into the joint cartridge through the joint cartridge opening, in particular before the wall of the joint cartridge is shaped in the region of the joint cartridge opening in the direction of the ball stud or the closure ring is fastened to the joint cartridge.According to another embodiment of the invention, the joint cartridge has a mounting opening opposite the joint cartridge opening, through which the ball stud is introduced into the joint cartridge. This is particularly the case if the wall of the joint cartridge is preformed in the region of the joint cartridge opening in the direction of the ball stud. After the insertion of the ball stud into the joint cartridge, the mounting opening is preferably closed with a housing cover, in particular before the structural component is connected to the joint cartridge.The connecting region formed by the material-bonded joining method, in particular the welding region formed by the welding, is preferably covered by a sealing bellows. This offers the advantage that the connecting region or welding region does not have to be protected by a coating for protection against environmental influences, so that the application of such a coating can be saved. The sealing bellows is preferably a sealing bellows of the joint, which in particular simultaneously seals the joint cartridge opening. The ball stud preferably extends through the sealing bellows, which is in particular applied sealingly both to the ball stud and to the joint cartridge and / or to the structural component. The sealing bellows preferably consists of a flexible material. The sealing bellows is preferably made of elastomer material, in particular rubber.The structural component is preferably made of metal. Furthermore, the joint cartridge is preferably made of metal.The invention is described below with reference to preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. In the drawing, the following are shown: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a chassis component according to a first embodiment of the invention, FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section through the chassis component along the section line A-A visible in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the region marked B in FIG. 2 , FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the ball joint of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 shows the ball joint according to FIG. 4 in a state inserted into a joint receptacle of the structural component shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view of the ball joint inserted into the joint receptacle along the section line C-C shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 shows a perspective illustration of a chassis component according to a second embodiment of the invention, FIG. 8 shows a plan view of the structural component shown in FIG. 7 before the mounting of the ball joint, FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the ball joint of FIG. 7, FIG. 10 shows the ball joint according to FIG. 9 in a state inserted into a joint receptacle of the structural component according to FIG. 7, FIG. 11 shows a partial sectional illustration of the ball joint inserted into the joint receptacle along the section line D-D visible in FIG. 10, FIG. 12 shows a sectional view of the ball joint along the section line D-D shown in FIG. 10 after the formation of a weld seam, FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the ball joint along the section line E-E shown in FIG. 7, FIG. 14 shows a partial sectional illustration of the ball joint inserted into the joint receptacle along the section line C-C shown in FIG. 5 or along the section line D-D shown in FIG. 10, wherein the ball joint is additionally shown in a state in which it is only partially inserted into the joint receptacle, FIG. 15 is a sectional view of a modified ball joint in the state in which it is only partially inserted into the joint receptacle; and FIG. 16 shows a sectional view of the ball joint according to FIG. 15 in a state in which it is inserted into the joint receptacle.FIGS. 1 to 6 show different views and partial views of a chassis component 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention, wherein a ball joint 2 is integrated into a structural component 3. The structural component 3 is designed as a flange which can be firmly connected to another vehicle component, for which purpose the structural component 3 is provided with a plurality of through-holes 4. The ball joint 2 comprises a joint cartridge 5 serving as a joint housing, in which a ball stud 6 is rotatably and pivotably mounted. The ball stud 6 extends out of the joint cartridge 5 through a joint cartridge opening 7 (see FIG. 2 ), wherein the joint cartridge opening 7 is sealed by means of a sealing bellows 8, through which the ball stud 6 extends. The longitudinal central axis 9 of the ball joint 2 extends in an axial direction 10, wherein a sectional view of the chassis component 1 along the longitudinal central axis 9 is shown in FIG. 2.The ball stud 6 comprises a ball joint 11 which forms an axial end of the ball stud 6 and is mounted in a bearing shell 12 such that it can slide, which bearing shell is preferably made of plastic. The bearing shell 12 is seated together with the joint ball 11 in an interior 13 of the joint cartridge 5 and is secured therein against rotation about the longitudinal central axis 9. Furthermore, the wall 14 of the joint cartridge 5 delimiting the interior 13 is shaped in the region of the joint cartridge opening 7 in the direction of the ball stud 6. The wall 14 thus covers the bearing shell 12 and the joint ball 11 in the axial direction 10 in the region of the joint cartridge opening 7, so that the ball stud 6 and the bearing shell 12 are secured in the joint cartridge 5 in the axial direction 10. On its side facing away from the joint cartridge opening 7, the bearing shell 12 abuts against the wall 14.The joint cartridge 5 is seated in a joint receptacle 15 which is designed as a hole extending through the structural component 3 in the axial direction 10. The joint cartridge 5 comprises a circumferential, radial collar 16 which defines a radial outer shoulder 17 (see FIG. 3 ), by means of which the joint cartridge 5 bears against the structural component 3 in the axial direction 10. The collar 16 thus secures the joint cartridge 5 to the structural component 3 in the axial direction 10. The weld seam 18 is preferably formed circumferentially. A circumferential formation of the weld seam by 360° can be effected, but is not absolutely necessary.The sealing bellows 8 surrounding the joint cartridge 5 sealingly abuts with an axial end region both on the joint cartridge 5 and on the structural component 3 and covers the weld seam 18. Furthermore, the sealing bellows 8 surrounding the ball stud 6 rests with another axial end region sealingly against the ball stud 6. The connecting region of the ball joint 2 and the structural component 3 is thus protected from environmental influences. The structural component 3 bears with its circumferential contour (perforated wall) 19 (see FIG. 6 ) delimiting the joint receptacle 15 radially against the joint cartridge 5, such that radially acting forces can be optimally transmitted from the ball joint 2 to the structural component 3 and vice versa.The method according to the invention for producing the chassis component 1 is described below. First, the structural component 3 and the ball joint 2 are manufactured independently of one another, which is evident in the individual illustration from FIG. 4. Only the sealing bellows 8 is not yet applied to the ball joint 2. The ball joint 2 is then inserted into the joint receptacle 15 in the axial direction 10 with the ball stud 6 leading until the collar 16 rests with the shoulder 17 against the structural component 3 in the axial direction 10. This state can be seen from FIGS. 5 and 6, wherein FIG. 6 shows a partial sectional view through the ball joint 2 in the state according to FIG. 5 along the longitudinal central axis 9. During the insertion of the ball joint 2 into the joint receptacle 15 of the structural component 3, the joint cartridge 5 is preferably radially centered by the bent-over region of the wall 14. This centering is schematically shown in FIG. 14, which shows a section through the ball joint 2 along the longitudinal central axis 9. Since the formed region of the wall 14 in the region of the joint cartridge opening 7 leads to a region of the outer circumferential surface 20 of the joint cartridge 5 which narrows in the axial direction 10 and the joint cartridge 5 is introduced with its region of the wall 14 delimiting the joint cartridge opening 7 in front into the joint receptacle 15 of the structural component 3, a radial centering of the joint cartridge 5 takes place by interaction of the circumferential contour 19 with the outer circumferential surface 20. In a first state I, the joint cartridge 5 is positioned with its tapered region of the outer circumferential surface 20 in the joint receptacle 15. By further pushing the joint cartridge 5 into the joint receptacle 15 in the axial direction 10, the interaction occurs between the circumferential contour 19 and the outer circumferential surface 20 until the joint cartridge 5 is radially centered in the joint receptacle 15. The joint cartridge 5 is inserted into the joint receptacle 15 in the axial direction 10 until the shoulder 17 of the collar 16 abuts the structural component 3. This state is marked II. In order to improve the radial centering, the outer circumferential surface 20 of the joint cartridge 5 can additionally be formed conically in regions in the axial direction 10, which can be seen from FIGS. 15 and 16, which show a modified configuration of the joint cartridge 5. According to the modified embodiment, the outer circumferential surface 20 comprises a region 21 which extends conically in the axial direction 10 and is brought to bear against the circumferential contour 19 during the insertion of the joint cartridge 5 into the joint receptacle 15. This results in axial securing of the joint cartridge 5 on the structural component 3, so that according to the modified embodiment the radial collar 16 with the shoulder 17 can be dispensed with. Here, FIG. 15 shows a state in which the joint cartridge 5 is only partially inserted into the joint receiver 15, whereas FIG. 16 shows a state in which the joint cartridge 5 is completely inserted into the joint receiver 15.After the joint cartridge 5 is completely inserted into the joint receptacle 15 of the structural component 3, the weld seam 18 is formed by laser beam welding and then the sealing bellows 8 is applied to the ball joint 2.The structural component 3 and the joint cartridge 5 are each provided on their outer side with a coating 22 or 23 before the structural component 3 is welded to the joint cartridge 5, wherein the coating 23 is removed again in a region 24 by laser stripping before the joint cartridge 5 is welded to the structural component 3. The coating 23 is applied to the outer side of the joint cartridge 5 even before the ball stud 6 is inserted into the joint cartridge 5, wherein, however, an axial end region 25 of the joint cartridge 5 surrounding the joint cartridge opening 7 is not provided with the coating 23. Since the end region 25 is formed after the bearing shell 12 and the joint ball 11 have been inserted, a coating in the region 25 could chip off during the forming. Furthermore, the coating 22 is applied to the structural component 3 before the joint receptacle 15 is formed. After the coating 22 has been applied to the structural component 3, the joint receptacle 15 is formed in the structural component 3 by laser beam cutting, as a result of which the coating 22 is simultaneously removed in an edge region 26 of the structural component 3 surrounding the joint receptacle 15. The components 2 and 3 prepared in this way can now be inserted into one another as described above, after which the de-coated regions 24 and 26 are firmly connected to one another by means of the laser beam welding, forming the weld seam 18. After the sealing bellows 8 has been placed on, the weld seam 18, the remaining parts of the regions 24 and 26 and the end region 25 are protected from environmental influences by the sealing bellows 8.From FIGS. 7 to 13 a chassis component 1 according to a second embodiment of the invention is evident, wherein features similar or identical to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment. FIG. 7 shows a perspective illustration of the chassis component 1, which is designed as a three-point link and comprises a structural component 3. A ball joint 2 and two rubber bearings 27 and 28 are firmly connected to the structural component 3, the bearings 27 and 28 preferably serving for the articulation of the chassis component 1 to a vehicle body of a motor vehicle. The ball joint 2 preferably serves for the articulation of the chassis component 1 to a wheel carrier.FIG. 8 shows a plan view of the structural component 3, wherein the bearings 27 and 28 are already firmly connected to the structural component 3. Furthermore, a joint receptacle 15 is shown, which is formed as a hole, which extends through the structural component 3 in an axial direction 10 and into which the ball joint 2 is inserted. The insertion of the ball joint 2 into the joint receptacle 15 and the fastening of the ball joint 2 to the structural component 3 are effected analogously to the first embodiment, so that reference is made in this respect to the description of the first embodiment. Similarly to the first embodiment, the joint receptacle 15 is also formed in the structural component 3 by laser beam cutting. However, the joint receptacle 15 is formed only after the structural component 3 is connected to the bearings 27 and 28, and the location 29 at which the joint receptacle 15 is formed is determined in this case as a function of the positions 30 and 31 of the rubber bearings 27 and 28 already firmly connected to the structural component 3. The positions 30 and 31 of the rubber bearings 27 and 28 are represented in particular by their kinematic points. Furthermore, the location 29 preferably represents the position of the kinematic point of the ball joint 2 in the state firmly connected to the structural component 3. In particular, the location 29 characterizes the center point of the joint receptacle 15. After the location 29 has been determined, the joint receptacle 15 is cut into the structural component 3 by laser beam cutting, wherein at the same time the surface coating 22 of the structural component 3 is removed in a region 26 surrounding the joint receptacle. Thereafter, the prefabricated and locally de-coated ball joint 2 according to FIG. 9 is inserted into the joint receptacle 15, which can be seen from FIG. 10. A section through the ball joint 2 according to FIG. 10 along the section line 9 is shown in FIG. 11 ; after the insertion of the ball joint 2 into the hole 15 of the structural component 3, the joint cartridge 5 and the structural component 3 are welded to one another in their de-coated regions 24 and 26, forming the weld seam 18, which can be seen from FIG. 12. A sealing bellows 8 is then placed on the ball joint 2, a section through the ball joint 2 according to FIG. 7 along the section line 9 from FIG. 13 being visible. For a further description of the ball joint 2 and the connection thereof to the structural component 3, reference is made to the description of the first embodiment.List of reference characters1 Chassis component 2 Ball joint 3 Structural component 4 Through hole in structural component 5 Joint cartridge 6 Ball stud 7 Joint cartridge opening 8 Sealing bellows 9 Longitudinal central axis of the ball joint 10 Axial direction 11 Joint ball of the ball stud 12 Bearing shell 13 Interior of the joint cartridge 14 Wall of the joint cartridge 15 Joint receptacle 16 Circumferential collar of the joint cartridge 17 Radial shoulder 18 Weld seam 19 Circumferential contour of the joint receptacle 20 Outer circumferential surface of the joint cartridge 21 Conical region of the outer circumferential surface of the joint cartridge 22 Surface coating of the structural component 23 Surface coating of the joint cartridge 24 De-coated region of the joint cartridge 25 Axial end region of the joint cartridge 26 De-coated region of the structural component 27 Rubber bearing 28 Rubber bearing 29 Location of the bearing receptacle 30 Position of the rubber bearing 31 Position of the rubber bearing

Claims

Method for producing a chassis component, wherein a structural component (3) precoated on its outer side is permanently firmly connected to a joint cartridge (5) precoated on its outer side and preassembled to form a joint (2) by a cohesive joining method, wherein a joint receptacle (15) is formed on the precoated structural component (3), the precoated joint cartridge (5) is inserted into the joint receptacle (15) in an axial direction (10) before carrying out the cohesive joining method, characterized in that the outer circumferential surface (20) of the joint cartridge (5) is formed tapering at least in regions in the axial direction (10), wherein the outer circumferential surface (20) is formed tapering at least in regions in the axial direction conically for centring the joint cartridge (5) during the insertion thereof into the joint receptacle (15).Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the cohesive joining method comprises a thermal method for cohesive joining of materials, in particular laser beam welding.Method according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the precoated structural component (3) and the precoated joint cartridge (5) are pretreated for the cohesive joining method.Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the precoating (23) of the joint cartridge is removed in regions before the material-bonding joining process is carried out, and the joint cartridge (5) is connected to the structural component (3) by its decoating region (24) by the material-bonding joining process.Method according to claim 4, characterised in that the regional removal of the pre-coating (23) of the joint cartridge (4) is effected by laser stripping.Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the precoating (22) of the structural component (3) is removed in regions before the cohesive joining process is carried out, and the structural component (3) is connected to the joint cartridge (5) by its decoating region (26) by the cohesive joining process.Method according to claims 1 and 6, characterised in that the regional removal of the coating (22) of the structural component (3) takes place during the formation of the joint receptacle (15).Method according to claim 1 or 7, characterised in that the forming of the joint receptacle (15) is effected by beam cutting, in particular by laser beam melting cutting.Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the joint receptacle (15) is formed with a round circumferential contour.Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the joint receptacle (15) comprises a hole which extends axially through the structural component (3) or is formed by the latter.Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the joint cartridge (5) has a radial shoulder (17), with which the joint cartridge (5) is placed axially against the structural component (3) during the insertion into the joint receptacle (15).Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one or more other joints (27, 28) are fixedly connected to the structural component (3) before the joint receptacle (15) is formed, the location at which the joint receptacle (15) is formed on the structural component (3) being determined as a function of the position or positions (30, 31) of the other joint or joints (27, 28) fixedly connected to the structural component (3).Method according to claim 12, characterised in that the other joint or joints (27, 28) comprise or form one or at least one rubber bearing.Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the joint (2) is or forms a ball joint.Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bya ball stud (6) having a joint ball (11), which is introduced with its joint ball (11) into the joint cartridge (5) before the joint cartridge (5) is connected to the structural component (3), such that the ball stud (6) is mounted movably in the joint cartridge (5) with the joint ball (11) and extends out of the latter through a joint cartridge opening (7).Method according to Claim 15, characterized in that the wall (14) of the joint cartridge (5) is shaped in the region of the joint cartridge opening (7) in the direction of the ball stud (6).Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connecting region (18) formed by the cohesive joining method is covered by a sealing bellows (8) of the joint (2).

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