Chassis component

Abstract

Chassis component with at least one joint housing (5) and with a connecting element (2), wherein an end section (4) of the connecting element (2) is connected to the joint housing (5), wherein a bearing shell (6) is arranged in the joint housing (5), and the bearing shell (6) has a connecting section (8), wherein the bearing shell (6) is connected to the end section (4) of the connecting element (2) by means of the connecting section (8), characterized in that the connecting section (7) closes an opening (14) of the end section (4), wherein the end section (4) forms a tubular opening (14) and the connecting section (7) has a plug section (15), and the plug section (15) is arranged in the tubular opening (14) and the plug section (15) fills the tubular opening (14),and the joint housing (5) is manufactured by means of an injection molding process by overmolding and / or casting the bearing shell (6) connected to the end section (4).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a chassis component with at least one joint housing and a connecting element, wherein an end portion of the connecting element is connected to the joint housing, wherein a bearing shell is arranged in the joint housing, and the bearing shell has a connecting portion, wherein the bearing shell is connected to the end portion of the connecting element by means of the connecting portion. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for producing such a chassis component, in which an end portion of the connecting element is connected to the joint housing.

[0002] Such a chassis component is known from DE 20 2004 019 733 U1 or DE 10 2011 000 934 A1.

[0003] From DE 10 2010 041 791 A1 it is known that the joint housing is formed by casting or overmolding a plastic material around the end section of the connecting element.

[0004] If the connecting element has an open end section or opening, there is a risk that the plastic material will undesirably enter the open end section or opening during injection molding to produce the joint housing. Furthermore, at higher loads, there is a risk that the chassis component will no longer meet the requirements. The joint housing injection-molded onto the end section could buckle, twist excessively, or break.

[0005] The object underlying the invention is to further develop a chassis component and / or a method of the type mentioned above in such a way that an open end section or an end section with an opening can be encapsulated and / or overmolded. Preferably, the chassis component should withstand higher load requirements. In particular, an alternative embodiment should be provided.

[0006] The object underlying the invention is achieved with a chassis component according to claim 1 and a method according to claim 8. Preferred developments of the invention can be found in the subclaims and in the following description.

[0007] The chassis component has at least one joint housing. In particular, the chassis component is designed as a pendulum support. Preferably, the chassis component has two joint housings. The two joint housings can be arranged at two opposite ends of the chassis component. Thus, various components of a vehicle's chassis can be or become connected to one another in an articulated manner by means of the chassis component. In particular, the two joint housings are arranged and / or designed mirror-symmetrically to one another.

[0008] Furthermore, the chassis component has a connecting element. The connecting element preferably connects a first joint housing to a second joint housing. The connecting element has at least one end section, wherein the end section of the connecting element is connected to the connecting element. In particular, the connecting element has two end sections facing away from one another. In this case, one of the end sections can each be connected to a joint housing. In particular, the joint housing is connected to the end section in such a way that the joint housing is secured against being pulled off the end section and / or against twisting about a longitudinal axis of the connecting element. The connecting element is preferably secured with both a positive axial lock and a positive anti-twist lock in relation to the joint housing by means of a positive connection.

[0009] According to the invention, a bearing shell is arranged in the joint housing, and the bearing shell has a connecting portion, wherein the bearing shell is connected to the end portion of the connecting element by means of the connecting portion.

[0010] The advantage here is that the connecting section of the bearing shell makes it easier to overmold and / or cast the end section. For example, with an open end section or an end section with an opening, a separate component in the form of a standalone plug element can be dispensed with. In particular, the positioning of the bearing shell in relation to the end section is predetermined by means of the connecting section and by the connection of the connecting section to the end section of the connecting element. Furthermore, the chassis component and / or the joint housing can withstand higher load requirements due to the bearing shell, which is connected to the end section by means of the connecting section. In particular, the material of the joint housing is stiffer and / or more bending-resistant and / or more fracture-resistant than the material of the bearing shell.

[0011] According to a further development, the bearing shell has a ball-socket section for articulately receiving a joint ball. In particular, a ball stud or a ball sleeve comprises the joint ball. The connecting section of the bearing shell extends from an outer side of the ball-socket section toward the end section. Thus, the bearing shell can be formed from the ball-socket section and the connecting section. In particular, the ball-socket section and the connecting section are integral components of the bearing shell. The bearing shell can be formed from a plastic material.

[0012] Preferably, the connecting element has a longitudinal axis. The connecting element can extend away from the joint housing in the direction of the longitudinal axis. In particular, the connecting element is designed as a tube or a rod. The connecting element can be made of a metal or a plastic.

[0013] According to a further development, the connecting section of the bearing shell is completely embedded in the material of the joint housing. Thus, the connecting section is completely enclosed by the material of the joint housing. In particular, the connecting section is positively received in the material of the joint housing. The connecting section can be web-like or designed as a single web. Alternatively, the connecting section can be designed as a double web or an open structure. The double web can be realized by means of two web sections aligned parallel to one another, wherein the material of the joint housing fills the space between the two web sections. The spherical shell section can have an outer side, wherein the outer side of the spherical shell section is embedded in the material of the joint housing.Thus, the material of the joint housing can lie directly on the connecting section and on the outside of the ball shell section.

[0014] Preferably, the bearing shell is arranged in a form-fitting manner on and / or in the joint housing. The connecting section of the bearing shell can extend from the outer side of the ball shell section toward the end section. Preferably, a joint ball rests against an inner side of the ball shell section. In particular, the outer side and the inner side of the ball shell section face away from each other. In particular, the ball shell section of the bearing shell and the region of the joint housing surrounding the ball shell section form a joint receptacle for articulately receiving the joint ball.

[0015] According to the invention, the joint housing is manufactured by means of an injection molding process by overmolding and / or casting the bearing shell connected to the end section. The joint housing can be made of a reinforced or fiber-reinforced plastic. In particular, the fiber-reinforced plastic comprises glass fibers, long fibers, or long glass fibers. Constructing the joint housing from such materials enables a weight reduction, particularly compared to the use of metal.

[0016] In particular, the connecting section of the bearing shell is connected to the end section of the connecting element in a form-fitting and / or material-fitting and / or force-fitting manner. The end section of the connecting element can have a form-fitting contour, wherein the connecting section of the bearing shell engages in a form-fitting manner with the form-fitting contour of the end section. This improves the retention of the bearing shell and / or the transmission of force from the joint housing and the bearing shell to the end section of the connecting element. The form-fitting contour of the end section can be designed as a knurling.

[0017] According to a further development, the connecting section of the bearing shell is pressed onto the end section of the connecting element. Alternatively or additionally, the connecting section of the bearing shell can be pressed into the end section of the connecting element. This results in an easy-to-manufacture and sufficiently strong connection between the bearing shell and the connecting element. Furthermore, the relative position of the bearing shell with respect to the connecting element is predetermined or fixed. This simplifies subsequent overmolding and / or casting of the bearing shell and the end section to form the joint housing.

[0018] The connecting section can form an at least partial enclosure for the end section. The enclosure can be adjacent to an outer side of the end section. Thus, the end section can be accommodated and / or arranged at least partially or completely within the connecting section of the bearing shell.

[0019] According to the invention, the end section of the connecting element has an opening. The opening of the end section is closed by the connecting section. This prevents undesired ingress of material during overmolding and / or casting of the bearing shell and the end section to form the joint housing. The end section forms a tubular opening. The tubular opening can have a circular, oval, or polygonal cross-section. The connecting section forms a plug section, wherein the plug section is arranged in the tubular opening and the plug section fills the tubular opening. The plug section can be pressed into the opening of the end section. The plug section can be designed as a solid cylinder or as a hollow cylinder open on one side.In addition to the plug portion, the connecting portion may form a sheath, wherein the sheath is pressed onto an outer side of the end portion.

[0020] A method for producing a chassis component according to the invention is particularly advantageous, wherein the end portion of the connecting element is connected to the joint housing. The bearing shell is arranged in the joint housing, the bearing shell having the connecting portion. Furthermore, the bearing shell is connected to the end portion of the connecting element by means of the connecting portion.

[0021] In particular, the bearing shell or the connecting section of the bearing shell is first connected to the end section. Subsequently, the joint housing is formed by overmolding and / or casting the bearing shell and the end section with a material. As already described, the material used to form the joint housing can be a plastic material or a fiber-reinforced plastic material.

[0022] In particular, the chassis component produced according to the method according to the invention is a previously described chassis component according to the invention. The method is preferably further developed according to the embodiments explained in connection with the chassis component according to the invention described here. Furthermore, the chassis component described here can be further developed according to the embodiments explained in connection with the methods.

[0023] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. Like reference numerals refer to like, similar, or functionally identical components or elements. They show: Fig. 1 a sectional side view of a chassis component according to the invention, and Fig. 2 a sectional plan view of the chassis component according to the invention according to Fig. 1.

[0024] Fig. 1 shows a sectional side view of a chassis component 1 according to the invention. In this exemplary embodiment, the chassis component 1 is designed as a pendulum support. The chassis component 1 has a connecting element 2. The connecting element 2 is designed here, for example, as a tube. Accordingly, the connecting element 2 has a longitudinal axis 3. An end section 4 of the connecting element 2 is connected to a joint housing 5. In this exemplary embodiment, the connecting element 2 extends away from the joint housing 5 in the direction of the longitudinal axis 3.

[0025] Furthermore, the chassis component 1 has a bearing shell 6. The bearing shell 6 is arranged in the joint housing 5. The bearing shell 6 has a ball socket section 7 and a connecting section 8. The ball socket section 7 is designed to articulately receive a joint ball 9. In this embodiment, the joint ball 9 is a component of a ball stud 10. The ball stud 10 extends with a stud 11 from the ball socket section 7 and the joint housing 5. According to this example, the stud 11 or the ball stud 10 extends transversely to the longitudinal axis 3.

[0026] The joint ball 9 rests directly against an inner side 12 of the ball socket section 7. An outer side 13 of the ball socket section 7, facing away from the inner side 12, is embedded in the material of the joint housing 5. The connecting section 8 of the bearing shell 6 extends from the ball socket section 7 or the outer side 13 of the ball socket section 7 toward the end section 4. The connecting section 8 is completely and positively embedded in the material of the joint housing 5.

[0027] In this exemplary embodiment, the end section 4 of the connecting element 2 forms a tubular opening 14. The connecting section 8 of the bearing shell 6 has a plug section 15 in this exemplary embodiment. The plug section 15 is arranged in the tubular opening 14, wherein the opening 14 is filled or closed by the plug section 15. Furthermore, in this exemplary embodiment, the connecting section 8 of the bearing shell 6 has an at least partial covering 16 for the end section 4 of the connecting element 2. The covering 16 rests against an outer side 17 of the end section 4.

[0028] The plug section 15 of the connecting section 8 is pressed into the end section 4 or into the opening 14 of the end section 4. At the same time, the sheath 16 of the connecting section 8 is pressed onto the outer side 17 of the end section 4. This reliably seals the opening 14, and the material for forming the joint housing 5 cannot penetrate through the opening 14 into the connecting element 2 during encapsulation and / or injection molding of the bearing shell 6 and the end section 4.

[0029] Fig. 2 shows a sectional plan view of the chassis component according to the invention according to Fig. 1. Identical features bear the same reference numerals as before. To avoid repetition, reference is also made to the previous description. The ball stud 10 has been omitted here for clarity.

[0030] In this embodiment, the end section 4 has a positive-locking contour in the form of a knurling (not shown in detail here). The connecting section 8 of the bearing shell 6 engages positively with this knurling. This improves the connection between the bearing shell 6 and the end section 4 and / or the transmission of force from the bearing shell 6 to the connecting element 2 or vice versa.

[0031] To manufacture the chassis component 1, the bearing shell 6 is first connected to the end section 4 of the connecting element 2. For this purpose, in this exemplary embodiment, the plug section 15 is pressed into the opening 14, and at the same time, the casing 16 is pressed onto the outer side 17 of the end section 4. This closes the opening 14 and simultaneously holds and positions the bearing shell 6, and thus also the spherical shell section 7, relative to the connecting element 2. Subsequently, the bearing shell 6 and the end section 4 are overmolded and / or cast with a material to form the joint housing 5.

[0032] In this case, only the inner side 12 of the ball shell section 2 remains free of the material of the joint housing 5.

[0033] While the bearing shell 6 in this exemplary embodiment is formed from an unreinforced plastic material, the joint housing 5 in this exemplary embodiment is formed from a fiber-reinforced plastic material. Due to the exemplary use of a tubular connecting element 2 in conjunction with the bearing shell 6 made of plastic and the joint housing 5 made of a fiber-reinforced plastic material, a weight-reduced design of the chassis component 1 results. At the same time, this chassis component 1 can withstand higher load requirements due to the design of the bearing shell 6 with the connecting section 8 and the material combination of unreinforced plastic material for the bearing shell 6 and fiber-reinforced plastic material for the joint housing 5. Reference symbol 1 chassis component 2 connecting element 3 Longitudinal axis 4 Final section 5 joint housing 6 bearing shell 7 spherical shell section 8 connecting section 9 joint ball 10 ball studs 11 cones 12 Inside 13 Outside 14 Opening 15 Plug section 16 Wrapping 17 Outside

Claims

[1] Chassis component with at least one joint housing (5), and with a connecting element (2), wherein an end section (4) of the connecting element (2) is connected to the joint housing (5), wherein a bearing shell (6) is arranged in the joint housing (5), and the bearing shell (6) has a connecting section (8), wherein the bearing shell (6) is connected to the end section (4) of the connecting element (2) by means of the connecting section (8), characterized byin that the connecting section (7) closes an opening (14) of the end section (4), wherein the end section (4) forms a tubular opening (14) and the connecting section (7) has a plug section (15), and the plug section (15) is arranged in the tubular opening (14) and the plug section (15) fills the tubular opening (14), and the joint housing (5) is produced by means of an injection molding process by overmolding and / or casting the bearing shell (6) connected to the end section (4). [2] Chassis component according to claim 1, characterized by that the bearing shell (6) has a spherical shell section (7) for articulately receiving a joint ball (9), wherein the connecting section (8) of the bearing shell (6) extends from an outer side (13) of the spherical shell section (7) in the direction of the end section (4), in particular the connecting element (2) is designed as a tube or as a rod. [3] Chassis component according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the connecting section (8) of the bearing shell (7) is completely embedded in the material of the joint housing (5), in particular an outer side (13) of the spherical shell section (7) is embedded in the material of the joint housing (5), preferably a joint ball (9) rests on an inner side (12) of the spherical shell section (7). [4] Chassis component according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the joint housing (5) is made of a reinforced or fiber-reinforced plastic. [5] Chassis component according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the connecting section (8) of the bearing shell (6) is connected to the end section (4) of the connecting element (2) in a form-fitting and / or material-fitting and / or force-fitting manner, in particular the end section (4) has a form-fitting contour, preferably a knurling, wherein the connecting section (7) engages in a form-fitting manner in the form-fitting contour. [6] Chassis component according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the connecting section (7) of the bearing shell (6) is pressed onto the end section (4) and / or pressed into the end section (4). [7] Chassis component according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the connecting section (7) forms an at least partial covering (16) for the end section (4), wherein the covering (16) rests against an outer side (17) of the end section (4). [8] Method for producing a chassis component (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the end section (4) of the connecting element (2) is connected to the joint housing (5), the bearing shell (6) is arranged in the joint housing (5), and the bearing shell (6) has the connecting section (7), wherein the bearing shell (6) is connected to the end section (4) of the connecting element (2) by means of the connecting section (7), characterized bythat firstly an opening (14) of the end section (4) is closed with the connecting section (7), wherein the end section (4) forms a tubular opening (14) and the connecting section (7) has a plug section (15), and the plug section (15) is arranged in the tubular opening (14) and the plug section (15) fills the tubular opening (14), and subsequently the joint housing (5) is produced by means of an injection moulding process by over-molding and / or casting the bearing shell (6) connected to the end section (4).

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