Console and arrangement for receiving and guiding a steering axle of a vehicle and vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a console (1) for a steering axle. According to the invention, the console (1) comprises a console base body (6) with a front plate (7) and, on its rear side, a console part (8) for receiving and guiding the steering axle. The front plate (7) comprises a through-opening (9) for guiding the steering axle, an opening edge (10) circumferentially enclosing the through-opening (9) and projecting beyond a front surface of the front plate (7), screw holes (12) in the front plate (7), and a stiffening structure (13) around the circumference of the through-opening (9), which projects beyond the front surface of the front plate (7), connects adjacent screw holes (12) to one another, and is spaced apart from the opening edge (10).Between the opening edge (10) and the stiffening structure (13) a sealing ring (16) made of polyurethane foam is arranged on the front surface of the front panel (7), the material hardness of which is 52 Shore 00 to 78 Shore 00 and whose density is 292 g / l to 358 g / l.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a console for receiving and guiding a steering axle of a vehicle, an arrangement for receiving and guiding a steering axle of a vehicle and a vehicle.

[0002] It is generally known from the prior art to attach a console to a basic structure of a vehicle in order to accommodate another vehicle component and guide it in a directed manner through the basic structure.

[0003] In the generic publication CN 1 06 090 241 A, a console for receiving and guiding a steering axle through the vehicle body is disclosed. The console comprises a front plate with a through-hole for receiving the steering axle, around which screw holes are arranged. Furthermore, the console has a stiffening structure spaced radially from the through-hole and a sealing ring made of a porous foam, which is arranged between the stiffening structure and the through-hole.

[0004] From JP 2005 - 36 933 A a sealing ring made of polyurethane foam is known which is suitable for sealing the through-hole of the steering axle of a vehicle in a fluid-tight manner.

[0005] US 2021 / 0324891A1 discloses a coupling device for a rotary shaft, which discloses a sealing device that is arranged on a front panel by means of panel hooks.

[0006] WO 2016 / 030111 A1 describes a process for the production of polyurethane seals, in which aliphatic polyisocyanate, compounds with at least two isocyanate-reactive groups, catalysts, antioxidants and / or light stabilizers, and optionally blowing agents and auxiliaries and / or additives are mixed to form a reaction mixture, and the reaction mixture is allowed to react to form polyurethane, wherein the polyurethane seal has a Shore A hardness of less than 90 and a density of at least 850 g / L, and the polymeric compounds with isocyanate-reactive groups include polyetherols with a functionality of 2 to 4 and a hydroxyl number of 20 to 100 mg KOH / g, hydrophobic polyols with an OH number of less than 180 mg KOH / g and a functionality greater than 2 to 3, and chain extenders.

[0007] A roof rail with a sealing foam bead is known from DE 20 2012 104 672 U1. The roof rail for a motor vehicle has a contact surface designed for mounting on the roof of the motor vehicle and provided with a seal. The seal is a bead of hardened sealing foam, formed by sealing foam applied to the contact surface in a viscous, pasty state.

[0008] The invention is based on the objective of providing a console for receiving and guiding a steering axle of a vehicle that is improved compared to the prior art, an arrangement for receiving and guiding a steering axle of a vehicle that is improved compared to the prior art, and a vehicle that is improved compared to the prior art.

[0009] The object is solved according to the invention by a console for receiving and guiding a steering axle of a vehicle with the features of claim 1, an arrangement for receiving and guiding a steering axle of a vehicle with the features of claim 8 and a vehicle with the features of claim 10.

[0010] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0011] A console according to the invention for receiving and guiding a steering axle, also referred to as a steering column, of a vehicle comprises a console base body. This console base body is in particular made of a plastic, in particular of a hard plastic, in particular as a one-piece and / or one-part casting, i.e. cast from the plastic, and in particular forms a so-called hard component.

[0012] The console base has a front plate for mounting to a vehicle body shell, in particular to a body shell wall. On the rear side of the front plate, the console base has a console section for receiving and guiding the steering axle. This console section for receiving and guiding the steering axle is specifically designed as a pipe stub.

[0013] The front panel has a through-hole, particularly in its center, for the passage of the steering axle. Furthermore, the front panel has an opening edge that surrounds the through-hole and projects beyond a front surface of the front panel in the axial direction of the through-hole. The through-hole is thus framed by this opening edge.

[0014] The axial direction of the through-hole is in particular the direction of a normal to an opening surface formed by the through-hole.

[0015] The front of the front panel is the side of the front panel facing away from the console part for receiving and guiding the steering axle. The console part, designed in particular as a tubular stub, for receiving and guiding the steering axle is arranged at the rear of the front panel at the through-hole; that is, the console part, designed in particular as a tubular stub, for receiving and guiding the steering axle opens into the through-hole of the front panel.

[0016] The front panel also features several screw holes distributed around the perimeter of the feed-through opening. Each screw hole extends through the front panel from its front to its back. The screw holes can be evenly or unevenly distributed around the perimeter of the feed-through opening, as an even distribution is not required, as will be explained below.

[0017] The front panel also features a stiffening structure that extends around the circumference of the feedthrough opening on the front surface of the front panel. This stiffening structure projects beyond the front surface of the front panel in the axial direction of the feedthrough opening and connects adjacent screw holes. Radially, the stiffening structure is spaced from a radial outer edge of the feedthrough opening.

[0018] The radial direction of the through-hole is in particular any direction perpendicular to the normal of the opening surface formed by the through-hole.

[0019] The stiffening structure features stiffening ribs that connect adjacent screw holes and are formed on the front surface of the front panel, projecting axially beyond the front surface of the front panel in the direction of the through-hole. These stiffening ribs are spaced apart from the radial outer edge of the opening.

[0020] Furthermore, the stiffening structure features, for example, surrounds for the screw holes. Each stiffening rib transitions at its two ends into the surrounds of the two screw holes that it connects. The stiffening ribs are lower in height, particularly in the axial direction of the feedthrough opening, than the surrounds of the screw holes. Each surround forms a contact surface whose outer diameter is larger than the diameter or clear opening of the respective screw hole. Together with the stiffening ribs, these surrounds form the circumferentially closed stiffening structure of the front panel, which is spaced around and away from the feedthrough opening.

[0021] The console also features a sealing ring. This sealing ring is located on the radial outer edge of the opening, between this radial outer edge and a radial inner surface of the stiffening structure, around the outer circumference of the opening, on the front surface of the front panel, specifically abutting the radial outer edge of the opening. It is applied to the front surface of the front panel, particularly along the opening edge. The dimensions, specifically the height of the sealing ring in the axial direction of the opening and / or the width of the sealing ring in the radial direction of the opening, are / are specified, for example, depending on the application, to achieve optimal sealing.

[0022] The sealing ring is made of polyurethane foam (PUR). The material hardness of the sealing ring, in particular of the polyurethane foam of the sealing ring, is 52 Shore 00 to 78 Shore 00, preferably 58 Shore 00 to 72 Shore 00, more preferably 65 Shore 00. The bulk density of the sealing ring, in particular of the polyurethane foam of the sealing ring, is 292 g / l to 358 g / l, more preferably 310 g / l to 340 g / l, more preferably 325 g / l.

[0023] An arrangement according to the invention for receiving and guiding a steering axle of a vehicle comprises a console and a vehicle body shell. The console is arranged on the rear side of a body shell wall of the vehicle body shell, also referred to as the front wall. The front of the console's front panel faces the rear side of the body shell wall. The rear side of the body shell wall is, in particular, oriented towards a passenger compartment of the vehicle.

[0024] It is specifically provided that retaining screws are arranged on the back of the rough wall, each welded to the rough wall. The retaining screws pass through one of the screw holes of the bracket, and the bracket is fastened to the rough wall by screwing nuts onto the retaining screws with a specified torque.

[0025] The opening edge of the console's front panel is positioned in a wall opening in the unfinished wall. The clear dimension of the wall opening is larger, in particular only slightly larger, than the clear dimension of the through-hole including the radial width of the opening edge. The clear dimension of the wall opening is, in particular, smaller than the clear dimension of the through-hole including the radial width of the opening edge and the radial width of the sealing ring. That is, if the wall opening, the through-hole, the opening edge, and the sealing ring are all round, the diameter of the wall opening is larger, in particular only slightly larger, than the outer diameter of the opening edge, and in particular smaller than the outer diameter of the sealing ring.

[0026] The wall opening of the rough wall and the console, in particular its through-opening, in particular its opening edge, and in particular the sealing ring of the console, are thus designed in such a way that the outer circumference of the opening edge arranged in the wall opening of the rough wall is radially spaced from an inner circumference of the wall opening of the rough wall, in particular only slightly spaced, and a section of the sealing ring rests against the back of the rough wall over the entire circumference of the sealing ring.

[0027] Regarding the sealing ring, one section of the sealing ring rests against the back of the unfinished wall along its entire circumference. Another section of the sealing ring extends through the wall opening and rests against the inner circumference of the opening, extending along its entire circumference. A further section of the sealing ring fills the gap between the outer diameter of the opening edge and the inner circumference of the wall opening in the unfinished wall, extending along its entire circumference.

[0028] A vehicle according to the invention has such an arrangement. It is particularly provided that the steering axle is arranged to pass through the console, especially through its through-opening and through its console part, which is designed in particular as a tubular stub, for receiving and guiding the steering axle.

[0029] The described solution makes it possible, in particular, to build a vehicle manufacturer's platform modularly, using the same body-in-white for multiple vehicle series. With regard to the steering axle guidance, the body-in-white must be designed in such a way that it can be used for both right-hand drive and left-hand drive vehicle series. Currently, the steering axle guidance is integrated as a single piece with the body-in-white structure and is therefore unsuitable for the described design of the body-in-white that allows it to be used for both right-hand drive and left-hand drive vehicle series.

[0030] With the described solution, the vehicle body shell only needs to have one wall opening in the body shell wall; for right-hand drive and left-hand drive vehicle series, two such wall openings are required. The unused wall opening is then closed, and the console is mounted in the other wall opening, which is to be used for the steering axle.

[0031] Since the wall opening connects the passenger compartment of the vehicle with an exterior area and is therefore exposed to different temperature and humidity conditions on both sides of the body shell, there is an increased risk of corrosion, particularly on the inner circumference of the wall opening, i.e., on the inner edge of the wall opening. Furthermore, the vehicle body shell is advantageously coated with a protective lacquer by means of cathodic dip coating to protect it from corrosion. However, this method does not always work reliably on the inner edges of penetrations. Therefore, the solution described here incorporates a polyurethane foam sealing ring, which, according to the invention, makes it possible to protect the inner circumference of the penetration opening and also an area of ​​the body shell adjacent to the penetration opening on the rear side of the body shell.

[0032] The polyurethane foam sealing ring has a multitude of advantageous properties. In particular, it is highly resistant to aging and temperature fluctuations and exhibits very high impermeability to moisture.

[0033] Another problem solved by the described design is the very limited installation space in the passenger compartment, which severely restricts both the material thickness of the console and the number and arrangement of its mounting points. This problem is solved by incorporating the stiffening structure into the front panel, as will be explained in more detail below.

[0034] The bracket attached to the wall bare serves primarily to accommodate the steering axle and guide it through the wall bare. The challenge lies in positioning the sealing ring so that it protects the inner circumference of the wall opening, and preferably also areas adjacent to the wall opening on the rear side of the wall bare, from moisture both from the vehicle's exterior and interior. This is achieved by the described solution, in which the bracket and the sealing ring are designed such that the sealing ring covers the inner edge, i.e., the inner circumference, of the wall opening, as well as an adjacent area on the rear side of the wall bare, with the polyurethane sealing ring, in particular polyurethane foam.

[0035] The described solution is based in particular on the understanding that polyurethane, especially polyurethane foam, with certain values ​​of density (g / l) and Shore hardness (Shore 00) within the specified ranges, and especially with the respective preferred values, possesses a compact and very robust integral skin, so that even after significant deformation it exhibits spontaneous recovery, particularly a return to its original shape. This advantageous property is utilized in the described solution, in conjunction with the described console design, to achieve the described sealing effect.

[0036] Regarding the sealing ring, the opening rim surrounding the through-hole, on the one hand, and the stiffening structure radially spaced from it and surrounding both the through-hole and the opening rim, on the other hand, form a guide for the sealing ring. The stiffening structure and the opening rim create a sealing ring guide channel around the through-hole, which the sealing ring cannot leave radially, even under loads acting upon it during the installation of the bracket on the rough wall, particularly during the tightening of the bracket, and the resulting deformations of the sealing ring. This forces the sealing ring to deform through the wall opening during this installation of the bracket, especially during the tightening of the bolts to the rough wall.Due to the properties of polyurethane described above, the sealing ring then, with the section that was pressed through the wall opening by mounting the console, in particular by screwing it to the rough wall, attaches itself to the inside of the wall opening and completely closes the gap between the outer diameter of the opening edge and the inner circumference of the wall opening in the rough wall.

[0037] The stiffening structure, particularly the numerous stiffening ribs, further stabilizes the front panel, allowing for a reduction in its material thickness. This ensures that the very limited installation space described above is sufficient for the console. Furthermore, this stiffening structure, especially the stiffening ribs, distributes the contact forces of the retaining screws and nuts along its length. This eliminates the need for the screw holes to be evenly distributed around the feedthrough opening to maintain nearly constant contact forces on the polyurethane foam sealing ring.

[0038] For installation, the console, with its front plate on which the sealing ring is arranged as described, is placed on the inside side (i.e., on the back of the body shell) using the screw holes and the mounting bolts, which are typically welded to the vehicle body shell. The front of the front plate faces the back of the body shell. The console is secured by screwing the nuts onto the mounting bolts and tightening them to the specified torque. This forces the polyurethane foam of the sealing ring section by section through the gap between the opening edge of the console's front plate and the opening in the body shell. On the outside side of the vehicle body shell (i.e., on the front of the body shell), the polyurethane foam expands back to its original shape. This seals the wall opening and simultaneously protects the corrosion-prone inner edge.the inner perimeter, the wall opening is protected.

[0039] A particular advantage of the described solution, besides the already mentioned excellent long-term protection provided by the polyurethane foam sealing ring, is its ease of installation. Because the stiffening structure, especially the numerous stiffening ribs, ensures even force transmission, the nuts do not need to be tightened simultaneously or in several stages with varying torques. The polyurethane foam still distributes itself evenly around the perimeter of the wall opening in the unfinished wall. Furthermore, the described solution allows for very simple visual inspection of the seal, as it is only necessary to check whether the polyurethane foam has been forced through the wall opening as intended and is in contact with the inner circumference of the opening.

[0040] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to drawings.

[0041] This shows: Fig. 1. Schematic perspective view of a console for mounting and guiding a steering axle of a vehicle, Fig. 2. Schematic representation of the console in a top view from the front, Fig. 3 schematically shows a section of a vehicle with an arrangement for receiving and guiding a steering axle of the vehicle in a top view from the front of the arrangement, wherein a shell wall is shown transparently, and Fig. 4 schematically shows a section of the vehicle with the arrangement in a perspective view, where the shell wall is shown transparently.

[0042] Corresponding parts are marked with the same reference symbols in all figures.

[0043] Based on the Fig. Figures 1 to 4 below describe a console 1 for receiving and guiding a steering axle (not shown) of a vehicle 2, an arrangement 3 comprising the console 1 for receiving and guiding a steering axle of a vehicle 2, and a vehicle 2 comprising the arrangement 3. The figures shown are Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 an exemplary embodiment of console 1 in two different views and the Fig. 3 and Fig. Figure 4 shows a section of an exemplary embodiment of the vehicle 2 in the area of ​​a body-in-white 4 of a vehicle body-in-white 5 of the vehicle 2 with the console 1 mounted on the body-in-white 4 in two different views. The vehicle body-in-white 5, in particular its section shown in the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 transparently depicted shell wall 4, and the console 1 form the arrangement 3 for receiving and guiding the steering axle of the vehicle 2.

[0044] The console 1 has a console base 6 made of a plastic, in particular a rigid plastic, formed in one piece and / or as a single-piece casting. The console base 6 has a front plate 7 for attachment to the structural wall 4. On the rear side of the front plate 7, the console base 6 has a console part 8 for receiving and guiding the steering axle. In the illustrated example, this console part 8 for receiving and guiding the steering axle is designed as a pipe stub.

[0045] The front plate 7 has, particularly in its center, a through-opening 9 for the passage of the steering axle. Furthermore, the front plate 7 has an opening edge 10 that circumferentially surrounds the through-opening 9 and projects beyond a front surface of the front plate 7 in the axial direction of the through-opening 9.

[0046] The front side 11 of the front plate 7 is the side of the front plate 7 facing away from the console part 8 for receiving and guiding the steering axle. The console part 8 for receiving and guiding the steering axle is located on the rear of the front plate 7 at the through-opening 9 and opens into the through-opening 9 of the front plate 7.

[0047] The front panel 7 also has several screw holes 12, in the illustrated example three screw holes 12, which are distributed around the circumference of the through-hole 9 in the front panel 7. They each extend through the front panel 7 from its front 11 to its rear. The screw holes 12 can be distributed evenly or unevenly around the circumference of the through-hole 9, since an even distribution is not required due to a stiffening structure 13 described in more detail below.

[0048] The front panel 7 further features this stiffening structure 13, which is formed around the circumference of the through-hole 9 on the front surface of the front panel 7. It projects beyond the front surface of the front panel 7 in the axial direction of the through-hole 9 and connects adjacent screw holes 12 to one another. In the radial direction of the through-hole 9, the stiffening structure 13 is spaced from a radial outer edge of the opening 10.

[0049] In the illustrated example, the stiffening structure 13 has stiffening ribs 14 connecting adjacent screw openings 12. These ribs are formed on the front surface of the front plate 7 and project beyond the front surface of the front plate 7 in the axial direction of the through-hole 9. Each of these stiffening ribs 14 is spaced apart from the radial outer edge of the opening 10.

[0050] Furthermore, in the illustrated example, the stiffening structure 13 has surrounds 15 for the screw holes 12. Each stiffening rib 14 extends at its two ends into the surrounds 15 of the two screw holes 12, which the respective stiffening rib 14 connects. The stiffening ribs 14 have a lower height in the axial direction of the through-hole 9 than the surrounds 15. Each surround 15 forms a bearing surface for contact with the rear side of the rough wall 4. The outer diameter of each surround 15 is larger than the diameter or clear dimension of each screw hole 12. Together with the stiffening ribs 14, the surrounds 15 form the circumferentially closed stiffening structure 13 of the front panel 7, which is spaced around and away from the through-hole 9.

[0051] The console 1 further comprises a sealing ring 16. This sealing ring 16 is arranged on the radial outer side of the opening rim 10, between this radial outer side of the opening rim 10 and a radial inner side of the stiffening structure 13, around an outer circumference of the opening rim 10, on the front surface of the front panel 7, specifically bearing against the radial outer side of the opening rim 10. It is applied to the front surface of the front panel 7, particularly along the opening rim 10. An extent, in particular a height of the sealing ring 16 in the axial direction of the through-hole 9 and / or a width of the sealing ring 16 in the radial direction of the through-hole 9, is / is specified, for example, depending on the application, to achieve an optimal sealing effect.

[0052] The sealing ring 16 is made of polyurethane foam (PUR). The material hardness of the sealing ring 16, in particular of the polyurethane foam of the sealing ring 16, is, for example, 52 Shore 00 to 78 Shore 00, preferably 58 Shore 00 to 72 Shore 00, more preferably 65 Shore 00. The bulk density of the sealing ring 16, in particular of the polyurethane foam of the sealing ring 16, is, for example, 292 g / l to 358 g / l, more preferably 310 g / l to 340 g / l, more preferably 325 g / l.

[0053] The in the Fig. 3 and Fig. The arrangement 3 shown in Figure 4 for receiving and guiding the steering axle of the vehicle 2 comprises, as already mentioned, the console 1 and the vehicle body 5, in particular its body wall 4. The console 1 is located on the rear side of the body wall 4 of the vehicle body 5. The front 11 of the front panel 7 faces the rear side of the body wall 4. The rear side of the body wall 4 faces, in particular, a passenger compartment of the vehicle 2.

[0054] In the example shown, four retaining screws 17 are arranged on the back of the rough wall 4, each welded to the rough wall 4. The retaining screws 17 are each passed through one of the screw openings 12 of the bracket 1, and the bracket 1 is fastened to the rough wall 4 by screwing nuts 18 onto the retaining screws 17 with a specified torque.

[0055] The opening edge 10 of the front plate 7 of the console 1 is arranged in a wall opening in the unfinished wall 4. The clear dimension of the wall opening is larger, in particular only slightly larger, than the clear dimension of the through-hole 9 including the radial width of the opening edge 10. The clear dimension of the wall opening is in particular smaller than the clear dimension of the through-hole 9 including the radial width of the opening edge 10 and the radial width of the sealing ring 16. That is, in an embodiment not shown here with a round design of the wall opening, the through-hole 9, the opening edge 10, and the sealing ring 16, the diameter of the wall opening would be larger, in particular only slightly larger, than the outer diameter of the opening edge 10, and in particular smaller than the outer diameter of the sealing ring 16.

[0056] The wall opening of the rough wall 4 and the console 1, in particular its through-opening 9, in particular its opening edge 10, and in particular the sealing ring 16 of the console 1, are thus designed in such a way that the outer circumference of the opening edge 10 arranged in the wall opening of the rough wall 4 is radially spaced from an inner circumference of the wall opening of the rough wall 4, in particular only slightly spaced, and a section of the sealing ring 16 rests against the back of the rough wall 4 over the entire circumference of the sealing ring 16.

[0057] Regarding the sealing ring 16, one section of the sealing ring 16 rests against the back of the rough wall 4 over its entire circumference. Another section of the sealing ring 16 extends through the wall opening of the rough wall 4 and rests against the inner circumference of the wall opening over its entire circumference. A further section of the sealing ring 16 fills the gap between the outer diameter of the opening edge 10 and the inner circumference of the wall opening of the rough wall 4 over its entire circumference.

[0058] A circumferential edge, in particular the inner perimeter, of the wall opening of the transparently depicted unfinished wall 4 is in the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 is not visible because it is completely covered by the non-transparent sealing ring 16, which is pushed through the wall opening in sections and rests against the back of the rough wall 4 at the edge of the wall opening.

[0059] In the solution described and illustrated here, one section of the sealing ring 16 rests against the back of the rough wall 4 over its entire circumference, and another section of the sealing ring 16 extends through the wall opening of the rough wall 4 and rests against an inner circumference of the wall opening. A further section of the sealing ring 16 fills the gap between the outer diameter of the opening edge 10 and the inner circumference of the wall opening of the rough wall 4 over its entire circumference.

[0060] Vehicle 2 has the described arrangement 3. In particular, it is provided that the steering axle, which is not shown here, is guided through the console 1, especially through its through-opening 9 and through its console part 8 for receiving and guiding the steering axle.

[0061] To mount the console 1 on the rough wall 4, the [unclear] in the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 console 1 shown with the front plate 7, on which the sealing ring 16 is placed on the surface described above and in the Fig. 1 and Fig.The front panel 7 is arranged as shown in Figure 2 and attached to the rear of the wall 4 with its screw holes 12 onto the retaining screws 17 welded to the vehicle body 5. The front 11 of the front panel 7 faces the rear of the wall 4. Fastening is achieved by screwing the nuts 18 onto the retaining screws 17 and tightening them to the specified torque. This forces the polyurethane foam of the sealing ring 16 section by section through the gap between the opening edge 10 of the front panel 7 of the console 1 and the wall opening in the wall 4. At the front 19 of the wall 4, the polyurethane foam expands back to its original shape. This seals the wall opening on both sides of the wall 4 and simultaneously protects the inner perimeter of the wall opening, which is particularly susceptible to corrosion.

[0062] The described solution is based in particular on the understanding that polyurethane, especially polyurethane foam, with certain values ​​of density (g / l) and Shore hardness (Shore 00) within the specified ranges, and in particular the respective preferred values, possesses a compact and very robust integral skin, so that even after severe deformation it exhibits spontaneous recovery, in particular a return to its original shape. This advantageous property is used in the described solution to achieve the described seal in conjunction with the described design of console 1.

[0063] With regard to the sealing ring 16, the opening rim 10 surrounding the through-hole 9, on the one hand, and the stiffening structure 13, radially spaced from it and surrounding the through-hole 9 and the opening rim 10, on the other hand, form a guide for the sealing ring 16. The stiffening structure 13 and the opening rim 10 create a sealing ring guide channel surrounding the through-hole 9, which the sealing ring 16 cannot leave radially, even under loads acting upon it during the assembly of the bracket 1 on the rough wall 4, particularly during the tightening of the bracket 1, and the resulting deformations of the sealing ring 16. This forces the sealing ring 16 to deform through the wall opening during this assembly of the bracket 1, especially during the tightening of the bolts to the rough wall 4.Due to the properties of polyurethane described above, the sealing ring 16 then fills the gap between the outer diameter of the opening edge 10 and the inner circumference of the wall opening of the rough wall 4 with the section that was pressed through the wall opening by the assembly of the console 1, in particular by screwing it to the rough wall 4.

[0064] The stiffening structure 13, in particular the majority of stiffening ribs 14, further serves to stabilize the front panel 7, thus allowing the material thickness of the front panel 7 to be reduced. This ensures that the installation space for the console 1, which is very limited in the passenger compartment, is sufficiently large to accommodate it. Furthermore, this stiffening structure 13, in particular the stiffening ribs 14, distributes the contact forces of the retaining screws 17 and nuts 18 along the stiffening structure 13, especially along the stiffening ribs 14. As a result, the screw holes 12 do not need to be evenly distributed around the through-hole 9 to exert nearly constant contact forces on the polyurethane foam sealing ring 16.

[0065] A particular advantage of the described solution is its ease of installation. Since the stiffening structure 13, especially the multiple stiffening ribs 14, ensures uniform force transmission, the nuts 18 do not need to be tightened simultaneously or in several stages with different torques. The polyurethane foam still distributes itself evenly in the edge area of ​​the wall opening in the rough wall 4. Furthermore, the described solution allows for very simple visual inspection of the seal, as it is only necessary to check whether the polyurethane foam has been forced through the wall opening as intended and is visible on the front 19 of the rough wall 4.

Claims

[1] Console (1) for receiving and guiding a steering axle of a vehicle (2), comprising a console base body (6) which has a front plate (7) for attachment to a vehicle body shell (5) and on a rear side of the front plate (7) a console part (8) for receiving and guiding the steering axle, wherein the front plate (7) has: - a through-opening (9) for the passage of the steering axle, - an opening edge (10) circumferentially enclosing the through-hole (9) and projecting beyond a front surface of the front plate (7) in the axial direction of the through-hole (9), - several screw holes (12) distributed around the circumference of the through-hole (9) in the front panel (7), and - a stiffening structure (13) which is formed around the circumference of the through-hole (9) and projecting beyond the front surface of the front panel (7) in the axial direction of the through-hole (9), wherein the stiffening structure (13) is spaced radially apart from a radial outer side of the opening edge (10) on the front surface of the front panel (7) between this radial outer side of the opening edge (10) and a radial inner side of the stiffening structure (13), a sealing ring (16) is arranged around an outer circumference of the opening edge (10) on the front surface of the front panel (7), characterized by , that - the stiffening structure (13) connects adjacent screw openings (12) to each other and - the sealing ring (16) is made of polyurethane foam and has a material hardness of 52 Shore 00 to 78 Shore 00 and a bulk density of 292 g / l to 358 g / l. [2] Console (1) according to claim 1, characterized by , that the material hardness of the sealing ring (16) is 58 Shore 00 to 72 Shore 00 and / or the bulk density of the sealing ring (16) is 310 g / l to 340 g / l. [3] Console (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the material hardness of the sealing ring (16) is 65 Shore 00 and / or the bulk density of the sealing ring (16) is 325 g / l. [4] Console (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the stiffening structure (13) has adjacent screw openings (12) and stiffening ribs (14) connecting them to each other. [5] Console (1) according to claim 4, characterized by, that the stiffening structure (13) has surrounds (15) of the screw openings (12). [6] Console (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the console base body (6) is made of a plastic. [7] Console (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the console base body (6) is designed as a one-piece and / or one-part casting. [8] Arrangement (3) for receiving and guiding a steering axle of a vehicle (2), comprising a console (1) according to one of the preceding claims and a vehicle body shell (5), wherein the console (1) is arranged on a rear side of a body shell wall (4) of the vehicle body shell (5), wherein the opening edge (10) is arranged in a wall opening of the body shell wall (4), wherein a clear dimension of the wall opening is larger than a clear dimension of the through-hole (9) including a radial width of the opening edge (10) and is smaller than a clear dimension of the through-hole (9) including a radial width of the opening edge (10) and a radial width of the sealing ring (16), wherein a section of the sealing ring (16) bears against the rear side of the body shell wall (4) over its entire circumference,a further section of the sealing ring (16) extends through the wall opening over its entire circumference at an inner circumference of the wall opening, and a further section of the sealing ring (16) fills the distance between the outer diameter of the opening edge (10) and the inner circumference of the wall opening of the rough wall (4) over its entire circumference. [9] Arrangement (3) according to claim 8, characterized by , that retaining screws (17) are arranged on the back of the rough wall (4), each of which is welded to the rough wall (4), the retaining screws (17) being passed through each of the screw openings (12) of the console (1) and the console (1) being fastened to the rough wall (4) by screwing nuts (18) onto the retaining screws (17) with a predetermined torque. [10] Vehicle (2) with an arrangement (3) according to claim 9.

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