DEVICE FOR ASSEMBLING PARTS BY SCREWING HEADLESS CONNECTING ELEMENTS

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for assembling at least two parts (P1, P2) having opposing bores (A1, A2) for receiving screw-on connecting elements, characterized in that said bores have a profile that is at least partially conical, the flared portion of which is located on the outer side of said parts, said bores (A1, A2) being designed to fully house said connecting elements comprising, respectively, a single sleeve (1) carrying, at its two ends, at least two threaded flexible tabs (11) extending, in the free state, in divergent directions, and threaded nuts (2) designed to be screwed into said sleeve on either side by internally tightening said tabs, to lock it in said bores. (Fig. 3)

Description

Title of the invention: DEVICE FOR ASSEMBLING PARTS BY SCREWING HEADLESS CONNECTING ELEMENTS

[0001] The invention relates, in general, to the field of mechanical assembly of parts and is concerned, more particularly, with an improved device intended to ensure this assembly by means of headless connecting elements.

[0002] Numerous devices already exist for the purpose of ensuring the mechanical assembly of several parts. Among these devices, the most common are those comprising a threaded rod whose end is fitted with a head allowing it to be screwed in using a suitable tool. Such devices take the form of screws, bolts, lag screws, or studs and are used, in particular, in the automotive field to ensure the connection between two mechanical parts, namely the wheel hub and the brake disc.

[0003] However, in this type of connection, the head of the stud protrudes outside the parts and is therefore in the immediate vicinity of the surrounding parts and, in particular, the wheel pivot. This stud is mobile because it rotates with the brake disc around the fixed pivot, making this configuration critical.

[0004] Indeed, the standards of some car manufacturers impose a minimum distance of 10 mm between fixed and moving parts. However, with the smallest assembly methods available on the market today, this gap remains significantly smaller (on the order of 3 to 4 mm).

[0005] Furthermore, it is not possible to remove material from the pivot to provide a larger space between the two because, being under stress around the bearing, it must therefore necessarily exhibit good mechanical resistance.

[0006] Patent CN206830701UU describes a method of assembling a brake disc with a hub using a tapered sleeve designed to receive a screw. However, this screw has a head that remains protruding after tightening. This assembly method is therefore not suitable for the environment relevant to the invention.

[0007] In this problematic context, the invention sought a technical solution enabling the assembly of at least two parts by means of connecting elements not having any protruding parts outside of these parts.

[0008] This objective is achieved, according to the invention, by means of an assembly device for at least two parts having opposite bores intended to receive connecting elements by screwing, characterized in that said bores have a profile that is at least partially conical, the flared part of which is located on the outside of said parts, said bores being intended to fully house said connecting elements comprising, respectively, a single sleeve carrying, at its two ends, at least two threaded flexible tabs extending, in the free state, in divergent directions and threaded nuts intended to be screwed on either side into said sleeve by tightening said tabs, to lock it in said bores.

[0009] According to a specific feature of the assembly device of the invention, the sleeve has a cylindrical central section.

[0010] The position and length of the central cylindrical section of the sleeve are determined so as to position it at the interface between the two parts to be assembled.

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment of the assembly device of the invention, the sleeve has, at each of its ends, four flexible tabs diametrically opposed in pairs.

[0012] According to another specific feature of the assembly device of the invention, the threaded nuts are frustoconical.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the device of the invention, the nuts are provided with a central orifice for the actuation of a screwing tool.

[0014] Another object of the invention is a method for the mechanical assembly of at least two parts having through bores in opposite directions, characterized in that said bores are made with a profile at least partially conical, the flared part of which is located on the outside of said parts, a device as defined above, comprising a sleeve and nuts, is introduced into the bores, and said nuts are screwed into the inside and on both sides of said sleeve to lock it in the bores and assemble the two parts.

[0015] Yet another object of the invention is a specific use of the device defined above for the assembly of a wheel hub and a brake disc of a motor vehicle.

[0016] A final object of the invention is a motor vehicle comprising wheel hubs assembled to brake discs by means of a device having the characteristics defined above.

[0017] In its most general aspect, the improvement brought by the invention to known mechanical assembly devices makes it possible to avoid interference between the connecting elements of a fixed and dynamic assembly of moving parts and a static environment comprising fixed parts in the immediate vicinity.

[0018] The assembly device of the invention uses conical or frustoconical connecting elements which do not require protruding parts (head, external nut, etc.) on the external faces of the parts to be joined.

[0019] The assembly and disassembly operations of the device of the invention are very simple and easy to implement on the parts to be assembled, manually or automatically.

[0020] The device and method of the invention can be applied to the assembly of more than two parts by adapting, appropriately, the dimensional characteristics of the connecting elements.

[0021] In addition, the invention provides, at the same time, a significant gain in terms of size, an improvement in safety and an increase in the lifespan of the various components of complex dynamic systems.

[0022] Finally, the new assembly method proposed by the invention offers versatility, better reliability and greater safety compared to current assembly methods, thus promoting multiple and varied applications in a large number of industrial sectors.

[0023] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, with reference to the accompanying figures, for which:

[0024] [Fig. 1] is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the method of the invention on two parts to be joined together before the installation of the connecting elements of the assembly device.

[0025] [Fig.2] is a cross-sectional view of the implementation method of [Fig. 1] during the installation of the connecting elements.

[0026] [Fig.3] is a cross-sectional view of the implementation method of [Fig. 1] after the installation of the connecting elements.

[0027] [Fig.4] is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the connecting elements of the assembly device of the invention in the free state.

[0028] [Fig.5] is a perspective view of the connecting sleeve of [Fig.4] under stress and extracted from the assembly device of the invention.

[0029] For clarity, identical or similar elements are identified by identical reference signs throughout the figures.

[0030] Naturally, the embodiment of the assembly device according to the invention, schematically illustrated in the figures above and described below, is given only by way of non-limiting example. It is explicitly provided for within the scope of the invention that different embodiments can be proposed and combined to create others.

[0031] The invention relates to the general field of mechanical assembly of parts such as those found, in particular, in a motor vehicle. Specifically, the invention concerns the method of assembling moving parts in a dynamic assembly located near a set of static parts. Such a configuration is found in suspension systems and, in particular, on the rotating assembly comprising a wheel hub fixed to a brake disc and located near the fixed wheel pivot.

[0032] The parts to be assembled are generally pre-equipped with opposing bores designed to internally receive connecting elements by screwing. The invention aims to provide a device for ensuring the joining of these parts by means of connecting elements that have no protruding parts outside these bores after assembly.

[0033] This objective is achieved, according to the invention, by first producing the bores Al, A2 with a profile at least partially conical, the flared part of which is located on the outside of the respective parts PI, P2 to be assembled, as illustrated by figures 1 and 2. These bores Al, A2, which are through bores, will then be intended to fully house the connecting elements of the device of the invention described below.

[0034] These connecting elements comprise, on the one hand, a single sleeve 1 carrying, at its two ends, at least two threaded flexible tabs and, in the embodiment shown here in figures 4 and 5, four tabs 11 threaded diametrically opposed in pairs.

[0035] These legs 11 extend, in the free state, in divergent directions away from the longitudinal axis of the sleeve 1. The legs 11 are elastically deformable and, in the case where they are not subjected to any stress, they adopt a conical or frustoconical profile.

[0036] The sleeve 1 has a central section 10 of cylindrical profile which joins the two lateral sections carrying the flexible tabs 11. The position and length of the central cylindrical section 10 of the sleeve 1 are determined so as to position it at the interface between the two parts PI, P2 to be assembled.

[0037] In addition, the connecting elements of the assembly device of the invention include, on the other hand, threaded nuts 2 intended to be screwed on both sides into the sleeve 1 by tightening under stress the divergent tabs 11, to lock this sleeve in the bores Al, A2, as illustrated by figures 1 to 3, and thus to secure the two parts PI, P2.

[0038] The threaded nuts 2 are frustoconical and advantageously provided with a central hole 20 for operating a tightening tool. This central hole 20 is hexagonal in shape to allow the use of a complementary profile wrench. However, it would be possible to provide a hole of a different shape, for example, a slot for using a screwdriver.

[0039] The dimensions (diameter, length, ...) of the sleeve 1, the lugs 11 and the nuts 2 will be determined according to the dimensions of the parts PI, P2 to be assembled so as to be able to fully insert the connecting elements (sleeve 1 and nuts 2) into the bores Al, A2 previously made.

[0040] The device is assembled by screwing the two threaded nuts 2 into the sleeve 1, which has the effect of pushing the tabs 11 against the conical inner wall the bores of each part PI, P2, and thus hold them in the clamping position. Once released, the tabs 11 will tend to return to their initial angular position. Conversely, the disassembly operation consists of unscrewing the two nuts 2 to extract the sleeve 1 from the bores Al, A2 and separate the parts PI, P2.

[0041] The method of assembling parts described above and illustrated by the figures can be used without risk of contact with surrounding parts because the connecting elements (sleeve 1 and nuts 2) ensuring the joining of these parts are contained entirely within their bores and thus do not have protruding parts outside the joined assembly.

Claims

Demands

1. Assembly device of at least two parts (PI, P2) provided with opposite bores (Al, A2) intended to receive connecting elements by screwing, characterized in that said bores have a profile at least partially conical, the flared part of which is located on the outside side of said parts, said bores (Al, A2) being intended to fully house said connecting elements comprising, respectively, a single sleeve (1) carrying, at its two ends, at least two threaded flexible tabs (11) extending, in the free state, in divergent directions and threaded nuts (2) intended to be screwed on both sides into said sleeve by internally tightening said tabs, to lock it in said bores.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said sleeve (1) has a cylindrical central section (10).

3. Device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the position and length of said cylindrical central section (10) are determined so as to position it at the interface between the two parts (PI, P2) to be assembled.

4. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said sleeve (1) has, at each of its ends, four flexible tabs (11) diametrically opposed in pairs.

5. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said threaded nuts (2) are frustoconical.

6. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said nuts (2) are provided with a central orifice (20) intended for the actuation of a screwing tool.

7. A method for the mechanical assembly of at least two parts (PI, P2) having opposite through bores (Al, A2), characterized in that said bores are made with a profile at least partially conical, the flared part of which is located on the outside of said parts, a device according to one of the preceding claims comprising a sleeve (1) and nuts (2) is introduced into the bores, and said nuts are then screwed into the inside and on both sides of said sleeve to lock it in the bores and assemble the two parts.

8. Use of the device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 for the assembly of a wheel hub and a brake disc of a motor vehicle.

9. Motor vehicle comprising wheel hubs assembled to brake discs by means of a device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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