Axle Unit With Integrated Hydraulic Channel
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing axle units for utility vehicles are heavy and costly due to the integration of hydraulic lines, requiring complex and error-prone line arrangements, which complicates installation and manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
The axle unit design features a rotationally symmetrical axle tube and stub with a channel for hydraulic fluid, connected via a cross-member, allowing for a more compact and lightweight structure with simplified manufacturing by reducing the need for extensive machining and using a solid axle stub with a channel formed during casting or machining.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If hydraulic lines are integrated in the axle body of a rigid axle, then the line arrangement becomes less complex and installation space is reduced, but the weight of the axle body increases significantly and manufacturing costs increase due to required longitudinal boreholes
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the axle body into two separate components: a hollow axle tube and a cross-member. The hydraulic lines are integrated only in the cross-member, not in the entire axle body. This segmentation allows the axle tube to remain lightweight and hollow while the cross-member handles the hydraulic line integration, thus reducing overall weight and manufacturing complexity compared to integrating lines in the entire axle body.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the hydraulic line integration function from the axle tube and places it solely in the cross-member. This extraction allows the axle tube to be designed as a simple hollow structure for strength and lightness, while the cross-member independently handles the hydraulic line routing and connection functions.
2Device complexity
If longitudinal boreholes are incorporated in the solid axle body to accommodate hydraulic lines, then the hydraulic lines can be integrated, but the manufacturing costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the axle body into a hollow axle tube and a separate cross-member, the invention avoids the need for complex longitudinal boreholes through the entire axle length. The cross-member, being a separate component, can accommodate hydraulic lines with simpler machining or even as a cast component, significantly reducing manufacturing complexity and cost.
3Weight of moving object
If the axle tube is designed as a hollow body to reduce weight, then the weight is reduced considerably, but the structural strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the hollow axle tube with a separate cross-member to create a composite structure. The hollow tube provides lightness while the cross-member, which contains the hydraulic lines and connection points, provides additional structural reinforcement. Together they achieve both weight reduction and sufficient strength for the application.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an axle unit comprising an axle tube and an axle stub, wherein the axle stub is formed to be rotationally symmetrical with respect to a stub axis in some regions and has a channel which extends substantially parallel to the stub axis, wherein the axle stub has a first connection portion which has an engagement geometry for fluid-tight connection to the channel, wherein the axle tube is formed to be substantially rotationally symmetrical about a tube axis and wherein the axle tube and the axle stub are fixed on/to one another by way of a cross-member in such a way that the tube axis and the stub axis are spaced from one another.