Composite Transmission Housing With CFRP Skeleton and Leak-Proof Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current composite transmission housings for vehicle drive trains face challenges in achieving a balance of low weight, high strength, and low thermal expansion while maintaining sealing integrity and cost-efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A composite transmission housing design comprising carbon-fibre skeleton parts and plastic sealing cover parts, where the skeleton parts are manufactured using a cost-efficient carbon fibre tow winding process and assembled with sealing cover parts to form a robust, lightweight, and leak-proof structure, optimized through stress-based topology design and assembly methods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If conventional metal material is used for transmission housing, then strength and rigidity are sufficient, but weight is excessive and fuel efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) skeleton parts with plastic sealing cover parts. The CFRP provides high strength and rigidity while the plastic material enables sealing functionality, achieving both weight reduction and mechanical performance requirements simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The transmission housing is divided into functionally distinct segments: carbon fibre skeleton parts for structural strength and plastic sealing cover parts for sealing and lubrication retention. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized for its specific function while contributing to overall weight reduction.
2Weight of moving object
If carbon fibre reinforced plastic material is used for transmission housing, then weight is reduced and fuel efficiency is improved, but sealing integrity and lubrication retention become problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into non-sealing carbon fibre skeleton parts and sealing plastic cover parts. The plastic sealing covers are specifically designed to contact and seal around the carbon fibre skeleton, creating a reliable sealing envelope that retains lubricant while allowing the main structure to be lightweight.
3Ease of manufacture
If the transmission housing is designed as a single integrated part, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but manufacturing cost and material waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
Dividing the housing into separate skeleton and sealing cover parts enables optimized manufacturing processes for each component. The carbon fibre skeleton can be manufactured using efficient CFRP techniques with minimal waste, while plastic sealing covers can be injection molded separately, reducing overall material waste and simplifying manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs stress-based topology optimization to optimize the structural parameters of the carbon fibre skeleton, minimizing material usage while maintaining strength requirements. This parameter optimization reduces material waste without compromising manufacturing simplicity.
4Strength
If the carbon fibre skeleton parts are optimized through stress-based topology design, then strength-to-weight ratio is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Stress-based topology optimization modifies the structural parameters and material distribution of the carbon fibre skeleton to achieve optimal strength-to-weight ratio. The optimized design is then manufactured using automated CFRP winding processes, which translate the complex optimized geometry into production-ready components without proportionally increasing manufacturing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A composite transmission housing for a vehicle drive train transmission is configured for sealingly enclosing transmission shafts, gearwheels, and a lubricant fluid within an internal space of the housing and includes: a first carbon-fibre skeleton part having a first attachment region; a second carbon-fibre skeleton part having a first attachment region; a first sealing cover part made of plastic material and having a first sealing surface; and a second sealing cover part made of plastic material and having a second sealing surface. The first attachment regions of the first and second carbon-fibre skeleton parts are mutually connected for providing a rigid structural framework that defines said internal space, and the first and second sealing surfaces of the first and second sealing cover parts are pressed together or against corresponding sealing surfaces associated with the first and second carbon-fibre skeleton parts, for providing a sealing envelope around said internal space.