Deep-Drawn Connector Part for Reliable Cable Friction Welding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing connection parts for electrical installations in motor vehicles face challenges in producing small, cost-effective, and reliable connectors with sufficient wall thickness for reliable welded connections, while also meeting mechanical and electrical conductivity requirements.
Innovation Solution
A method involving deep-drawing a sheet metal blank to create a sleeve with a tab and through hole, allowing for a friction weld connection, and forming the tab to ensure mechanical and electrical stability, with the option to deform the tab for adaptable installation scenarios, resulting in a single-piece connector with reduced size and increased stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If sheet material is stretched and bent to produce a connector, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the wall thickness is insufficient for reliable welded connections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing parameter from stretching/bending to deep-drawing, which fundamentally alters how the metal is formed. Deep-drawing maintains material thickness by drawing the metal into shape rather than thinning it through stretching, thus achieving both manufacturability and sufficient wall thickness for welding
Solution Approach 2:
The deep-drawing process is segmented into specific stages: forming the sleeve, creating the tab at the second end region, and punching the through hole. This segmentation allows each feature to be optimized independently while maintaining overall process efficiency
2Adaptability or versatility
If the connector is designed in several parts, then assembly flexibility is improved, but mechanical load capacity decreases and assembly process becomes resource-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple components into a single integrated connector piece produced by deep-drawing. The sleeve, tab, and through hole are all formed in one piece from a single sheet metal blank, eliminating the need for separate parts while maintaining assembly flexibility through the integrated tab design
3Productivity
If small cable cross-sections are used, then the number of electrical consumers increases, but the wall thickness of connection parts becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the forming parameter from stretching to deep-drawing, which maintains material thickness during formation. This allows small connectors for small cable cross-sections to be produced with sufficient wall thickness, as deep-drawing does not thin the material like stretching does
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enables the production of small, cost-effective, and reliable connection parts with sufficient wall thickness for secure electrical connections, reducing assembly complexity and ensuring stable electrical contact, while accommodating various installation scenarios.
Implementation Method 1
Deep-drawing a sheet metal blank to produce a sleeve having a first end region and a second end region
Implementation Method 2
forming, in particular pressing, the second end region to produce a tab
Implementation Method 3
the first end region to be advantageously connected to an electrical cable both mechanically and electrically by means of a weld seam. It is particularly advantageous if the weld seam is a friction weld seam, i.e. a weld seam created by means of a friction weld
Data Source
AI summary
The subject matter relates to a method for producing a connection part for electrical equipment, in particular for an on-board electrical system of a motor vehicle, comprising: deep-drawing a sheet-metal blank to produce a sleeve having a first end region and a second end region, the first end region having a bottom and the second end region being open, deforming, in particular pressing, the second end region to produce a tab, and introducing a through-hole into the tab. The subject matter also relates to a connection part for electrical installations, in particular for an on-board network of a motor vehicle, and to a connection of a connection part according to any one of the preceding claims to a cable formed from a plurality of wires or strands.