Drive-Shaft Mounting Structure With Spring Guide
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing drive-shaft mounting structures for rally cars are complicated to assemble and disassemble, requiring the removal of fixing bolts and grease, making rapid maintenance and replacement challenging due to the firm connection between the housing and companion flange, which is difficult to manage during changes in shaft length and bending angle.
Innovation Solution
A drive-shaft mounting structure that uses a spring guide and coil spring to maintain close contact between the housing and companion flange, eliminating the need for fixing bolts and allowing quick assembly and disassembly, with spherical surfaces minimizing noise and friction, and a locking portion that elastically adjusts to secure the housing in place.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fixing bolts are used to firmly connect the housing to the companion flange, then the housing separation is prevented, but the assembly and disassembly process becomes complicated and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the fixing bolts from the connection system. Instead of using bolts to secure the housing to the companion flange, the design relies on the elastic force of the spring to maintain constant contact pressure, thereby preventing housing separation without requiring additional fastening components.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring mechanism provides self-service by automatically maintaining the housing connection through its elastic force. The spring continuously applies pressure to keep the housing in contact with the companion flange, eliminating the need for manual intervention with fixing bolts during normal operation and maintenance.
2Reliability
If fixing bolts and grease are used to secure the housing, then the connection is firm and reliable, but the maintenance time increases due to complicated disassembly steps
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the grease requirement from the connection system. By eliminating the need for grease and fixing bolts, the maintenance process is simplified to only requiring the removal of the band, significantly reducing maintenance time while maintaining connection reliability through spring pressure.
Solution Approach 2:
The design discards the traditional bolt-and-grease fastening system in favor of a spring-based constant contact mechanism. This allows for quicker maintenance cycles where the housing can be rapidly disconnected and reconnected without the time-consuming steps of removing grease and tightening bolts.
3Reliability
If the housing is firmly fixed with bolts, then separation is prevented, but the ability to quickly replace the drive-shaft is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the time-consuming elements (fixing bolts and grease) from the drive-shaft replacement process. The spring-maintained constant contact provides sufficient connection stability during operation while allowing for rapid drive-shaft replacement by simply removing the band, thereby improving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection system transitions from a static bolted joint to a dynamic spring-based constant contact system. This dynamic approach maintains reliable connection during normal operation while enabling rapid disassembly and replacement when needed, optimizing both reliability and productivity.
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 configuration enables efficient prevention of housing separation during changes in shaft length and bending angle, simplifies maintenance by allowing quick assembly and disassembly, reduces noise and friction, and improves durability by maintaining constant contact, thus enhancing maintenance efficiency and reducing the complexity of managing parts.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic force of the spring brings the housing in close contact with the coupling portion
Implementation Method 2
spherical surfaces that protrude toward each other are formed at the end of the spring guide which faces the shaft and the end of the shaft which faces the spring guide, respectively
Data Source
AI summary
A mounting structure of a drive-shaft may include a shaft, a housing, a spring guide slidably disposed inside the housing having one end facing the shaft, and a spring with one end supported by a spring guide and the other end supported by the housing, in which a transmission has a companion flange with a cup-shaped coupling portion at an end, so when the housing enters the coupling portion, an elastic force of the spring biases the housing into the coupling portion.