Hollow Drive Shaft Upsetting for Larger End Diameters
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing hollow drive shafts, such as friction welding and swaging, face challenges including high manufacturing costs, durability issues, and increased noise due to cold forging processes, while swaging processes struggle to increase outer diameters at both ends effectively.
Innovation Solution
A method involving hot forging and upsetting processes to increase the outer diameter at both ends of a workpiece, followed by CNC machining, rolling, high-frequency heat treatment, and painting to create a hollow drive shaft with enhanced structural integrity and power transmission capabilities, using a reduced number of processes to minimize costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If friction welding method is used to manufacture hollow drive shaft, then the shaft can be assembled from multiple components, but manufacturing costs increase due to multiple sub-components and additional processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate components (pipe and stub shafts) into a single integrated hollow drive shaft manufactured by swaging process, eliminating the need for friction welding assembly and reducing manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The swaging process simultaneously achieves multiple functions: forming the hollow structure, creating the desired shape, and ensuring structural integrity in a single operation, replacing multiple separate manufacturing steps
2Manufacturing precision
If swaging process with maximum eight steps is used to manufacture hollow drive shaft, then manufacturing complexity increases, but initial investment costs and manufacturing costs are significantly increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple swaging steps into a reduced number of processing steps while maintaining structural integrity, simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing equipment complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes processing parameters such as temperature, pressure, and deformation rate to achieve the desired structural integrity with fewer processing steps, reducing manufacturing complexity
3Shape
If cold swaging process is used to manufacture hollow drive shaft, then the structure can be formed, but cracks are formed inside and outside the workpiece due to rapid plastic processing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temperature parameter by applying warm or hot swaging instead of cold swaging, which reduces rapid plastic deformation and prevents crack formation, thereby improving durability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies gradual deformation with controlled processing parameters before final shaping, preventing stress concentration and crack initiation during the forming process
4Shape
If swaging process is used to manufacture hollow drive shaft, then the hollow structure is achieved, but outer diameters at both ends cannot be increased separately
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by performing separate swaging operations on different sections of the workpiece, allowing the outer diameters at both ends to be increased independently to different dimensions as required
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the forming process into multiple stages, with separate swaging operations for different sections of the hollow drive shaft, enabling independent control of outer diameters at both ends
5Weight of moving object
If hollow drive shaft is used instead of solid drive shaft, then vehicle weight is reduced by 30 to 40%, but manufacturing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the hollow structure formation with the overall shaping process in a integrated swaging operation, avoiding the need for separate hollowing operations and reducing manufacturing process complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes swaging parameters such as deformation rate, temperature, and pressure to efficiently form the hollow structure in fewer steps, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining weight benefits
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 approach reduces manufacturing costs, improves durability, and allows for increased outer diameters at both ends, enabling higher driving power transmission while maintaining a lightweight and rigid structure, thus overcoming the limitations of previous methods.
Implementation Method 1
inserting both ends of a workpiece cut to a predetermined length into a heating unit and heating both ends of the workpiece to a predetermined temperature
Implementation Method 2
inserting both ends of a workpiece cut to a predetermined length into a heating unit and heating both ends of the workpiece to a predetermined temperature
Implementation Method 3
pressing both ends of the heated workpiece with a mandrel in order to perform an upsetting process so that an outer diameter at both ends of the workpiece is greater than an outer diameter of a middle part of the workpiece
Implementation Method 4
performing a high-frequency heat treatment process of heating, by using a high-frequency heat treatment device, the workpiece, which has been subjected to the rolling process, to a predetermined temperature
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a hollow drive shaft using an upsetting method and a method of manufacturing the same, in which hot forging and upsetting processes are applied to both ends of a workpiece so that an outer diameter at both ends of the workpiece is greater than an outer diameter of a middle part of the workpiece, thereby reducing a weight of the drive shaft and enabling the drive shaft to transmit higher driving power. According to the present invention, the upsetting process is applied during the hot forging process to manufacture the hollow drive shaft, portions to be substantially processed are limited to portions at both ends of the workpiece, and the number of upsetting processes is limited to a minimum number (2 or the like), such that initial investment costs and manufacturing costs are low because the number of processes is small.