Integral Control Arm With Sleeve-Shaped Apertures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing control arms for vehicle wheel suspensions face challenges in efficiently transmitting forces while minimizing weight and manufacturing costs, particularly in the rear axle, where they lack sufficient torsional stiffness and require additional sleeves for bearing reception.
Innovation Solution
A control arm design featuring sleeve-shaped apertures with circumferential sleeve rims that protrude as collars, increasing the bearing receiving area and allowing for reduced wall thickness and scalable production, thereby enhancing force transmission and eliminating the need for additional sleeves.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If conventional control arm design with standard bearing seats is used, then manufacturing is simpler, but the bearing receiving area is insufficient leading to force transmission losses
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing seat is segmented into multiple circumferential bearing surfaces (first, second, and optionally third bearing surfaces) distributed around the aperture perimeter. This segmentation increases the total bearing receiving area without requiring a larger aperture, thereby improving force transmission while maintaining structural integrity and manufacturability.
Solution Approach 2:
The bearing seat transitions from a conventional single-plane design to a multi-dimensional circumferential arrangement. By distributing bearing surfaces around the aperture in different angular positions and potentially different axial levels, the design utilizes the third dimension (circumferential direction) to maximize bearing area within the same radial space.
2Area of stationary object
If additional sleeves are added to increase bearing area, then force transmission improves, but device complexity and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing seat features are merged directly into the control arm body structure. The circumferential bearing surfaces are formed as integral parts of the control arm, eliminating the need for separate sleeves or bearing seats. This integration reduces component count, simplifies assembly, and lowers production costs while achieving the required bearing area.
Solution Approach 2:
The function of additional sleeves is extracted and redistributed into multiple bearing surfaces formed directly on the control arm body. Instead of adding external components, the design takes out the sleeve function and redistributes it across multiple integrated bearing surfaces, achieving the same force transmission improvement without increased complexity.
3Weight of moving object
If wall thickness is reduced to decrease weight, then control arm weight decreases, but structural strength and torsional stiffness may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The control arm utilizes an aluminum alloy material that provides high strength-to-weight ratio. The material selection allows for reduced wall thickness while maintaining structural strength, achieving weight reduction without compromising the load-bearing capacity and torsional stiffness of the control arm.
4Loss of energy
If conventional bearing seats are used, then manufacturing tools are simpler, but force transmission efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The circumferential bearing surfaces are pre-formed as integral features of the control arm body during the extrusion process. This preliminary formation of bearing surfaces eliminates the need for subsequent machining or assembly operations, reducing manufacturing complexity while ensuring optimal force transmission from the outset.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a control arm for a wheel suspension system in a vehicle, including a sleeve-shaped aperture for the receiving of a bearing is formed in an integral control arm body, wherein the integral control arm body comprises a first side wall and a second side wall that is facing the first side wall. The sleeve-shaped aperture penetrates the first side wall and the second side wall. The sleeve-shaped aperture is formed sleeve-shaped with a first circumferential sleeve rim and a second circumferential sleeve rim. The first sleeve rim is formed by an outwardly shaped section of the first side wall that defines the sleeve-shaped aperture.