Multi-piece Clevis Assembly Using Sheet Metal Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gear shift assemblies rely on expensive and time-consuming investment casting for clevis components, which fail to meet strength, wear, and tolerance requirements effectively.
Innovation Solution
A multi-piece clevis assembly is developed using sheet material, comprising a clevis bracket and additional members with contact surfaces, allowing for high-strength and complex shape formation without the need for casting, enabling cost-effective manufacturing while maintaining precise tolerances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If investment casting is used to manufacture the clevis, then high strength and complex shapes can be achieved, but the manufacturing cost increases and production time is extended
Solution Approach 1:
The clevis is divided into multiple separate components (first clevis member, second clevis member, and additional members) that are manufactured individually using sheet material forming processes, then assembled together. This segmentation allows each component to be produced using cost-effective stamping or forming operations rather than expensive investment casting, while maintaining the overall structural integrity and strength requirements through proper design of the assembled configuration.
2Shape
If investment casting is used to manufacture the clevis, then complex shapes can be achieved, but the manufacturing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex clevis geometry is achieved by assembling multiple simpler sheet metal components rather than forming the entire complex shape in a single casting operation. Each individual member can be formed using rapid stamping or bending processes, and the overall complex configuration emerges from the assembly of these components, significantly reducing production time.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes sheet material (thin metal sheets) as the base material for forming the clevis members. This approach allows complex three-dimensional shapes to be created through bending, forming, and shaping operations on thin sheets, which are then assembled. This method is both faster and more cost-effective than investment casting for achieving complex geometries.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional casting methods are used, then the clevis can be manufactured, but the strength, wear, and tolerance requirements are not met
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs sheet metal forming to create the clevis members, where high-strength sheet material is formed into the required shapes and then assembled. This approach ensures that the material properties (strength, wear resistance) are maintained through the forming process, and the tight tolerances are achieved through precision forming operations, meeting all performance requirements while using a more manufacturable process.
Solution Approach 2:
The assembled multi-member clevis structure functions as a composite construction, where multiple individually-formed sheet metal components work together to achieve the required overall strength, wear resistance, and dimensional tolerances. Each component can be optimized for its specific function and contact surface requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A clevis assembly for use in a gear shift assembly of a vehicle, wherein the clevis assembly comprises a clevis bracket having a first end and a second end, the clevis bracket configured to be linked to a gear shift lever at the first end thereof. The clevis assembly further comprises at least one additional member configured to be coupled to the second end of the clevis bracket, wherein the at least one additional member comprises one or more contact surfaces configured to interact with one or more components of the gear shift assembly.