Pipe Universal Joint Manufacturing for Lightweight Yoke Shafts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for manufacturing universal joints are complex, leading to reduced production efficiency and difficulty in achieving a lightweight design, which hinders weight reduction and fuel efficiency in the automotive industry.
Innovation Solution
A method for manufacturing universal joints using seamless pipes, integrating shaft joints and pipe joints with yokes, which reduces manufacturing costs and improves efficiency by minimizing machining and providing a hollow structure for weight reduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional methods using round rod materials are used to manufacture universal joints, then the manufacturing process is well-established, but the manufacturing process becomes complex and production efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the fundamental material parameter from solid round rod to hollow pipe, which fundamentally simplifies the manufacturing process. The pipe material inherently provides the hollow structure needed for weight reduction while maintaining strength, eliminating complex machining operations required for solid rod materials.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of starting with solid material and removing excess through complex machining, the invention inverts the approach by using hollow pipe material that already has the desired hollow structure, requiring minimal forming operations rather than extensive material removal.
2Weight of moving object
If conventional solid structure universal joints are manufactured, then structural strength is maintained, but the weight of the product increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the structural parameter from solid to hollow by using pipe material, which reduces weight while maintaining sufficient strength through proper wall thickness design and material selection.
Solution Approach 2:
The pipe structure can be viewed as segmented into outer and inner surfaces with a controlled wall thickness, allowing optimization of strength-to-weight ratio by adjusting the thickness parameter while maintaining the hollow configuration.
3Ease of manufacture
If extensive machining is performed on solid rod materials, then precise dimensions are achieved, but manufacturing cost increases and production efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention inverts the manufacturing approach by using pipe material that requires minimal forming rather than extensive machining, achieving precise dimensions through controlled forming processes that are more efficient and cost-effective.
Solution Approach 2:
Changing from solid rod to hollow pipe material fundamentally alters the manufacturing parameters, allowing precision to be achieved through forming processes rather than subtractive machining, reducing both cost and time.
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
The method effectively reduces the weight of universal joints, enhancing production efficiency and contributing to fuel efficiency in the automotive industry while maintaining durability.
Implementation Method 1
plastically deforming the material by pressing the material with a punch
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a universal joint using a pipe. The shaft joint of the universal joint is manufactured by: a material preparation step of preparing a material by cutting a pipe to a predetermined length; a shaft formation step of forming a shaft by reducing the outer diameter of a shaft formation portion by forming the outside of the shaft formation portion with a forming machine; a cutting step of bisecting the non-reduced head formation portion by forming a split across the non-reduced head formation portion in an axial direction; a yoke formation step of forming both opposite members of a yoke in a head by pressing the bisected head formation portion; a pinhole formation step of forming a pinhole across the yoke; and a spline shaft formation step of forming a spline shaft on the outer surface of the reduced hollow shaft.