Rear Axle Steering Actuator With Grooved Plain Bearing Venting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing steering actuators for rear axle steering in motor vehicles do not efficiently allow air passage through sliding bearings, which can lead to production and assembly challenges, and often require complex designs to maintain functionality.
Innovation Solution
A steering actuator with a spindle drive featuring a rotary-linear transmission, where the threaded spindle is connected to pushrods via plain bearings that incorporate longitudinal grooves on the guide bush, allowing air passage with minimal flow resistance and enabling a separate rotational lock for simplified assembly, and optionally including a pressure compensation element to manage air flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If ventilation channels are formed in corner regions of the polygonal profile, then air passage is enabled, but the structural integrity and manufacturing complexity are affected
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the ventilation function from the corner regions of the polygonal profile and relocates it to longitudinal grooves on the cylindrical sliding bearing surface. This separation allows the polygonal profile to maintain its structural integrity while the grooves provide dedicated air passage paths, reducing the complexity of integrating ventilation into the load-bearing structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of forming ventilation channels in the corner regions (2D surface modification), the invention creates longitudinal grooves that extend along the axial dimension of the sliding bearing. This dimensional transition from radial/corner-based ventilation to axial groove-based ventilation improves air flow efficiency while maintaining structural simplicity.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If longitudinal grooves are formed on the guide bush, then air flow resistance is reduced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by forming grooves only in specific zones of the guide bush where air passage is most critical, rather than modifying the entire surface. The grooves are positioned to optimize air flow from the gaiter enclosure while maintaining sliding bearing functionality in other areas, thus reducing overall manufacturing precision requirements.
3Extent of automation
If the spindle drive uses a trapezoidal thread, then the rotary-linear transmission is achieved, but the assembly complexity and production difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the spindle nut and guide bush into a single integrated component. This combination eliminates the need for separate assembly steps for mounting the spindle nut, simplifying both production and assembly processes while maintaining the trapezoidal thread's rotary-linear transmission functionality. The integrated design reduces the number of parts and assembly operations required.
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 design enhances air passage efficiency with reduced flow resistance and simplifies the assembly process, providing a more robust and efficient steering actuator suitable for rear axle applications.
Implementation Method 1
at least one longitudinal groove abuts a guide bush of the plain bearing, which represents a free flow cross-section
Data Source
AI summary
A steering actuator for rear axle steering of a motor vehicle has a spindle drive (5) which comprises pushrods (9) which are connected to a threaded spindle (16) and which are mounted in a housing (6) by means of plain bearings (18), allowing the passage of air, and are connected at each end thereof to an attachment element (12) provided for coupling to a chassis suspension arm, wherein a gaiter (19, 20) is connected on the one side to the housing (6) and on the other side to one of the attachment elements (12) in each case. Each plain bearing (18) is designed as a bearing allowing one revolution of the threaded spindle (16), wherein at least one longitudinal groove (21) abuts one guide bush (23) of the plain bearing (18).