Adhesive-Bonded Steering Arm Assembly for Lower Stress Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing steering systems for commercial vehicles face challenges with high production costs and material stress due to welded connections, and bolted connections are not weight-optimized, leading to potential material cracks and short service life.
Innovation Solution
A steering system design featuring a base body and a retaining element connected via adhesive bonding, allowing for flexible assembly and material selection, eliminating the need for complex welds or heavy screws, and enabling the use of different materials and configurations for various vehicle types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If welded connections are used to fix components, then connection strength is improved, but production cost increases and material stress deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces welded connections (mechanical/thermal process) with adhesive bonding (chemical process). The adhesive bond provides sufficient connection strength while eliminating the high production costs and material stresses associated with welding, particularly when joining dissimilar materials like aluminum and steel.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the bonding method from mechanical/thermal (welding) to chemical (adhesive bonding). This parameter change allows for lower production costs and reduced material stress while maintaining adequate connection strength for the steering system application.
2Strength
If welded connections are used to fix components, then connection strength is improved, but material stress increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces welded connections with adhesive bonding, substituting a process that induces high localized material stress with one that distributes stress more evenly across the bonding surface. This eliminates the harmful thermal and mechanical stresses inherent in welding while maintaining connection integrity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If bolted connections are used to fix components, then assembly flexibility is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces bolted mechanical connections with adhesive bonding. This eliminates the need for heavy bolts, nuts, and associated fastening hardware, significantly reducing component weight while maintaining assembly flexibility through the same modular component design approach.
4Adaptability or versatility
If screwed connections are used to fix components, then assembly flexibility is improved, but service life decreases due to material cracks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces screwed mechanical connections with adhesive bonding. This eliminates the highly stressed zones around screw holes and thread engagements that lead to material cracks and premature failure. The adhesive bond distributes stresses evenly across the entire bonding surface, significantly extending service life while periodic continuous stress is applied.
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 design reduces manufacturing costs, optimizes weight, and enhances durability by providing a strong, flexible, and cost-effective connection that can be adapted for multiple vehicle types, while minimizing material stress and extending service life.
Implementation Method 1
The steering system according to the invention is characterised in particular by a base body and a retaining element to be fixed to this base body. The base body is advantageously the steering arm or trailing arm of a chassis system and is pivotably fixable to the frame of the commercial vehicle in its bearing area, which is preferably designed as a bearing bush. Furthermore, the base body is preferably designed to hold an axle body and to absorb deflection movements from the axle body and to position the axle body relative to the frame of the vehicle.
Data Source
AI summary
A steering system includes a base body having a contact surface on a base body side and a bearing area for pivotable suspension of a first distal end and a retaining element having a contact surface on a retaining side and a fastening section for fastening a spring element, and that is arranged at an end of the base body and fixed to the base body by an adhesive between the contact surfaces, and/or wherein an axle body with a contact surface on the axle side, wherein the base body is fixed to the axle body by an adhesive introduced between the contact surfaces, wherein the retaining element is fixed to the axle body by an adhesive introduced between the contact surface on the axle side and the contact surface on the retaining side.