Steering Gear Housing Mount With Hard Protrusion Anti-Rattle Lock
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing steering apparatuses suffer from reduced steering rigidity due to the use of a bush between the inner and outer cylinders of the collar, which compromises the fixation to the vehicle body.
Innovation Solution
A steering apparatus design that incorporates a rack bar containing portion with a bracket portion and an engagement protrusion made from metallic materials, where the engagement protrusion abuts against a plastically deformable portion of the vehicle frame, using a coupling member to securely attach the gear housing to the vehicle frame without a bush, thereby enhancing rigidity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a bush is provided between the inner cylinder and outer cylinder forming the collar, then the steering apparatus is fixed to the vehicle body side via the bush, but the steering rigidity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the bush component from the fixation system. Instead of using a bush between the collar and vehicle body, the patent directly engages the collar's outer peripheral surface with the vehicle body frame through an engagement groove and engagement protrusion, eliminating the compliant element that reduced steering rigidity while maintaining reliable fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs composite material strategy by combining a metallic collar structure with a plastically deformable engagement protrusion. The collar itself is made of metal for rigidity, while the engagement protrusion is designed from a material with higher degree of hardness that can plastically deform to lock into the vehicle body frame, creating a rigid yet secure connection without compliant bushing material.
2Strength
If the engagement protrusion portion is made from a metallic material having a higher degree of hardness than the bracket portion and frame, then it can plastically deform the frame to prevent rattling, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by making only the engagement protrusion portion from a harder metallic material, while the rest of the bracket portion can be made from softer or different materials. This localized material differentiation provides the necessary plastic deformation capability at the engagement point without requiring the entire assembly to be manufactured from difficult-to-process hard material, thus balancing connection rigidity with manufacturing feasibility.
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 effectively prevents rattling between the gear housing and the vehicle frame in the radial direction, increasing steering rigidity by utilizing plastic deformation for secure attachment, reducing the number of components needed and ensuring precise positioning.
Implementation Method 1
The engagement protrusion portion abuts against a plastically deformable portion of the frame of the vehicle with the bracket portion and the frame of the vehicle coupled with each other with use of a coupling member. The engagement protrusion portion bites into the frame of the vehicle and plastically deforms a part of the frame of the vehicle
Data Source
AI summary
A steering apparatus includes, at a gear housing, a rack bar containing portion movably containing a rack bar configured to turn a turning target wheel and made from a metallic material, and an engagement protrusion portion provided between a bracket portion and a frame of a vehicle. The bracket portion is provided at the rack bar containing portion. The bracket portion is made from a metallic material. The bracket portion includes a cylindrical portion. The bracket portion is coupled with the frame of the vehicle made from a metallic material. The engagement protrusion portion is made from a metallic material having a higher degree of hardness than the metallic material of the bracket portion and the metallic material of the frame of the vehicle, and protrudes toward a vehicle frame side on which the frame of the vehicle is located. The engagement protrusion portion abuts against a plastically deformable portion of the frame of the vehicle with the bracket portion and the frame of the vehicle coupled with each other with use of a coupling member.