Unit Bearing Carrier Element Vulcanization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing unit bearings in automotive engineering face challenges in efficiently limiting relative movements of the bearing body with respect to the bearing housing, requiring extensive pre-treatment and vulcanization processes that are time-consuming and costly, with limited cavity availability in the vulcanization tool and potential for defective vulcanization.
Innovation Solution
A unit bearing design where a common carrier element is used to separate the support member from elastomer abutments, allowing vulcanization only on the carrier element, enabling a releasable connection to the support member, which simplifies the manufacturing process, reduces pre-treatment steps, and increases cavity yield in the vulcanization tool.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the support member is directly vulcanized with elastomer abutments, then a durable connection is achieved, but the pre-treatment process becomes time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the support member into two separate components: a carrier element that receives the elastomer abutments and the actual support member. The carrier element is vulcanized with the abutments separately, then assembled to the support member. This segmentation eliminates the need for time-consuming pre-treatment of the entire support member surface while maintaining durable vulcanization connections where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier element acts as an intermediary component between the support member and the elastomer abutments. It provides a dedicated interface for vulcanization, allowing the abutments to be permanently connected to the carrier element which is then releasably connected to the support member, avoiding direct vulcanization of the support member itself.
2Manufacturing precision
If the support member surface is pre-treated with blasting and coating, then vulcanization quality improves, but the process complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the support member into a carrier element and the support member itself, the patent concentrates the vulcanization process onto the smaller carrier element. This reduces the total surface area requiring pre-treatment and simplifies the manufacturing process while maintaining high vulcanization quality at the critical connection points.
3Manufacturing precision
If the vulcanization tool accommodates large support members, then complete coverage is achieved, but the number of available cavities decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the vulcanization function from the support member by using a smaller carrier element. This allows multiple carrier elements to be vulcanized simultaneously in a single tool cavity or across multiple cavities, significantly increasing the number of available cavities and overall productivity while ensuring complete vulcanization coverage of the abutment interfaces.
4Manufacturing precision
If delayed injection is used to achieve uniform wetting, then elastomer distribution improves, but the manufacturing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the vulcanization action in advance on the carrier element separately from the support member assembly. The carrier element is pre-vulcanized with the elastomer abutments to achieve uniform wetting and complete coverage, then this pre-assembled unit is quickly connected to the support member. This preliminary action eliminates the need for time-consuming delayed injection processes during final assembly.
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 approach allows for faster and more cost-effective manufacturing of unit bearings, reduces the risk of defective vulcanization, and facilitates the use of different elastomer materials with varying Shore hardness, while maintaining a durable connection between the carrier element and support member.
Implementation Method 1
The support member is therefore actually separated from the abutments by the at least one carrier element and the vulcanization can only take place at the at least one carrier element so that, conversely, the support member can be excluded from the vulcanization.
Data Source
AI summary
A unit bearing includes a bearing body configured to be received by a rigid bearing housing provided with an opening on at least one side, a carrier element and at least one support member engaging the rigid bearing housing through the opening. The bearing body includes elastomer abutments. The elastomer abutments are disposed between the rigid bearing housing and the support member. The carrier element is disposed between the support member and the elastomer abutments. The unit bearing is configured such that relative movements of the bearing body with respect to the bearing housing caused by loading of the support member along three mutually orthogonal directions are limited by the elastomer abutments.