Benteler Werke Ag

Ferdinand Wecker

Egon Olszewski

Hubertus Benteler

Rainer Hansen

A safety steering column assembly for automobiles comprising a steering shaft of variable axial length for connecting a steering wheel with a steering gear mechanism. A portion of the steering shaft adjacent the steering wheel is surrounded by a guide and support tube in which a bearing for turnably supporting the steering shaft is mounted. The guide and support tube, in turn, is surrounded by a corrugated tube serving as an impact absorber in which the corrugations of the tube are compressed into a block to reduce the axial length thereof. The stiffness of the corrugations of the corrugated tube varies along the length of the latter and the end of the corrugated tube distance from the steering wheel is fixedly attached to the guide and support tube, whereas the other end adjacent the steering wheel is releasably attached by means of a bracket to a portion of the body of the automobile so that upon impact on the steering wheel, for instance when during an accident the body of the driver hits the steering wheel, the corrugated tube is stressed in tension, whereby the compressed corrugations of different stiffness are gradually extended to provide a gradually increasing impact absorbing force.

Safety steering column assembly for automobiles

Apparatus for forming a corrugated tube from a smooth walled starting tube comprises a pair of receiving mandrels aligned spaced from each other along a preferably vertical axis and movable toward and away from each other to be engaged in opposite end portions of a starting tube. The halves of split corrugation forming discs and the halves of an end member above the uppermost of the discs, coupled together for limited movement in axial direction, are respectively carried and guided for movement in axial direction by a pair of clamping jaws tiltable between an open position permitting to align a starting tube with the mandrels and a closed position closing the split discs and the split end member and fluid tightly clamping opposite end portions of the starting tube located about said mandrels respectively between one of the mandrels and the closed end member and between the other mandrel and the clamping jaws. A channel for introducing pressure fluid into the interior of the starting tube leads through the other mandrel, while a ventilating channel in which a ventilating valve is arranged serves to discharge air from the starting tube during introduction of pressure fluid thereinto. A fluid operated cylinder and piston unit cooperates with the end member and the receiving mandrel engaged thereby for moving both elements in axial direction towards the other mandrel to thereby offset the starting tube and to deform the same into a corrugated tube.

Apparatus for producing a corrugated tube

Apparatus for producing a tube with successive corrugations of different configuration from a tubular blank of uniform diameter mainly comprises a central pin having a shaft portion fixed only at one end to a stationary support and having at the other end a radially enlarged head portion cooperating with radially inwardly movable clamping and forming jaws to clamp a portion of a tubular blank therebetween. The apparatus includes further a tubular member guided on the shaft portion of the central pin and movable in axial direction by hydraulically operated members cooperating therewith. The tubular member supports the blank on the inner surface of the latter and cooperates with a plurality of clamping fingers arranged axially spaced from the head portion about the outer periphery of the blank and being movable by a hydraulically operated clamping piston between a clamping and a releasing position, whereby between the head portion, one end of the tubular member and the clamped portion of the blank an annular expansion space is formed into which fluid under pressure is fed, to cause outward bulging of the blank between the clamped portion thereof. The above-mentioned hydraulically operated members comprise an upsetting cylinder connected at one end to the other end of the tubular member and including a radially enlarged portion in which the clamping piston is housed, and a corrugation cylinder cooperating with the upsetting cylinder for moving the latter between a rest position and an advanced position. In order to adjust the upsetting stroke and therewith the radial extension of the corrugations to be formed, a pair of annular discs are turnably, but axially immovably mounted on opposite ends of the corrugation cylinder and having a plurality of circumferentially displaced axial projections of different axial lengths which can be respectively brought into alignment with abutment members provided on the enlarged portion of the upsetting cylinder and the support.

Apparatus for producing a tube with successive corrugations of different

Apparatus for producing a tube with successive corrugations from a tubular blank of constant diameter comprises a central pin having a shaft portion fixed only at one end to a stationary support and having at the other end a radially enlarged head portion cooperating with radially inwardly moving clamping and forming jaws to clamp a portion of a tubular blank therebetween. The apparatus includes further a tubular member guided on the shaft portion of the central pin and movable in axial direction by hydraulically operated members connected thereto. The tubular member supporting a blank on the inner surface thereof and cooperating with a plurality of clamping fingers arranged axially spaced from said head portion about the outer circumference of the blank and movable by a hydraulically operated clamping piston between a clamping and a releasing position, whereby between the head portion, one end of the tubular member and the clamped portions of the blank an annular expansion chamber is formed into which fluid under pressure may be fed through bores in the central pin.

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Paderborn-Sennelager, Germany

Ferdinand Wecker