Schaeffler Technologies Ag & Co .kg

Fred G Seebeck

Scott Thompson

Thorsten Liebel

Manfred Wilhelm

Horst Adel

Scott Ribey

A tensioning device for a traction mechanism drive for a belt drive that is incorporated in an internal combustion engine, in order to drive components of the engine or installed accessories. The tensioning device has a construction that is advantageous under production and construction viewpoints, by a high degree of robustness, and also by an advantageous mechanical operating behavior. The tensioning device includes a base part, a swivel arm, a torsion spring with a first winding end section that is allocated to the swivel arm and a second winding section that is allocated to the base part for applying a pivoting moment acting between the base part and the swivel arm and forcing the swivel arm in a tensioning direction, and a damping device for generating a damping force that counteracts a pivoting of the swivel arm directed against the tensioning direction. This damping device includes a first friction surface element that is arranged in a region of the winding end section of the torsion spring allocated to the swivel arm, and forms a friction surface that is used for applying friction force and that sits on a counter friction surface. In the region of the second winding end of the torsion spring for the base part, there is a second friction surface element that forms a friction surface that sits on a counter friction surface, and the counter friction surface is formed by a friction surface structure that can pivot together with the swivel arm.

Tensioning and damping device for traction-mechanism drives

Tensioning device () for a traction element drive, such as a belt or chain drive, with a tensioning arm (), which can pivot relative to a body () about a pivot axle () and on whose distal end a roller () supported rotatably is arranged for tensioning the traction element, for the purpose of which there is a torsion spring () acting between the pivot axle () of the tensioning arm () and the body (), and the pivot axle () is supported so that it can slide by at least one radial-bearing arrangement () and at least one axial-bearing arrangement (), wherein the axial-bearing arrangement () comprises a friction disk () arranged concentric to the pivot axle (), wherein the friction disk () has an axial stop surface (), which comprises at least one radial circumferential key groove () and that at least one radial circumferential friction spring, which extends into the key groove (), is constructed in the surface adjacent to the stop surface () of the friction disk ().

Growing community of inventors

Royal Oak, MI, United States of America

Fred G Seebeck