Gkn Automotive Ag

Uni-Cardan Aktiengesellschaft

Miloslav Petrzelka

Werner Hoffmann

Herbert Taureg

Werner Krude

Thomas Schafferus

Werner Hoffman

A resilient central bearing such as for a propeller shaft for motor vehicle drives, having a roller bearing held in a housing which is disclosed and claimed. A bracket for being secured to the motor vehicle body holds the bearing. The inner bearing race of the roller bearing is associated with a carrying ring having resilient member for receiving the shaft to be supported.

Resilient central bearing for a propeller shaft

The invention relates to a locking connection for transmitting torque in driveshafts and the like. An internally and/or externally positioned metallic connecting element having a hub journal is inserted into or slid onto a tubular shaft made of a fiber composite material. The wall of the hub journal is radially plastically deformed, its surface being made to establish a locking connection with a surface of the shaft.

Connection between a tubular shaft made of a fiber composite material

A connecting assembly for use in the propeller shaft in the driveline of a motor vehicle between the end of a tubular shaft preferably made of a fiber composite material, and a connecting piece positioned coaxially relative to the shaft end. The shaft and connecting piece have connecting members which inter-fit in the circumferential direction. The tubular shaft is designed to sustain without damage greater impacting force in the longitudinal axial direction than is required to displace the connecting piece relative to the shaft in said direction. In the longitudinal direction, the shaft is provided with a variable wall thickness and the connecting piece is provided with an expanding cone for destroying the shaft in the event that the connecting piece slides relative to the shaft.

Self-destructing coupling assembly for use in propeller shafts of motor

The invention relates to a connecting assembly for use in the propeller shaft in the driveline of a motor vehicle between the end of a tubular shaft, especially made of a composite material, and a connecting piece positioned coaxially relative to the shaft end. The shaft and connecting piece have connecting structures which inter-fit in the circumferential direction. The tubular shaft is designed to sustain without damage greater impacting force in the longitudinal axial direction than is required to displace the connecting piece relative to the shaft in this direction.

Connecting assembly

An assembly of a tubular shaft member (3) preferably of fiber-reinforced plastics material and a hub member (1), the hub member having formations (5, 6) which engage the internal surface of the shaft member, and further having a surface between the formations so as to define an annular space. Passages communicate with such space at the end thereof of greatest resistance to adhesive flow, for injection of adhesive into the space and release of air therefrom, the configuration of the space causing a flow of adhesive during injection thereof which effectively drives all air out of the space. The space is configured, e.g. by being of varying radial dimension, to provide an increasing resistance to flow of adhesive in the space from one end of the space to the other.

Assembly of shaft and hub member

In a universal joint wherein a pair of yokes of the joint are connected by a trunnion cross having journals which extend into bores of the respective yokes, and wherein a bearing bush and needle bearings are provided between the cross journal and the inner surface of the yoke bore, grooves which extend, relative to the joint center, from a point radially inwardly thereof to a point radially outwardly thereof are formed on at least a part of at least one of the inner surface of the yoke bore and the outer surface of the bearing bush.

Universal joint

A universal joint having a first and a second yoke connected with a trunnion cross including bearing pins supported in bores of the yokes joining the yokes together includes a bearing bush, roller bearings and a bearing ring between the bearing pin and the inner wall of the bore in the yoke. The universal joint is provided with radial play between the yoke and the bearing pin of the trunnion cross over a limited portion of the length of the bearing pin, with the radial play increasing in a direction radially outwardly of the trunnion cross. The radial play is provided by structuring at least one of the bearing pins, the bearing ring and the bearing bush with a conical configuration. Alternatively, the bearing bush and the bearing ring may be formed as one part with play relative to each other in order to provide the radial play of the joint.

In a universal joint having a trunnion cross including trunnions defining a centerline extending centrally therethrough and trunnion cross support members which include a yoke defining a yoke bore and a bearing bush received within the bore and receiving therein the trunnions, an improvement is provided in that the trunnion cross support members are formed with at least one conical surface configured to taper away from a plane containing the centerline of the trunnion in a direction outwardly from the center of the universal joint. Conical surfaces may be formed on opposite sides of the trunnion centerline to extend an angular distance circumferentially which is greater than twice the bending angle of the joint. The conical surfaces may be formed either on the walls of the yoke bore or on the bearing bush.

A universal joint is formed with trunnions extending into the bores of yokes with bearing bushes being interposed between the trunnions and the yokes. Each of the trunnions is formed with a bore extending internally into the trunnion generally coaxially with the central axis of the trunnion. The trunnion is formed with a wall thickness surrounding the bore and the bearing bush has a wall thickness surrounding the trunnion with the wall thickness of the trunnion being between one and three times the size of the wall thickness of the bearing bush. The trunnion bore may extend with a depth which is at least equivalent to the depth of a generally cylindrical bore within the bearing bush within which the trunnion is received and the central bore in the trunnion may be formed with a conical portion immediately contiguous with a cylindrical portion located inwardly from the conical portion. The conical portion may be formed to widen outwardly with an angle of between 0.5.degree. and 5.degree. relative to the central axis of the trunnion.

A variable transmission ratio brake actuating device comprises a brake lever pivotally mounted on a frame. The frame and brake lever are each provided with a guide slot or groove which extend toward the pivot mount and intersect each other. A connector link to transmit force to a brake is always positioned at the point of intersection of the brake lever and frame guides. Pivoting of the brake lever guides the link at a distance relative to the pivot mount which decreases from the release position toward the braking position.

Growing community of inventors

Much-Kranuchel, Germany

Miloslav Petrzelka