Other

Gkn Automotive Ag

Viscodrive Gmbh

Lohr & Bromkamp Gmbh

Gkn Lobro Gmbh

Gkn Sankey Limited

Ford-werke Ag

Hodforming Gmbh

Peter Amborn

Klaus Greulich

Wolfgang Hildebrandt

Herbert Frielingsdorf

Helmut Riemscheid

Peter Urban

Karl Weiss

Simon Jonathan Giles Griffiths

Rudolf Beier

Wolfgang Lobel

Joachim Altdorf

Stefan Magirius

Gretel Schmidt

Werner Dickhaut

Alexander Mark Duff

Wolfgang Exner

Ivan Rericha

A method is provided for forming a flat metal blank as a workpiece in a forming die. The method may include providing a forming die with at least one cavity, and providing at least one blankholder for fixing a flat metal blank to the at least one cavity during the forming. The method may also include heating the flat metal blank to a solution heat treatment temperature specific to the flat metal blank while maintaining the forming die at the solution heat treatment temperature. The method may also include forming the workpiece from the flat metal blank at the solution heat treatment temperature.

Method for forming a sheet blank as a workpiece in a forming tool

A forming press for forming a sheet-like blank has a first thermally insulated frame part having a die with a negative engraving and a second thermally insulated frame part defining a chamber and having a punch movably disposed in the chamber. The sheet-like blank rests in a sealing manner on the second frame part and covers the punch so as to define a pressure chamber with the punch therein. A pressure generator provides a pressurized gas to the pressure chamber during a forming process.

Forming press and method for forming a sheet-like blank composed of metal with two frame parts that are movable towards one another

The subject matter of the present invention is a method of manufacturing, in a tool mold provided with a final contour as desired, a hollow metal body the cross-sectional shape of which varies in the longitudinal direction, an internal pressure being applied to a tubular hollow body with approximately uniform initial wall thickness, the tubular hollow body having the highest temperature in the zones of greatest deformation, the temperature in these zones being reduced once the hollow body fits against the wall of the tool mold, the temperature being subsequently increased in zones with lower degrees of deformation.

Method of manufacturing a hollow metal body

A process for forming a tubular component including at least a first tubular element connected end to end with a second tubular element, the process including location an end portion of the first tubular element within an end portion of the second tubular element to thereby define respective inner and overlapping end portions, hydro-forming the overlapping end portions to radially expand the inner end portion into face to face contact with the outer end portion and in the region of the expanded overlapping end portions, mutually deforming the inner and outer end portions to define one or more mechanical lock formations for preventing relative axial movement between the first and second tubular elements.

Tubular connection method

Process for producing a tubular structural element

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a hollow body made of metal whose cross sectional shape changes in longitudinal direction, a tubular slug being sealed at its end and being placed into a mold that corresponds to the desired shape and that is placed in a tool, said slug being then put under high pressure from the inside by means of a pressure means, whereas the two ends of the tube are pressed against each other in axial direction during the process of deformation, the slug being submitted during deformation to a higher temperature in the area of these great deformations than in the area of smaller deformations in order to produce areas with great deformations in its cross sectional shape.

Method for producing a hollow body made of metal

The invention relates to a driveshaft and to a method of producing the driveshaft having three components a first attaching element and a second attaching element and a tube element arranged therebetween. The tube element is provided with a first end face and a second end face . Both attaching elements comprise cylindrical receiving faces whose diameter is smaller than that of the tube bore of the tube element . This permits a radial adjustment of the elements relative to one another with reference to a longitudinal reference axis in order to keep any out-of-balance minimized. In the axial direction, close tolerances can be observed in that a first reference face of the first attaching element is set relative to the first end face of the tube element at a fixed distance . The total nominal length is achieved by introducing the second attaching element by means of its cylindrical receiving face more or less deeply into the tube element between the first reference face and a reference face of the second attaching element, utilizing the compensating tolerance . The connections are produced by plasma welding.

Driveshaft

A hydroforming process for forming a component from an elongate tubular blank comprised of a deformable metal, the process including placing the blank in a die and sealing opposed ends of the tubular blank, heating the blank to a predetermined deformation temperature which is greater than 350.degree. C. but less than the melting point of the metal, supplying a gas at a predetermined pressure to the interior of the sealed tubular blank to cause deformation of said tubular blank at predetermined regions by drawing/stretching of the metal.

Hydroforming process

A camshaft assembly for valve-controlled internal combustion engines, having two shaft elements, an inner shaft and an outer shaft, which are positioned one inside the other, which are supported one inside the other and which are rotatable relative to one another by a limited axial distance, with first cams referred to as inner cams, especially for the inlet valves, being connected to the inner shaft and with second cams referred to as outer cams, especially for the outlet valves, being connected to the hollow outer shaft, the outer shaft comprising wall apertures associated with fixing elements or fixing portions of the inner cams, and the inner cams forming axially open slots or recesses which are shaped like a sector of a circle and which are engaged by axial finger regions of the outer shaft, with the inner cams being connected to the inner shaft by form-fitting mechanisms and with the outer cams being connected to the outer shaft by form-fitting mechanisms and with at least the outer shaft consisting of individual longitudinal portions.

Camshaft assembly with shaft elements positioned one inside the other

A cam shaft for valve operation in an internal combustion engine comprises two shaft elements of which the first (101, 201) is disposed inside the second (102, 202) and can be moved relative thereto angularly and/or axially. First cam elements (107, 207) provided on the first shaft element have at least lobe portions which extend radially outwardly through slots in the second shaft element to provide a cam surface, while second cam elements are provided on the second shaft element. The first and/or the second shaft element may comprise a number of individual tubular sections joined to one another.

Cam shaft for internal combustion engine

A driveshaft (6, 8, 9, 11) for a vehicle (1) which is firmly attached to a damping sleeve (17) slid on the central tube region (R.sub.m). The damping sleeve (17) changes the natural and torsional frequencies of the driveshaft (6, 8, 9, 11) thereby permitting the natural frequencies to be moved into the region of low external excitation energy.

Driveshaft including damping sleeve for bending and torsional frequency

The invention has a driveshaft (6, 8a, 8b and 10), especially used in the drive line of a motor vehicle (1), with a tubular shaft which has a central tube region (R.sub.m) and end pieces (11 and 12) formed on both ends. For optimizing the torsional characteristics of the driveshaft (6, 8a, 8b and 10), it includes at least one mass element (13) which is formed by reducing the inner diameter (D.sub.i) and/or increasing the outer diameter (D.sub.a) of the shaft wall. These additional mass elements (13) may be arranged symmetrically or asymmetrically in the axial direction of the driveshaft (6, 8a, 8b and 10). If the additional mass elements are arranged asymmetrically, the center of gravity is displaced, thereby optimizing the driveshaft 6, 8a, 8b and 10) of certain vehicle types with respect of its natural frequencies.

Driveshaft with additional masses

A differential gear system for use in the driveline of a motor vehicle, having a differential carrier (1) rotating in bearings of a differential housing (1) and driven via a driving gear tooth configuration; two axle shaft gears (10, 11) rotating in bearings of the differential carrier, which are coaxial relative to each other; and compensating gears (12, 13) eccentrically supported in, and rotating with, the differential carrier, where each of the compensating gears is in one part meshed with the one axle shaft gear (10) and in another part, with the other axle shaft gear (11), while engaging each other at least indirectly, and where the axle shaft gears (10, 11) have a tooth design which, when under torque, generates an axial thrust, and where friction-reducing means are provided at all face areas of at least the axle shaft gears (10, 11) that are subjected to loads during coasting of the motor vehicle, opposite the mating surfaces of the differential carrier (1) or the respective other axle shaft gear.

Differential gear system

A differential drive has a drivable differential carrier rotatably supported in a differential housing. Two axle shaft gears are rotatably held in cylindrical bores in the differential carrier. The axle shaft gears are coaxially arranged relative to each other. A plurality of differential gears are supported in bores in the differential carrier. The axle shaft gears rotate with the differential gears and are arranged axis-parallel. One group of the differential gears engage one of the axle shaft gears and another group of differential gears engage the other of the axle shaft gears. Each of the one group of the differential gears engage at least one of the other group of differential gears to achieve an uneven torque distribution between the axle shaft gears. Also, both the axle shaft gears have substantially equal rolling circle diameters and equal outer diameters and at least the gears of the one group of differential gears have two axially different regions with different rolling circle diameters. One of two regions engages one of the axle shaft gears and the other one engages at least one of the other group of differential gears.

Differential drive

A driveshaft for a motor vehicle is designed to be asymmetrical, with the center of symmetry of the central tube region or center of gravity of inertia being located outside the tubular shaft center. Thus, it is possible to obtain a driveshaft whose cross sectional area is distributed in such a way that it is functionally optimized and which meets the respective strength requirements, and noise reduction is achieved by displacing the natural resonance frequency of the driveshaft into a region of minimum external excitation.

Growing community of inventors

Neunkirchen-Seelscheid, Germany

Peter Amborn