Drive shaft

Abstract

A two-part hollow drive shaft for motor vehicles in a light-weight construction, having two shaft sections and a total of three cardan joints, with a pivot bearing being arranged close to the center cardan joint. For compensating load-change-caused distance changes of the rearward cardan joint from the pivot bearing, a length compensation is provided in the second shaft section. The first shaft section is axially divided in the proximity of the pivot bearing in order to be able to mount the bearing element. For designing the drive shaft to be as light as possible and for being able to produce it at reasonable cost, the center cardan joint is constructed as a disk joint with a flexible ring disk arranged perpendicularly to the axis of rotation. Furthermore, the rearward cardan joint is constructed as a homokinetic cardan joint in a construction which permits an axial length compensation so that a separate length compensation in the rearward shaft section is not necessary. In the area of the axial division of the first shaft section, one toothing respectively with radially extending teeth which toothings engage in one another in a mutually centering and non-rotatable manner is worked onto mutually facing front sides of the hollow shaft, which toothing can be axially braced by a screwed connection arranged in the interior of the hollow shaft. As an alternative, the shaft can be welded at this point also after the mounting of the bearing.