CN116615328A

CN116615328A - Component, in particular for an air spring, air spring support, air spring damper or suspension housing, and method for producing a component

Info

Publication number: CN116615328A
Application number: CN202180085404.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: P·维尔纳; H·卡多斯; M·梅斯; E·穆格
Original assignee: Vibracoustic SE
Current assignee: Vibracoustic SE
Priority date: 2020-12-21
Filing date: 2021-10-05
Publication date: 2023-08-18
Also published as: DE102020134375A1; WO2022135760A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a component, in particular for an air spring, an air spring strut, an air spring damper or an suspension housing, wherein the component (10) has a first component part (12) with at least one groove (18), a second component part (14) with at least one tongue (20) corresponding to the groove (18), and a joining material (16), characterized in that the tongue (20) is at least partially arranged in the groove (18), wherein at least one channel (44) extends between the groove (18) and the tongue (20), and the first component part (12) and the second component part (14) are connected to one another in a material-joining manner by feeding the joining material (16) into the channel (44). By means of the invention, an improved component (10) is provided, wherein a weld seam can be produced for the connection of component parts (12, 14) independently of the availability from the outside.

Description

Component, in particular for an air spring, air spring support, air spring damper or suspension housing, and method for producing a component

The invention relates to a component, in particular for an air spring, an air spring strut, an air spring damper or an upper suspension housing and a method for producing a component.

In the production of plastic components, injection molding, for example, can be used. In order to produce a component with a cavity, parts of the component are first produced by means of injection molding. The component may have a shell structure. After its manufacture, the shells are assembled and interconnected. The connection can be performed, for example, by means of bonding or welding.

Bonding materials are used in both methods to join the component edges. In the welding method, the component material at the edge surface is welded with the joining material applied to the edge at high temperature.

For producing a gas-tight connection, it is also known to encapsulate the edges of the two shells that are placed together with a joining material that has a higher melting point than the shell material from the outside. The housing material and the joining material are selected for this purpose such that they can be connected to one another.

There is also a need for components with inaccessible structures that should create a connection between the various separately manufactured components to be manufactured by means of a welding method.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide an improved component and an improved component manufacturing method.

The main features of the invention are specified in claims 1, 13 and 14. The design is the subject of claims 2-12 and 15.

The invention relates to a component, in particular for an air spring, an air spring strut, an air spring damper or an suspension housing, wherein the component has a first component part with at least one groove, a second component part with at least one tongue corresponding to the groove, and a joining material, wherein the tongue is arranged at least partially in the groove, wherein at least one channel extends between the groove and the tongue, and wherein the first component part and the second component part are connected to one another in a material-bonded manner by feeding the joining material into the channel.

The invention can therefore be used to join component parts to one another with welds in areas that were not accessible to date. For this purpose, the first component part has at least one groove part, while the second component part has at least one matching tongue part. The at least one groove element and the at least one tongue element are positioned when the frame inner parts are joined in such a way that they are at least partially inserted into the groove element. The component parts can thus be joined to one another by means of a groove-loss connection. The channel extends between the channel member and the tongue member. The channel may occur by only partially inserting the tongue into the groove or it may be integrated into the tongue or groove. The channel may have an opening or a closure on one side. After the first component part is assembled with the second component part, heated flowable bonding material is fed into the channel. For this purpose, the channel inflow may have a through opening to the environment outside the component. The component parts may be placed in the mold and injected in an injection mold. The through holes are filled with bonding material just like the vias. The bonding material may flow along and be distributed within the channels. Which melts with the interface with the channel member and the tongue member. Upon cooling, the joining material solidifies within the channel and creates a material-joining connection between the channel member and the tongue member. The component structures accessible from the outside are thus welded to one another, for example, with built-in walls which establish a connection between the first and the second component part. The component may be used, for example, for an air spring, an air spring strut, an air spring damper, or an over-suspended housing. With the present invention an improved component is provided, wherein a weld seam can be produced for joining component parts independently of the accessibility from the outside.

Accessible from the outside or accessible from the outside means that the material used to create the weld can be fed to the component with a tool.

According to one example, the channel may be at least partially disposed between the groove member bottom surface and the tongue member end surface.

In this example, the at least one tongue may be only partially inserted into the at least one groove. This can be achieved, for example, in that the tongue has a shape which prevents the tongue from being fully inserted into the groove. So that a cavity remains between the end face of the tongue and the bottom face of the groove after assembly of the component parts. The bore is a passage through which the bonding material can be fed. The channel can be realized simply and inexpensively in this way.

According to one example, the first component part and the second component part may enclose at least one cavity.

The first component part and the second component part may here at least partially enclose a cavity. It is also possible that the inner cavity wall can be connected by means of an injected melt to achieve injection welding. By means of the special design of the channel, in particular by means of the bearing action of the tongue corresponding to the channel, injection welding can be set up to prevent the cavity from shrinking due to the injection pressure and the channel can be filled as well.

Furthermore, the tongue can be formed, for example, at one edge narrower than the width of the groove and in this way open a channel when it is fully inserted into the groove. In this case, the channel can also be produced simply and inexpensively.

The component may also, for example, have at least one spacer for retaining a predetermined depth of entry of the tongue in the groove.

The spacer can be arranged in the channel between the groove and the tongue, for example.

Furthermore, the spacer can be arranged according to an example on the tongue, wherein at least one side wall of the groove is supported on the spacer.

The spacer may in this example protrude from the side surface of the tongue and form a pocket for the groove. When the tongue is inserted into the groove, the side walls of the groove rest on the spacer and prevent further insertion of the tongue into the groove when the predetermined access depth is reached. It is thus possible in a simple manner to create a channel between the tongue and groove and to keep the joining material open before feeding.

In another example, the second component part may have at least one rib, wherein the tongue is arranged on a free end piece of the rib.

The rib thus extends from the second component part to the first component part. The rib may be disposed within the member.

It is also conceivable here for the at least one rib to adjoin the at least one cavity, wherein the first component part is supported on the rib in the region around the cavity.

The channel may for example have at least one through hole, wherein the channel communicates through the through hole to the outer surface of the component, wherein the bonding material is arranged in the through hole.

The through holes may be arranged in a position accessible from the outside. Through the through-holes, heated bonding material may be fed into and distributed within the channels. In this case, the contact surfaces with the groove and tongue can be melted. Upon cooling the joining material solidifies and connects the two component parts. The channel may have a plurality of through holes. The joining material can be fed into the channel at a plurality of positions at the same time. This avoids the joining material encountering excessive cooling as it flows through the channels.

Furthermore, the component can have at least one distribution channel on the outer surface, which is filled with the joining material, for example, wherein the distribution channel is connected to the channel by the joining material and by the through-holes.

The distribution channel may extend over the outer surface of one of the component parts and be accessible from the outside so that the joining material can be fed into it. The bonding material may flow into the channels via the distribution channels and the through holes.

In another example, the bonding material may have undercuts at the distribution channel relative to the channel.

In this example, the channels may be filled directly through the vias. The undercut, which may also be referred to as an undercut structure, may be connected to the channel by at least one further through hole. The undercut advantageously extends on the side of the component part opposite the groove. A better mechanical connection between the component parts is thus achieved by the joining material on the one hand. In addition, the undercut acts as a spillway when the bonding material is inserted. This improves the passage exhaust gas at the time of joining material feeding. The heated bonding material flowing through the channel also first preheats the channel and then flows into the region where undercut is formed. The joining material of the complementary flow then encounters weaker cooling and remains in the channel. Thereby improving the quality of the weld.

The first component part may for example be composed of a first material and the second component part of a second material, wherein the joining material has a higher melting point than the first material and the second material, wherein the first material and the second material, respectively, may be welded together with the joining material.

The joining material may then easily melt the material of the component parts when it comes into contact with it. This improves the formation and quality of the weld.

It is also conceivable for the groove and/or the tongue to have at least one insertion bevel, for example.

The assembly of the component parts is thus facilitated, since the groove and tongue can be guided into engagement by means of the insertion bevel.

In order to be able to compensate for the error in the position of the tongue caused by the torsion, the groove may have a gap of 0.2mm on each side of the tongue, for example. This also facilitates the insertion of the tongue-and-groove connection. A gap of up to 0.4mm can thus occur between the tongue and groove with a single-sided error offset. But when the gap depth is sufficiently deep, the melt may stagnate within the gap: the channel between the groove and the tongue can thus be filled despite the play.

The invention also relates to an air spring, an air spring strut, an air spring damper or an upper suspension housing comprising a component according to the above description, wherein the component is arranged on the air spring, the air spring strut, the air spring damper or the upper suspension housing.

The advantages and effects of the air spring, air spring strut or air spring damper result from the advantages and effects of the components and improvements described above. Reference is therefore made in this respect to the description above.

The invention also relates to a method for producing a component according to the description above or an air spring, an air spring strut, an air spring damper or an suspension housing according to the description above, comprising the following steps: manufacturing a first component with at least one channel and a second component part with at least one tongue corresponding to the channel; the first component part and the second component part are arranged such that the tongue is at least partially inserted into the groove, wherein at least one channel is formed between the groove and the tongue; molten bonding material is fed into the channel.

The advantages and effects and improvements of the method result from the advantages and effects and improvements of the components described above. Reference is therefore made in this respect to the description above.

According to one example, in the channel region, the groove element and the tongue element can be melted and adhesively connected by means of a melted joining material.

According to another example, the first component part and the second component part may enclose at least one cavity.

Other features, details, and advantages of the invention are from the wording of the claims, and from the following description of embodiments with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a component;

FIGS. 2a and 2b show schematic cross-sectional views of the components when assembled;

fig. 3a and 3b show schematic views of component parts;

FIGS. 4a and 4b show schematic views of bonding materials;

FIGS. 5a and 5b show schematic cross-sectional views of a component and a tool with a distribution channel in the tool when joining material is inserted;

fig. 6a to 6c show schematic cross-sectional views of a component with distributed channels on the component;

FIG. 7 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a detail of a component; and

fig. 8 shows a method flow chart.

Hereinafter, the whole of the component is referred to with reference numeral 10 according to fig. 1.

The component 10 includes a first component part 12, a second component part 14, and a bonding material 16 that connects the first component part 12 to the second component part 14 in a material-to-material manner. The component 10 is in this example a part of an air spring and has a notch 11 in the central part. For example, other components of the air spring or the air spring itself can be guided through the recess.

The component 10 may also be an air spring strut, an air spring damper, or a component of an over-suspended housing.

Fig. 2a and 2b show the first component part 12 and the second component part 14 separately before being connected to the joining material 16.

The first component part 12 includes at least one slot 18 extending along a portion of the first component part 12. The trough member 18 has a side wall 40 extending away from the first component part 12.

The second component part 14 may have a space that forms a cavity 46 within the component 10 when the first component part 12 has been assembled with the second component part 14. Within the cavity 46 may be arranged a rib 42 which supports the cavity 46 within the component 10 and extends within the component 10 from the second component part 14 to the first component part 12. At the free end of the rib 42, a tongue 20 is arranged and formed to match the corresponding groove 18. The arrangement of the tongue 20 and the groove 18 is such that, when the first component part 12 and the second component part 14 are assembled, each tongue 20 is assembled with one groove 18. In this example, the tongue 20 is at least partially inserted into the groove 18.

A spacer 38 on the outer wall of the second component part 14 determines the depth of penetration of the tongue 20 into the groove 18. The side walls 40 of at least several of the groove parts 18 of the first component part 12 then abut the spacer 38 as shown in fig. 2 b. The tongue 20 cannot then be inserted further into the groove 18. The spacer 38 may also be arranged on a rib 42, which centrally supports the component parts 12,14 to each other (not shown).

Thus leaving a cavity between the tongue 20 and groove 18 in this example that forms a channel 44 that extends along the tongue 20 and groove 18. Which is formed between the bottom surface of the channel member 18 and the end surface 21 of the tongue member 20. The channel 44 preferably has a height of at least 0.5mm, more preferably at least 2 mm.

Fig. 3a shows the first component part 12 of fig. 1. At a central position, the first component part 12 has a gap, which is delimited by a wall 13. In this example, the flat cover extends from the wall 13 all the way to the outer wall 19 of the first component part 12, which is depicted as a star by the struts 17. The diagonal braces 17 are here arranged on the top side of the first component part 12 and form, together with a nozzle-side half-mould, for example a cover mould 60 as shown in fig. 6a, a distribution channel 26 of the cover part 12 arranged on the top side of the first component part 12, into which the joining material 16 can be sprayed and distributed. At the same time, the diagonal braces 17 form a groove 18 at least partially between the wall 13 and the outer wall 19 opposite the bottom side of the first component part 12. The trough member 18 is shown in fig. 2a as described above.

Distribution channels 26 are shown along the diagonal braces 17, for example, which are in fluid communication with the channel members 18 on the other side of the first component part 12 through the through holes 22. The other diagonal braces 17 have an undercut shape 24 which is also in fluid communication with the corresponding channel 18 on the other side of the first component part 12 through the through hole 22.

The diagonal braces 17 may comprise further through holes 22 arranged at locations of the component 10 accessible from the outside.

Fig. 3b shows the second component part 14 of fig. 1. It has a notch 11 defined by a sleeve-shaped wall of the second component part 14. At least one rib 42 extends from the notch 11 all the way to the outer wall 15. In this example a plurality of ribs 42 are provided. In the assembled component 10, the ribs 42 define cavities 46 within the component 10. On the free end piece of the at least one rib 42, a tongue 20 is provided, which can be inserted into a corresponding groove 18 of the first component part 12 when the first component part 12 is assembled with the second component part 14.

When the tongue 20 is inserted into the groove 18, a channel 44 is present between the tongue 20 and the groove 18. The channel 44 may be disposed between the side walls of the channel member 18 and the end face 21 of the tongue member 20 and the bottom surface of the channel member 18.

Fig. 4a and 4b show how the joining material 16 extends between the first component part 12 and the second component part 14 or on both component parts 12, 14.

Fig. 4a shows here a joining material 16 with a ring 23 which welds the first component part 12 and the second component part 14 to one another at the outer wall. The first component part 12 is composed here of a first material which can be welded to the joining material 16. The second component part 14 is composed of a second material that is weldable with the joining material 16. The first material and the second material may be the same. In addition, the first and second materials preferably have a lower melting point than the bonding material 16.

The first and second materials may, for example, have polyamide 6 and the bonding material 16 may, for example, have polyamide 66.

Within the component 10, the weld 32 extends from the ring 23 along the channel 44. It extends either directly from the ring 23 into the channel 44 or through the distribution structure 30 into the channel 44, wherein the distribution structure 30 is disposed in the distribution channel 26 within the member 10. The connection between the distribution structure 30 and the weld 32 is established by means of a connection 34 or 36, which is arranged in the through-hole 22 in the component 10.

The through-holes 22 can have different shapes here, so that the connecting pieces 34 or 36 can also be formed differently. The connection piece 34 is thus designed round or cylindrical and the connection piece 36 is designed rectangular or square. Correspondingly, through-holes 22 are formed, in which the connection pieces 34, 36 are arranged. In addition, the connecting piece 36 extends over a longer distance along or parallel to the weld 32 as the connecting piece 34, the connecting piece 34 being formed only over a small distance along the weld 32.

It is also possible that the weld 32 is not joined to the distribution channel 26 by the connector 34 or 36. Instead, they are then directly joined to the ring 23 and thereby filled.

Fig. 4b also shows the joining material 16, which has a further ring 25, which in this example is circular. Which in the example of fig. 1 is arranged at the gap 11 and connects the first component part 12 to the second component part 14 at the connection point at the gap 11.

The weld 32 is also connected to the other ring 25 by the distribution structure 30. The other two welds 32 are directly connected to the other ring 25. They have a connecting structure 36 that connects the weld 32 to the undercut 28.

Fig. 5a and 5b show the component 10 arranged in a forming tool.

According to fig. 5a, the mould 49 has a lower mould 48, an intermediate mould 50 and an upper mould 52. The lower die 48 accommodates a portion of the second component part 14. The first component part 12 is mounted to the second component part 14. Which is surrounded from the outside by an intermediate mould 50. An upper die 52 is disposed on the intermediate die 50. A through passage 56 extends through upper die 52 and intermediate die 50 and is connected to passage 44 of member 10 by passage 22. The through-passage 56 is filled with the bonding material 16. The bonding material 16 is fed through an inlet 57 in the upper die 52. In this example, a distribution gate of the joining material 16 extends between the upper die 52 and the intermediate die 50, which opens into the through hole 22 of the member 10. In the liquid state, the joining material 16 can thus flow from the inlet 57 to the through-hole 22 and be distributed along the channel 44 between the groove element 18 and the tongue element 20. In particular, a wall structure disposed within the component 10, such as, for example, a rib 42 abutting a cavity 46 within the component 10, creates a connection between the component parts 12 and 14 with a weld.

After the joined component parts 12,14 are demolded, the distribution gate located between the upper die 52 and the intermediate die 50 is discarded from the joining material 16 so that a new cycle can be performed.

Fig. 5b shows a detail of fig. 5 a. The channel member 18 is shown in detail herein with the tongue member 20 and the channel 44. The channel member 18 has a lead-in chamfer 54 on its side wall 40 that facilitates insertion of the tongue member 20 into the channel member 18. The distribution gate is disconnected from the through-hole 22 filled with the joining material 16 after demolding from the injection mold, wherein no gate residue will remain upright; no further processing is required and thus low cost joining of the components 12,14, including low cost distribution gate stripping, can be achieved in this manner.

Fig. 6a to 6c show a further embodiment of the component 10 and the associated mold.

According to fig. 6a, the mould 49 comprises a lower mould 48 and a cover mould 60, which is directly connected to the lower mould 48. As in the example according to fig. 5a, the lower die 48 accommodates at least a part of the second component part 14. Between the cover die 60 and the first component part 12, a distribution channel 26 is provided. The distribution channel 26 extends in this example on the outwardly directed surface of the first component part 12 up to the through-hole 22 along the diagonal strut 17 as shown in fig. 3 a. The distribution channel 26 is filled with the joining material 16 and is connected to the first component part 12 in a material-bonded manner. It does not have to be taken off afterwards as in the example of fig. 5 a. Instead, the bonding material that is connected to the component part 12 in a material-bonding manner along the diagonal braces 17 may help to strengthen the component part. The inlet 57 is also arranged on the cover die 60. Through the inlet 57, the heated flowable bonding material 16 can be fed into the distribution channel 26. The heated bonding material 16 may flow along the distribution channel 26 into the channel 44 via the through-holes 22.

Fig. 6b shows the demolded component 10. The distribution channel 26 now has solidified bonding material 16, which fills the distribution channel 26. Also disposed within the channel 44 is a solidified bonding material 16 that is at least partially welded to the surfaces of the channel member 18 and the tongue member 20.

Fig. 6c shows a detail view of the illustration of fig. 6 b. Here, a channel 44 with a channel 18 and a tongue 20 is shown, the channel being filled with the joining material 16. The material 16 here extends through the through-holes 22 along distribution channels 26 on the outer surface of the first component part 12.

It is noted that the distribution channels 26 can also be located in the component parts 12, 14.

The side wall 40 of the trough member 18 has a lead-in chamfer 54 in this example.

As shown in fig. 7, a lead-in chamfer 54 may also be provided on the tongue 20. In this case, the lead-in chamfer 54 also facilitates insertion of the tongue 20 into the groove 18.

Fig. 8 illustrates a method 100 for manufacturing the component 10.

In a first step 102, a first component part and a second component part are manufactured. The first component part is manufactured with at least one groove and the second component part is manufactured with at least one tongue. The groove and the tongue correspond to one another, so that the tongue can be at least partially inserted into the groove when the first component part and the second component part are assembled.

In a further step 104, the first component part and the second component part are arranged such that the tongue is at least partially inserted into the groove. The components are thus assembled. At least one channel is left between the channel member and the tongue member. Furthermore, the first and second component parts may enclose at least one cavity.

In another step 106, molten bonding material is fed into the channel. The melted joining material also melts the interface with the channel member and the tongue member. When the joining material solidifies, a weld is formed between the first component part and the second component part. An adhesive connection occurs between the groove part and the tongue part in the channel region.

The present invention is not limited to one of the foregoing embodiments, but may be varied in a variety of ways. All features and advantages from the claims, the description and the figures, including structural details, spatial arrangements and method steps, may be essential to the invention not only individually, but also in different combinations.

List of reference numerals

10. Component part

11. Notch

12. First component part

13. Wall with a wall body

14. Second component part

15. Outer wall

16. Bonding material

17. Diagonal bracing

18. Groove piece

19. Outer wall

20. Tenon piece

21. End face

22. Through hole

23. Ring(s)

24. Undercut shape

25. Another ring

26. Distribution channel

28. Undercut

30. Distribution structure

32. Weld joint

34. Connecting piece

36. Connecting piece

38. Spacer holder

40. Side wall

42. Rib piece

44. Channel

46. Cavity cavity

48. Lower die

49. Mould

50. Intermediate die

52. Upper die

54. Lead-in inclined plane

56. Flow-through channel

57. An inlet

60. Cover die

Claims

1. Component, in particular for an air spring, an air spring strut, an air spring damper or an suspension housing, wherein the component (10) has a first component part (12) with at least one groove (18), a second component part (14) with at least one tongue (20) corresponding to the groove (18) and a joining material (16), characterized in that the tongue (20) is arranged at least partially within the groove (18), wherein at least one channel (44) extends between the groove (18) and the tongue (20), and the first component part (12) and the second component part (14) are connected to one another in a material-bonded manner by feeding the joining material (16) into the channel (44).

2. The component according to claim 1, characterized in that the channel (44) is arranged at least partially between the bottom face of the groove (18), the side face of the groove (18) and the end face (21) of the tongue (20).

3. The component according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first component part (12) and the second component part (14) enclose at least one cavity (46).

4. A component according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a spacer is arranged on the tongue (20), wherein at least one side wall of the groove (18) is supported on the spacer.

5. The component according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the second component part (14) has at least one rib (42), wherein the tongue (20) is arranged on a free end piece of the rib (42).

6. A component according to claim 3 in combination with claim 5, characterized in that the at least one rib (42) adjoins the at least one cavity (46), wherein the first component part (12) is supported on the rib (42) in the surrounding area of the cavity (46).

7. The component according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the channel (44) has at least one through hole (22), wherein the channel (44) is connected to the outer surface of the component (10) through the through hole (22), wherein a joining material (16) is provided in the through hole (22).

8. The component according to claim 7, characterized in that the component (10) has at least one distribution channel (26) on the outer surface, the distribution channel (26) being filled with a joining material (16), wherein the distribution channel (26) communicates through the joining material (16) and through the through hole (22) to the channel (44).

9. The component according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the joining material (16) has undercut at the distribution channel (26) with respect to the channel (44).

10. The component according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the first component part (12) is composed of a first material and the second component part (14) is composed of a second material, wherein the joining material (16) has a melting point that is higher than the first material and the second material, wherein the first material and the second material, respectively, can be welded, preferably with the joining material (16).

11. The component according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the groove (18) and/or the tongue (20) has at least one lead-in bevel (54).

12. An air spring, an air spring strut, an air spring damper or an upper suspension housing comprising a component (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the component (10) is arranged on the air spring, the air spring strut, the air spring damper or the upper suspension housing.

13. A method of manufacturing a component according to any one of claims 1 to 11 or an air spring, an air spring post, an air spring damper or an over-suspension housing according to claim 12, the method comprising the steps of:

-manufacturing (102) a first component part with at least one groove and a second component part with at least one tongue corresponding to the groove;

-arranging (104) the first and second component parts such that the tongue is at least partially inserted into the groove, wherein at least one channel is formed between the groove and the tongue;

-feeding (106) a molten joining material into the channel.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein in the region of the channel, the groove and the tongue are melted and adhesively connected by the melted joining material.

15. The method of claim 13 or 14, wherein the first component part and the second component part enclose at least one cavity.