GB2132580A

GB2132580A - Steering knuckle for an automotive vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2132580A
Application number: GB08330622A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Herbert Schmidt
Original assignee: Alfred Teves GmbH
Current assignee: Continental Teves AG and Co oHG
Priority date: 1982-12-03
Filing date: 1983-11-16
Publication date: 1984-07-11
Also published as: ES276047Y; GB8330622D0; FR2537078A1; FR2537078B1; DE3244741A1; ES276047U; DE3244741C2; IT8323973A0; GB2132580B; IT1167049B

Abstract

In a steering knuckle consisting of pressed sheet metal parts a first, approximately shell-shaped part (2) having a central opening (5) and a second, approximately cylindrical part (9) are welded, riveted or screwed together. The portion of the part (9) which faces away from the vehicle wheel is designed as a flange (10). The two parts (2 and 9) have radially outwardly extending arms (7, 8) and (11), respectively, which serve to hold and support the wheel brake or to receive the supporting and guiding hinges of the wheel guiding elements, respectively. The parts (2) and (9) will be endowed with a special stiffness by the fact that their surrounding edges (14, 15) are bent off at right angles, one edge (15) being bent off towards the side facing away from the vehicle wheel and the other edge (14) being bent off towards the vehicle wheel. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Steering knuckle for an automotive vehicle This invention relates to a steering knuckle for an automotive vehicle, of the kind comprising a carrier for supporting and holding the brake housing of the wheel brake and an arm for receiving the tie rod of the steering gear.

From U.S. Patent Specification No. 2,173,973 a steering knuckle of the kind in question is known which consists of an approximately rectangular plate pressed from sheet steel. The surrounding edge of the plate is bent off at right angles for the purpose of increased stiffness, spherical recesses being embossed in the plate-like part which serve to receive the bolts of the supporting and guiding hinges. The rectangular sheet metal plate is further screwed to the backing plate of the wheel brake and to the flange of the king pin. This king pin is disadvantageous in that it will receive a sufficient stiffness only in conjunction with the very thick-walled backing plate of the flangemounted drum brake.The known design of the steering knuckle is not suited for vehicles with disc brakes arranged at the front axle as the rectangular plate alone would have to be extraordinarily thick-walled and thus to feature a heavyweight design in order to be able to take up the great forces acting on the steering knuckle of a fast disc-braked vehicle.

Further, it has already been suggested to design the steering knuckle from several pressed sheet metal parts welded together to form hollow bodies which, on their part, are screwed to the bearing cage of the wheel bearing of a driven vehicle axle (Italian Patent Specification No. 595,880). This known steering knuckle is, however, disadvantageous in that a multitude of sheet metal parts will have to be welded together, with the welding seams having to extend very precisely along the edges of the individual parts. This-results in an enormous increase in the cost of manufacture. Moreover, the strength of the known steering knuckle also depends on the screwed engagements at the bearing cage which must therefore be very elaborate.

It is an object of this invention to provide a steering knuckle which will allow a low-cost manufacture, which will have a particularly light weight, and which will be particularly suited for holding and guiding a disc brake caliper. Further, the steering knuckle should have a great stiffness despite its light weight. Finally, the steering knuckle should be free from cavities, pockets, and recesses in order to increase its corrosion resistance.

According to the invention in its broadest aspect, a steering knuckle for an automotive vehicle of the kind referred to is characterised by an approximately shell-shaped first part constructed in one piece, having a central opening, and provided with a surrounding edge bent off towards the side averted from the vehicle wheel and with radially outwards extending arms with a U-shaped cross-section profile, with a second, approximately cylindrical part being provided whose portion averted from the wheel is designed as flange having radially extending arms whose surrounding edges are bent off to face the vehicle wheel, and with the first, shell-shaped part being welded, riveted, or screwed with its bottom portion to the flanged portion of the second part.

Preferably, the shell-shaped, first part with its arms and the second, cylindrical part having arms are pressed from sheet steel.

The arms of the second part facing the vehicle wheel will advantageously form the brake carrier, the brake caliper being screwed to the arms or being slipped onto them, preferably the free ends of the arms of the first part have a semi-circular, annular cross-section profile with the half shells being welded together with clamping elements serving to receive the supporting and guiding hinges of the wheel guiding elements, in particular of the transverse control linkage and of the spring strut.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 shows the longitudinal section of the two pressed sheet metal parts welded to each other and provided with bushings welded thereto for receiving the supporting and guiding hinges; Figure 2 is the top view of the shell-shaped first part; Figure 3 is the side view of the part according to Figure 2; Figure 4 is the longitudinal section of the second part arranged to face the vehicle wheel and serving to receive the brake caliper and forming the cage for the wheel bearing; Figure 5 is the top view of the part according to Figure 4; and Figure 6 is the section along the lines A-B according to Figure 1.

The steering knuckle consists of an approximately shell-shaped first part 2 having a central opening 5 and provided with a surrounding edge 1 5 bent off towards the side averted from the vehicle wheel (arrow D) and with radially outwardly extending arms 4, 7, 8 with a U-shaped cross-section profile and of a second, approximately cylindrical part 9 whose portion averted from the vehicle wheel is designed as flange 10 provided with radially extending arms 11, 12. As shown in Figure 6, the free ends of the radially extending arms 4, 7, 8 have a semicircular, annular cross-section profile. Inserted into the ends are clamping elements 13 welded to the arms 4, 7, 8 at 16, 17. The clamping element 13 illustrated in Figure 6 serves to receive and hold a spring strut not described in detail.Instead of the clamping element 13, it will also be possible to weld bearing rings to the arm 7, 8 and/or 4 which each form a part of the supporting or guiding hinge of the wheel guiding elements. The shellshaped part 2 is welded to the flange 10 of the second part 9 in those places shown as hatched fields 18 in Figure 2. The arms 11, 12 of part 9 have bearing eyes 19, 20 serving to receive a brake caliper not illustrated in detail. The king pin, also not illustrated in detail, may be inserted into the opening 5 of the edge 21 of part 2, the edge 21 being bent off in the direction of the vehicle wheel, and into the hub-like part 22 of the cylindrical part 9; or, else, in the case of a driven wheel axle, it will be the wheel bearing with the wheel axle that may be inserted.

As is clearly discernible from the drawing, the two parts 2 and 9 connected with each other are so designed a to prevent unhindered deposition of road dirt and humidity. The surrounding edges 14, 15, and 21 bent off at approximately goc are essential for the stiffness of the parts 2 and 9, the bent edge 21 centering and locating the two parts 2 and 9 in their positions relative to each other. As the parts 2 and 9 are pressed from sheet metal a special surface treatment of the steering knuckle will not be required and, at the same time, a great dimensional accuracy is guaranteed.

Claims

1. A steering knuckle for an automotive vehicle, of the kind comprising a carrier for supporting and holding the brake housing of the wheel brake and an arm (4) for receiving the tie rod of the steering gear, characterised by an approximately shellshaped first part (2) constructed in one piece, having a central opening (5), and provided with a surrounding edge (1 5) bent off towards the side averted from the vehicle wheel and with radially outwards extending arms (4, 7, 8) with a Ushaped cross-section profile and by a second, approximately cylindrical part (9) whose portion averted from the vehicle wheel is designed as flange (10) having radially extending arms (11, 12) whose surrounding edges (14) are bent off to face the vehicle wheel, with the first, shell-shaped part (2) being welded (18), riveted, or screwed with its bottom portion (3) to the flanged portion (10) of the second part (9).

2. A steering knuckle as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the shell-shaped first part (2) with its arms (4, 7, 8) and the second, cylindrical part (9) having arms (1 1, 12) are pressed from sheet steel.

3. A steering knuckle as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the arms (11, 12) of the second part (9) facing the vehicle wheel form the brake carrier, with the brake caliper being screwed to the arms 1, 12) or being slipped onto them.

4. A steering knuckle as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the free ends of the arms (4, 7, 8) of the first part (2) have a semi-circular, annular cross-section profile, with the half shells being welded together with clamping elements serving to receive the supporting and guiding hinges of the wheelguiding elements, in particular of the transverse control linkage and of the spring strut.

5. A steering knuckle as claimed in Claim 3 or 4, characterised in that the free ends of the arms (4, 7, 8) of the first part (2) have a semi-circular, annular cross-section profile, with half shells being welded together with clamping elements serving to receive the supporting and guiding hinges of the wheel-guiding elements, in particular of the transverse control linkage and of the spring strut.

5. A steering knuckle for an automotive vehicle substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

New claims or amendments to claims filed on 16/11/1983 Superseded claims 1, 2, 3,4 New or amended claims:

1. A steering knuckle for the steered wheel of an automotive vehicle, composed of two pressed metal parts (2, 9) which are rigidly interconnected and comprise arms (1 1, 12) for supporting the brake housing of the wheel brake and include an arm (4) for receiving the tie rod of the steering gear, the said two parts (2, 9) containing openings (5, 22) for the wheel axle to extend through, characterised in that both parts (2, 9) are provided with circumferential edges (15 and 14, respectively) which are bent off at about right angles, the edge of the one part (2) being bent off in the direction of the vehicle connection side, while the edge of the other part is bent off in the opposite direction, and in that the opening of said one part (2) comprises a circumferential collar or edge (21) which engages into the opening of the other part (9) and hence precludes a relative displacement in a plane extending transversely of the wheel axle.

2. A steering knuckle as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the opening in said other part (9) is formed with a hub-like cylindrical portion pressed out from the metal into which the collar or edge (21) engages.

3. A steering knuckle as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the first part (2) has radially outwardly extending arms (4, 7, 8) and the second part (9) has arms (1 1, 12) both of which parts are pressed from sheet steel.

4. A steering knuckle as claimed in Claim 3, characterised in that the arms (11, 12) of the second part (9) face the vehicle wheel and form the brake carrier, with a brake caliper being screwed to the arms (1 1, 12) or being slipped onto them.