Chassis link for a motor vehicle

{
  "publication_number": "US11173763B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Chassis link for a motor vehicle",
  "abstract": "A component part for a motor vehicle having a hollow profile portion of a fiber-reinforced plastic and a load introduction element of a metal material. The hollow profile portion and the load introduction element are connected in a common connection portion via a nondetachable, glued plug-in connection in which an end portion of the load introduction element and an end portion of the hollow profile portion engage in one another by positive engagement. The end portion of the load introduction element has a spline with teeth extending in longitudinal direction of the common connection portion so that the stiffness of the end portion of the load introduction element reduced in longitudinal direction of the common connection portion.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A component part, formed as a chassis link, for a motor vehicle, comprising: a hollow profile portion of a fiber-reinforced plastic; a load introduction element of a metal material; and a common connection portion at which the hollow profile portion and the load introduction element are connected to one another via a nondetachable, glued plug-in connection in which an end portion of the load introduction element and an end portion of the hollow profile portion mutually engage in one another at least substantially by positive engagement; wherein the end portion of the load introduction element has a spline with teeth extending at least substantially in longitudinal direction of the common connection portion so that a stiffness of the end portion of the load introduction element is reduced in longitudinal direction of the common connection portion, wherein the hollow profile portion has at least one void formed as a circumferentially closed chamber, and wherein the spline has at least five teeth, at least one of which engages in the at least one void of the hollow profile portion.",
    "2. The component part according to claim 1, wherein the teeth of the spline are glued in part to outer circumferential surfaces and in part to inner circumferential surfaces of the end portion of the hollow profile portion.",
    "3. The component part according to claim 1, wherein the end portion of the load introduction element is penetrated in a grate-like manner by through-slots that extend perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the common connection portion and which at least partially intersect at the longitudinal direction of the common connection portion.",
    "4. The component part according to claim 3, wherein the through-slots at least partially have an extension deviating from a straight-line extension in longitudinal direction of the common connection portion.",
    "5. The component part according to claim 3, wherein the through-slots extending perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the common connection portion have a constant width in a first direction and a varying width in a second direction extending perpendicular to the first direction.",
    "6. The component part according to claim 1, wherein free ends of the teeth facing the hollow profile portion have a minimum cross-sectional surface area perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the common connection portion.",
    "7. The component part according to claim 1, wherein free ends of the teeth facing the hollow profile portion have, at least partially, front recesses of concave shape that open toward the hollow profile portion to reduce the stiffness of the end portion of the load introduction element in the longitudinal direction of the common connection portion.",
    "8. The component part according to claim 1, wherein the teeth of the spline are at least partially tapered at tooth roots at which the teeth transition into solid material of the load introduction element to reduce the stiffness of the end portion of the load introduction element in longitudinal direction of the common connection portion.",
    "9. The component part according to claim 1, wherein at least one tooth of the spline is formed so as to be continuously tapered over its longitudinal extension toward the hollow profile portion.",
    "10. The component part according to claim 1, wherein the load introduction element has a plurality of splined end portions configured to receive a plurality of end portions of a plurality of hollow profile portions.",
    "11. The component part according to claim 1, wherein all of the teeth of the spline have in each instance two unmachined longitudinal sides that extend at least substantially in the longitudinal direction of the common connection portion.",
    "12. The component part according claim 1, wherein the load introduction element is a profile portion, configured as an extruded profile portion, with unmachined outer circumferential surfaces and/or inner circumferential surfaces that extend in a longitudinal profile direction.",
    "13. The component part according to claim 12, wherein a first load introduction element has a first longitudinal profile direction, and a second load introduction element has a second longitudinal profile direction deviating from the first longitudinal profile direction.",
    "14. The component part according to claim 12, wherein the spline of the load introduction element with the teeth extending at least substantially in the longitudinal direction of the common connection portion has through-slots which extend at an angle diverging from 90 degrees relative to the longitudinal profile direction of the load introduction element.",
    "15. The component part according to claim 1, wherein the hollow profile portion is formed as a multi-chamber profile portion.",
    "16. The component part according to claim 1, wherein the hollow profile portion, considered in cross section, has at least one outwardly protruding rib configured to increase bending stiffness and/or torsional stiffness and/or buckling strength.",
    "17. The component part according to claim 1, wherein the hollow profile portion, considered in cross section, has narrow thickened portions that project from its outer and/or inner circumferential surfaces and by which the end portion of the load introduction element and the end portion of the hollow profile portion are held at a defined minimum distance.",
    "18. The component part according to claim 1, wherein at least one intermediate space between two teeth is filled exclusively with an adhesive inside of the common connection portion."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The invention is directed to a component part for a motor vehicle, having a hollow profile portion made of a fiber-reinforced plastic and a load introduction element made of a metal material.\n\nComponent parts for motor vehicles having a hollow profile portion made of a fiber-reinforced plastic and a load introduction element made of a metal material are known from the prior art. A strut-shaped component part of fiber-reinforced plastic which is formed as a tubular hollow profile is disclosed in DE 10 2010 053 843 A1. The strut-shaped component part is connected via a nondetachable plug-in connection to a load introduction element, referred to as intermediate piece, made of a metal material. The nondetachable plug-in connection is formed as an adhesive connection. To produce the adhesive connection, one end of the strut-shaped component part is first coated with an adhesive layer. Subsequently, the end which is coated in this way is inserted into a sleeve-shaped receiving space of the load introduction element, whereupon the adhesive layer comes in contact with the walls of the sleeve-shaped receiving space and deploys its function. The end of the strut-shaped component part is glued externally circumferentially to an inner wall of the sleeve-shaped receiving space. In this arrangement, the load is introduced into the strut-shaped component part of fiber-reinforced plastic only via the outer circumference of the tubular hollow profile end.",
  "cpc": [
    "B60G 7/001",
    "B29C 65/48",
    "B29C 65/5085",
    "B29C 66/12441",
    "B29C 66/1248",
    "B29C 66/524",
    "B29C 66/5243",
    "B29C 66/52431",
    "B29C 66/5244",
    "B29C 66/52451",
    "B29C 66/534",
    "B29C 66/721",
    "B29C 66/742",
    "B29C 70/52",
    "B29K 2031/00",
    "B29L 2031/003",
    "B29L 2031/3002",
    "B29L 2031/75",
    "B60G 2206/012",
    "B60G 2206/11",
    "B60G 2206/7101",
    "F16C 2226/40",
    "F16C 7/026"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B60G 7/00"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "ZF Friedrichshafen AG"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Andre Stieglitz",
    "Thomas Schwarz",
    "Ingolf Müller"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2019-04-29",
  "publication_date": "2021-11-16",
  "grant_date": "2021-11-16",
  "priority_date": "2018-05-25",
  "application_number": "US-201917056553-A",
  "family_id": "66448513",
  "cited_by_count": 6,
  "citations": [
    "DE102010053843A1",
    "DE102011053480A1",
    "US20140137700A1",
    "WO2013066565A1",
    "US20130112309A1",
    "EP2722533A1",
    "US20140112708A1",
    "US9227375B2",
    "US20150259511A1",
    "US20180354328A1",
    "US20190143776A1",
    "DE102016211212A1",
    "WO2018197136A1",
    "US20200139776A1",
    "US11097584B2"
  ]
}