Arrangement for a vibration damper of a vehicle

Abstract

A vibration damper for a vehicle is provided. The vibration damper includes at least one damping cylinder made from a fiber composite material; a guiding element for guiding a piston rod of a piston movably arranged in the damping cylinder. The guiding element is located in a guiding end region at one end of the damping cylinder. A fastening element for use in attaching the at least one damping cylinder to a vehicle is located at a fastening end of the cylinder. At least one of the two end regions of the damping cylinder is conical or wedge-shaped and its element has a corresponding external form that is conical or wedge-shaped. A conical or wedge-shaped clamping sleeve located around the conical or wedge-shaped end regions of the damping cylinder.

Claims

1. A vibration damper of a vehicle, comprising: a damping cylinder formed from a fiber composite material; a guiding element at a guiding end region of the damping cylinder configured to guide a piston rod extending axially therethrough; a fastening element at a fastening end region of the damping cylinder opposite the guiding end region, the fastening element being configured for fastening the damping cylinder to the vehicle; a clamping sleeve at each of the guiding end region and the fastening end region, wherein the guiding end region of the damping cylinder is tapered inward toward a guiding end region end face away from a central region of the damping cylinder, the fastening end region of the damping cylinder is tapered outward toward a fastening end region end face away from the central region of the damping cylinder, guiding and fastening end regions of the damping cylinder are conical or wedge shaped, the guiding element and the fastening element have a conical or wedge shaped external shape corresponding to the respective guide or fastening end regions, and the clamping sleeves have a conical or wedge shaped external shape corresponding to and surrounding the respective guide or fastening end regions.

2. The vibration damper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clamping sleeves are at least partially formed from a metal or a fiber composite material.

3. The vibration damper as claimed in claim 2, wherein fibers of the fiber composite material of the clamping sleeves oriented in a circumferential direction thereof.

4. The vibration damper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clamping sleeves at are least partially adhesively bonded to the respective guide or fastening end regions.

5. The vibration damper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clamping sleeves are at least partially connected to the respective guide or fastening end regions by an isochronous pressing process in which the clamping sleeves and the respective guide or fastening end regions and guiding and fastening elements are joined by friction welding.

6. The vibration damper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clamping sleeve at the guiding end region includes a stop cap portion over at least a portion of the end face of the guiding element.

7. The vibration damper as claimed in claim 6, wherein the clamping sleeve at the guiding end region includes a radially-outward projecting collar configured as a spring plate to receive a spring thereon.

8. The vibration damper as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the clamping sleeves includes a radially-inward projecting projection formed to engage a corresponding groove at a radially-outer surface of the respective guiding or fastening element in a manner that resists axial movement of the sleeve relative the respective guiding or fastening element, and the radially-inward projecting projection is arranged circumferentially completely around the at least one sleeve or in partially encircling segments.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a vibration damper according to the invention,

(2) FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of a further exemplary embodiment of a vibration damper according to the invention,

(3) FIG. 3 shows a schematic side view of the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 or 2 with regard to the orientation of the fibers,

(4) FIG. 4 shows a schematic illustration of a further exemplary embodiment of a vibration damper according to the invention, and

(5) FIG. 5 shows a schematic illustration of a further exemplary embodiment of a vibration damper according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(6) FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a vibration damper 1 according to the invention for a vehicle.

(7) The vibration damper 1 has an arrangement 2 which comprises at least one damping cylinder, also called supporting tube 3 below, made from a fiber composite material. A guiding element 4 is arranged in a guiding end region 3a of the supporting tube 3. The guide element 4 guides a piston rod 5 of a piston 6 arranged movably in the supporting tube 3. A fastening element 7 is arranged in a fastening end region 3b of the supporting tube 3 opposite the guiding end region 3a. The fastening element 7 is formed for fastening the supporting tube 3 to a further component (not shown) of the vehicle. The guiding element 4 has a central bore 8 in which the piston rod 5 is guided in a linearly movable manner. The fastening element is provided with a “hinge eye” 9 via which the vibration damper 1 can be connected to the vehicle.

(8) In this embodiment, the two end regions of the supporting tube 3 are of conical design. The elements 4 and 7 arranged in said end regions 3a, 3b also both have a conical external shape. The guiding end region 3a tapers inward from the central region of the supporting tube 3 toward the end face of the guiding end region. The fastening end region 3b widens from the central region of toward the supporting tube 3 towards the end face of the fastening end region.

(9) A clamping sleeve 10 is arranged on the guiding end region 3a and a clamping sleeve 11 is arranged on the fastening end region 3b. The clamping sleeves 10 and 11 can be formed from a thermoplastic or thermosetting fiber composite material, wherein the fibers of the fiber composite plastic are arranged running in the circumferential direction of the clamping sleeve 10 or 11 (as shown in FIG. 3). In a thermoplastic embodiment, the clamping sleeves 10 and 11 are connected in an integrally bonded manner by friction welding to the respective end regions 3a, 3b of the supporting tube 3 preferably in the same friction welding operation in which the end elements are bonded with the supporting tube. Alternatively, the clamping sleeves 10 and 11 may be bonded to their respective end regions by an adhesive.

(10) FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of a further exemplary embodiment of a vibration damper 1 according to the invention. In contrast to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, an end section 17 is formed on the clamping sleeve 10, as a result of which the clamping sleeve 10 which is arranged on the guiding end region of conical design forms a stop cap.

(11) FIG. 3 shows a schematic side view of the exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein the radial arrangement of the fibers is illustrated.

(12) FIG. 4 shows a schematic illustration of a further exemplary embodiment of a vibration damper 1 according to the invention. In contrast to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3, the clamping sleeve 10 which is arranged on the guiding end region 3a has an encircling collar 12 forming a spring plate configured to receive the end of a spring (not shown).

(13) FIG. 5 shows a schematic illustration of a further exemplary embodiment of a vibration damper 1 according to the invention. In contrast to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a projection 13 or 14 arranged in an encircling manner is arranged on the inner side of each clamping sleeve 10 or 11, wherein a groove 15 or 16 formed in a substantially complementary manner with respect to the respective projection 13 or 14 is arranged on the outer side of each end region. The projections and corresponding grooves cooperate to further secure the clamping sleeves in position on their respective end regions.

(14) Although the invention is only illustrated schematically, the arrangement according to the invention can, of course, be used both for a single-tube damper and a two-tube damper.

(15) The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

(16) 1 Vibration damper 2 Arrangement 3 Damping cylinder or supporting tube 3a End region 3b End region 4 Guiding element 5 Piston rod 6 Piston 7 Fastening element 8 Bore 9 Hinge eye 10 Clamping sleeve 11 Clamping sleeve 12 Collar 13 Projection 14 Projection 15 Groove 16 Groove 17 End section