Bearing element and bearing

Abstract

A bearing element (1) for mounting a component, especially a cooling module, with an elastomeric element (12), the elastomeric element (12) having an inner connection (6) for connecting to a bearing pin (7) of the component to be mounted, an outer connection (8) for connecting to a bearing frame (10), and at least one support arm (14), which extends between the inner connection (6) and outer connection (8) and elastically connects these together, with a force transfer surface (16) of the outer connection (8) to the bearing frame (10) formed by an outer end face of the support arm (10), and the bearing element (1) formed such that, in the event of an elastic displacement of the inner connection (6) relative to the outer connection (8) in a predetermined, radial displacement direction relative to the bearing element (1) the support arm (14) is stressed predominantly by thrust.

Claims

1. A bearing element for mounting a component with an elastomeric element, wherein the elastomeric element comprises: an inner connection for connecting to a bearing pin of the component to be mounted, an outer connection for connecting to a bearing frame, and at least one support arm extending between the inner connection and the outer connection and elastically connecting these together, wherein an outer end face of each support arm forms a force transfer surface of the outer connection to the bearing frame, wherein each force transfer surface includes a centroid, wherein the bearing element is constructed so that, in the event of an elastic shift of the inner connection relative to the outer connection in a predetermined displacement direction radially with respect to the bearing element, the support arm is placed predominantly under a thrust load, and wherein a line normal to the force transfer surface at the centroid of each force transfer surface does not intersect the inner connection; wherein the bearing element does not include any support arm having a line normal to the force transfer surface at the centroid of each force transfer surface that intersects the inner connection.

2. The bearing element of claim 1, wherein the normal does not intersect the inner connection at a periphery of the force transfer surface.

3. The bearing element of claim 1, wherein the force transfer surface extends in a single plane.

4. The bearing element of claim 1, wherein the elastomeric element has a thickened region at a transition from the inner connection to the at least one support arm.

5. The bearing element of claim 1, wherein a ratio of a first distance from an inner edge of the inner connection to an outer edge of the elastomeric element to a second distance of an outer edge of the elastomeric element up to an outer edge of the force transfer surface of the support arm is between about 50% and about 200%.

6. The bearing element of claim 1, wherein the at least one support arm includes two support arms, which are formed for a transfer of forces in a main displacement direction.

7. The bearing element of claim 1, wherein, in a cross section of the bearing element through the force transfer surface, no support arm is provided in an angular range of about 90 about the inner connection.

8. A bearing with the bearing element according to claim 1, wherein the bearing comprises: a bearing frame for connecting with an outer connection of the bearing element, and a bearing element receptacle for receiving the bearing element, wherein the bearing element is accommodated in the bearing element receptacle and wherein the outer end face of the outer connection abuts the bearing frame.

9. The bearing element of claim 5, wherein the ratio is between about 75% and about 175%.

10. The bearing element of claim 5, wherein the ratio is between about 100% and about 150%.

11. The bearing element of claim 1, wherein, in a cross section of the bearing element through the force transfer surface, no support arm is provided in an angular range of about 120 about the inner connection.

12. The bearing element of claim 1, wherein, in a cross section of the bearing element through the force transfer surface, no support arm is provided in an angular range of about 160 about the inner connection.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) An embodiment of the inventive feeding device is explained in more detail with reference to drawings. It is understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below and that individual features of the embodiment can be combined to form further embodiments.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a spatial view of an inventive bearing with a bearing element of an example of the invention,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a front view of the bearing of FIG. 1,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a cross section of the bearing of FIG. 1,

(5) FIG. 4 shows a front view of a bearing, known from the prior art, with visualized stresses or strains in a displacement in the z-direction,

(6) FIG. 5 shows a front view of the bearing of FIG. 1 with visualized stresses or strains when displaced in the z-direction,

(7) FIG. 6 shows a front view of a known from the prior art bearing with visualized stresses or strains when displaced in the x direction, and

(8) FIG. 7 shows a front view of the bearing of FIG. 1 with visualized stresses or strains when displaced in the x direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, an embodiment of an inventive bearing element 1 in a bearing 2 of the present invention is described below, wherein the embodiment shows a bearing 2 for a cooling module of a motor vehicle. In relation to the direction of gravity, the bearing 2 is shown in the installed position. The coordinate system shown in the Figures corresponds to the previously described x-y-z coordinate system.

(10) In the view shown in FIG. 1, a bearing element 1 of an embodiment is taken up in an inventive bearing 2, especially in a bearing receptacle 4 of the bearing 2.

(11) The bearing element 1 has an inner connection 6, by means of which a bearing pin 7 of the (not shown) cooling module can be connected. An outer connection 8, by means of which the bearing element 1 with a bearing frame 10 is connectable, can be connected to the inner connection 6. The bearing element 1 comprises an elastomeric element 12.

(12) As shown here, the outer connection 8 may, for example, be cast or sprayed on the bearing frame 10, so as to connect the bearing element 1 with the bearing frame 10.

(13) As shown, the elastomeric element 12 is formed with three support arms 14, each extending between the inner connection 6 and the outer connection 8 and connecting these elastically with one another. In each case, the outer end face of each support arm 14 form a force transfer surface 16 to the bearing frame 10.

(14) The inner connection 6 may include a sleeve 18 for receiving the bearing pins 7 of the (not shown) cooling module or be designed as such. The outer connection 8 may include or be configured as the force transfer surface 16.

(15) As shown particularly in FIG. 3, the outer connection 8 may, be designed so that it has an outward offset with respect to the inner part of the elastomeric element 12. Moreover, a ratio of a first distance 20 from an inner edge 22 of the inner connection 6 to an outer edge 24 of the elastomeric element 12 to a second distance 26 from the outer edge 24 of the elastomeric element 12 to an outer edge 28 of the force transfer surface 16 of the respective support arm 14 is between about 100% and about 150%.

(16) The force transfer surface 16 may be an end face of the support arm 14 or a surface, by means of which substantially all of the force is transmitted from the support arm 14 to the bearing frame 10. A width dimension of the force transmitting surface 16 extends in the frontal view of the bearing in the plane of the drawing. The width of the force transfer surface 16 may correspond approximately to a width 17 of the bearing frame 10 shown in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the force transfer surface 16 is a flat surface, which essentially corresponds to the end face of the respective support arm 14, with which substantially all the force can be transmitted from the support arm 14 to the bearing frame 10.

(17) As shown in this embodiment, the force transfer surface 16 may extend on a single plane. That means that the force transfer surface 16, in this case, has no projections and/or setbacks and does not run around a corner.

(18) The bearing element receptacle 4 may be formed so that, apart from the points at which the respective support arm 14 is connected to the bearing frame 10, a gap 30 is formed between the bearing element 1 and the bearing frame 10 or between an inner part of the elastomeric element 12 and the outer connection 8 of the elastomeric element 12. The gap 30 permits the inner connection 6 to be displaced relative to the outer connection 8, in particular, upon application of a force on the inner connection 6.

(19) As shown in FIG. 2, a normal 32 to the force transfer surface 16 in the centroid 34 of the force transfer surface 16 may be approximately in the middle between boundary points 36 marked with circles, particularly in the case of a planar force transfer surface 16. The orientation or extension direction 33 of the respective support arm 14 can be formed as a connecting line of a center 35 of the bearing 2 or of the inner connection 6 and of the respective centroid 34, which is marked by a circle.

(20) The orientation 33 of the respective support arm 14 may enclose an angle 37 of about 30 to about 50 and preferably about 35 to about 45 with the normal 32 of the force transfer surface 16 of the respective support arm 14.

(21) The force transfer surface 16 advantageously may be arranged so that the normal 32 of the force transfer surface 16 in the centroid of an area 34 of the force transfer surface 16 does not intersect the inner connection 6.

(22) As also shown, the force transfer surface 16 advantageously may be arranged so that no normal 38 on the circumference of the force-transfer surface 16 intersects with the inner connection 6.

(23) The elastomeric element 12 has a thickened region 40 at a transition from the inner connection 6 to the respective bearing arm 14. As shown in the cross-section perpendicular to the axial propagation direction of the inner connection 6 in FIG. 3, a ratio particularly a radial, extension 41 of the thickening region 40 in the sectional plane to a particularly radial, extension 42 of the inner connection 6 in the sectional plane may amount to between about 40% and about 55%.

(24) For the elastomeric element 12, no support arm 14 may be provided in an angular range 44 about the inner connection 6. In the present case, the angular range 44 may amount to about 160, as shown here.

(25) The bearing 2 may have at least one fastening device 46 for fastening to a component, in particular to a motor vehicle frame (not shown). Here, the fastening device 46 includes, for example, a detent 48 for engaging in a correspondingly formed (not shown) receptacle on the motor vehicle frame and a bore 50 for receiving a (not shown) screw for screwing into a corresponding thread on the motor vehicle frame.

(26) FIG. 4 shows a front view of a bearing 200, known from the prior art, with stresses or strains made visible, wherein it can be seen that high local stresses, in particular extension peaks, marked in the elements 210 by means of bright regions, arise during a displacement in the negative z-direction for force transmission.

(27) In comparison, FIG. 5 shows a front view of the bearing 2 of FIG. 1 with stresses or strains made visible. It can be seen that the stresses or strains in the support arms 14 of the inventive bearing element 1 are distributed at approximately the same displacement force in the negative z-direction more evenly over the support arms and lesser local stress peaks, especially extension peaks, occur in the support arms than in the elements 210 for transmitting forces in the case of the bearings 200 known from the prior art.

(28) In the front view shown in FIG. 6 of the bearing 200, which is known from the prior art, with stresses or strains made visible, high local stresses, especially extension peaks, marked by means of bright regions, are recognizable in the elements 210 for transferring forces during a shift in the positive x direction.

(29) In comparison, FIG. 7 shows a front view of the bearing 2 of FIG. 1 with stresses or strains made visible, wherein it can be seen that the stresses or strains in the support arms 14 of the inventive bearing element 1, at about the same displacement force, are distributed more uniformly in the x direction and are lower than the stresses or strains in the elements 210 for transmitting forces for the bearing 200 known from the prior art. In this embodiment, since the displacement in the x direction corresponds to the displacement in the main displacement direction, this is of advantage for increasing the service life of the bearing body 1 and, with that, of the bearing 2.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

(30) 1 bearing element 2 bearing 4 bearing element receptacle 6 inner connection 7 bearing pin 8 outer connection 10 bearing frame 12 elastomeric element 14 support arm 16 force transfer surface 17 width 18 sleeve 20 first distance 22 inner edge of the inner connection 24 outer edge of the elastomeric element 26 second distance 28 outer edge of the force transfer surface 30 gap 32 normal in centroid of the force transfer surface 33 orientation of the support arm 34 centroid 35 center of the bearing 36 boundary point of the force transfer surface 37 angle between the orientation of the support arm and the normal 38 normal at the periphery of the force transfer surface 40 thickened region 41 extent of the thickened area 42 extent of the inner connection 44 angular rage 46 fastening device 48 latch 50 borehole 200 known bearing 210 elements for transferring forces