Damper for a vehicle having a flange for connecting an external module tube

Abstract

A shock absorber having a shock absorber tube (10) is disclosed and has an external module tube (11) which is arranged retentively on the outside of the shock absorber tube (10) by a flange (12), wherein the flange (12) has one or more fluid ducts (13, 14) which fluidically couple the module tube (11) to the shock absorber tube (10). The flange (12) has a plastics body (15) in which the fluid ducts (13, 14) are formed, and the flange (12) furthermore has metallic connecting elements (16, 17) which extend between the shock absorber tube (10) and the module tube (11) and by which the mechanically retentive connection between the shock absorber tube (10) and the module tube (11) is formed.

Claims

1. A shock absorber comprising a shock absorber tube and an external module tube which is arranged retentively on the outside of the shock absorber tube by a flange, wherein the flange has one or more fluid ducts which fluidically couple the module tube to the shock absorber tube, wherein the flange has a plastic body in which the fluid ducts for the fluidic coupling are formed, and wherein the flange has metallic connecting elements which extend between the shock absorber tube and the module tube and by which the retentive connection between the shock absorber tube and the module tube is formed, wherein the metallic connecting elements are formed by plate-shaped metal elements which are arranged on the outside of and in contact engagement with the plastic body to form the sides of the plastic body, and wherein the retentive connection between the external module and the shock absorber tube is formed by fixedly securing the plate-shaped metal elements to the external module and the shock absorber tube.

2. The shock absorber as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plate-shaped metal elements have edge regions by which the plate-shaped metal elements are substance bonded to the shock absorber tube and to the external module tube.

3. The shock absorber as claimed in claim 1, wherein two plate-shaped metal elements are provided which are arranged in parallel on the outside of the plastic body.

4. The shock absorber as claimed in claim 3, wherein the plate-shaped metal elements have retention tabs that engage the plastic body to retain the plastic body in place between the plate-shaped metal elements during the operation of the shock absorber tube.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further measures which improve the invention will be discussed in more detail below in conjunction with the description of preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention and with reference to the figures. In the figures:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a shock absorber with a shock absorber tube, a module tube and a flange which connects the tubes, as per a first possible embodiment,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the flange as per the first embodiment in FIG. 1,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of the flange as per a further embodiment, and

(5) FIG. 4 shows a perspective, non-sectional view of the flange as per the further embodiment in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(6) FIG. 1 shows, as a first exemplary embodiment and in a perspective view, parts of a shock absorber having a shock absorber tube 10 and having an external module tube 11, and a flange 12 is arranged between the shock absorber tube 10 and the external module tube 11. The flange 12 connects the module tube 11 to the shock absorber tube 10, such that the module tube 11 is held mechanically on the shock absorber tube 10 by way of the flange 12. The shock absorber tube 10 and the module tube 11 are shown merely schematically, and in the module tube 11 there may be accommodated, for example, a valve assembly which fluidically communicates with the shock absorber tube 10 via fluid ducts in the flange 12. Alternatively, in the module tube 11, there may be formed an additional absorber volume, which likewise requires fluid ducts in the flange 12 in order to fluidically communicate with the shock absorber tube 10. The first exemplary embodiment of the flange 12 is illustrated in detail in the following FIG. 2.

(7) FIG. 2 shows a first possible exemplary embodiment of a flange 12 for connecting a shock absorber tube 10 to an external module tube 11, as shown in FIG. 1. The flange 12 has a plastics body 15 in which, through the formation of passages 20 and 21 in the plastics body 15, the fluid ducts 13 and 14 are formed, which run parallel to one another through the plastics body 15. In this case, the fluid ducts 13 and 14 extend between two abutment sides 24 of the flange 12, and it can be seen that the abutment sides 24 have a curvature which is adapted to the curvature of the outer side of the shock absorber tube 10 and of the external module tube 11 respectively.

(8) Furthermore, the flange has metallic connecting elements 16 which, in the first exemplary embodiment which is shown, are in the form of plate-shaped metal elements 16. The plate-shaped metal elements 16 run parallel to one another, and the plastics body 15 is situated between the plate-shaped metal elements 16. The plate-shaped metal elements 16 consequently form side cheeks of the plastics body 15, and serve for the mechanically retentive connection of the external module 11 to the shock absorber tube 10. To produce the connection between the plate-shaped metal elements 16 and the shock absorber tube 10 and the external module tube 11 respectively, the plate-shaped metal elements 16 have edge regions 18 by way of which the plate-shaped metal elements 16 can be welded, for example, to the outer surface of the shock absorber tube 10 and of the external module tube 11.

(9) The region in which the fluid ducts 13 and 14 open into the abutment sides 24 of the plastics body 15 has sealing elements 22 which are received in the plastics body 15, for example in depressions which are not shown in any more detail. The receiving depressions for receiving the sealing elements 22 in the plastics body 15 comprise, at a predefined circumferential position, grooves 25 into which lugs 26 arranged on the sealing elements 22 are seated in order to ensure radial orientation of the sealing elements 22. This may be necessary since the abutment sides 24 of the flange 12 are adapted to the curvature of the tube outer side of the tubes 10, 11, whereby the sealing elements 22 may exhibit a varying cord thickness and are thus likewise adapted to the curvature of the tube outer sides, whereby said sealing elements require radial orientation.

(10) If the plate-shaped metal elements 16 are welded between the tubes 10, 11, retention tabs 23 ensure that the plastics body 15 does not move out of its position between the plate-shaped metal elements 16 during the operation of the shock absorber. The retention tabs 23 are integrally formed for example on those edges of the plate-shaped metal elements 16 which extend between the tubes 10, 11, and said retention tabs may likewise be provided on the lower side of the plastics body 15 in the manner visible on the upper side.

(11) FIGS. 3 and 4 show a further exemplary embodiment of a flange 12 for connecting an external module tube 11 to a shock absorber tube 10 of a shock absorber. Here, FIG. 3 shows the plastics body 15 in section, and FIG. 4 shows a view of the complete plastics body 15. The fluid ducts 13 and 14 are formed by passages 20 and 21 in the plastics body 15 and run parallel to one another through the plastics body 15 and extend between the two abutment sides 24 of the plastics body 15, by way of which said fluid ducts adjoin the tubes 10 and 11. At the ends, the fluid ducts 13 and 14 are provided with sealing elements 22.

(12) The second exemplary embodiment of the flange 12 shows metallic connecting elements 17 in the form of connecting bars 17 which, by way of example, extend through the plastics body 15. In this case, the connecting bars 17 have a length such that they extend between the respective abutment sides 24 of the plastics body 15, and by way of end sides 19 provided on the connecting bars 17, said end sides being shown for example on the in each case two upper connecting bars 17, the connecting bars 17 are connected to the shock absorber tube 10 and to the external module tube 11, for example by way of a welding process.

(13) The exemplary embodiment shows six connecting bars 17 which extend parallel to one another through the plastics body 15, and the connecting bars 17 are arranged in two rows in each case in pairs at the same height, such that each of the fluid ducts 13 and 14 is enclosed by four connecting bars 17.

(14) The exemplary embodiment shows connecting bars 17 which extend through the plastics body 15, and it may alternatively be provided that the connecting bars 17 run outside the plastics body 15. For example, the plastics body 15 may have, on the outside, receiving pockets into which the connecting bars 17 may be inserted. The connecting bars 17 shown have a circular cross section; they may likewise also be in the form of rectangular, for example even flat, connecting bars 17.

(15) A further exemplary embodiment of a flange 12 may have metallic connecting elements 16, 17 which are composed both of plate-shaped metal elements 16 and of connecting bars 17, such that the flange 12 combines both forms of connecting elements 16, 17. The plate-shaped metal elements 16 may in this case also be applied to the upper and lower sides of the plastics body 15 in relation to the direction of extent of the two tubes 10, 11. The advantage of the simple producibility of the flange 12, and in particular of the metallic connecting elements 16, 17, is attained in particular if the connecting elements 16, 17 can be cut to length from a band material or bar material provided in endless form, such that the metallic connecting elements 16, 17 preferably have an unchanging cross section over their entire length between the two tubes 10, 11.

(16) The invention is not restricted, with regard to its embodiment, to the preferred exemplary embodiments specified above. Rather, numerous variants are conceivable which make use of the presented solution even in fundamentally different embodiments. All of the features and/or advantages which emerge from the claims, the description or the drawings, including structural details or spatial arrangements, may be essential to the invention both individually and in a wide variety of combinations.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(17) 10 Shock absorber tube

(18) 11 External module tube

(19) 12 Flange

(20) 13 Fluid duct

(21) 14 Fluid duct

(22) 15 Plastics body

(23) 16 Metallic connecting element, plate-shaped metal element

(24) 17 Metallic connecting element, connecting bar

(25) 18 Edge region of the plate-shaped metal element

(26) 19 End side of the connecting bar

(27) 20 Passage

(28) 21 Passage

(29) 22 Sealing element

(30) 23 Retention tab

(31) 24 Abutment side

(32) 25 Groove

(33) 26 Lug