Stabilizer assembly for a vehicle

Abstract

A stabilizer unit for a vehicle and a method for manufacturing such a stabilizer unit, the stabilizer unit comprising a stabilizer bar, at least one bearing including a flange, made of plastic material, including at least one retaining portion and one groove including a cradle portion, wherein the stabilizer bar passes through the groove of the flange and is secured to the flange by means of a vulcanized elastomer layer.

Claims

1. A stabilizer unit for a vehicle, comprising: a stabilizer bar, at least one bearing including a flange, made of plastic material, including at least one retaining portion and one groove including a cradle portion, wherein the stabilizer bar passes through the groove of the flange and is secured to the flange by an injected and vulcanized elastomer layer, the elastomer layer being configured to adhere directly to the stabilizer bar and to completely surround the stabilizer bar in one piece, in a continuous manner, without breaks, and the stabilizer bar is heat-treated.

2. The stabilizer unit according to claim 1, wherein the flange is made of thermoplastic material, preferably from polyamide.

3. The stabilizer unit according to claim 1, wherein the flange is made in a fiber-reinforced material.

4. The stabilizer unit according to claim 1, wherein the elastomer layer is made from vulcanized rubber.

5. The stabilizer unit according to claim 1, wherein the elastomer layer occupies the entire volume of the groove left by the stabilizer bar.

6. The stabilizer unit according to claim 1, wherein the flange has a cellular structure.

7. The stabilizer unit according to claim 6, wherein the cells of the flange are parallel and extend along a main direction of the flange orthogonal to a direction of extension of the stabilizer bar.

8. The stabilizer unit according to claim 7, wherein at least some walls separating the cells of the flange extend in substantially radial and/or tangential planes with respect to a main axis of the flange.

9. The stabilizer unit according to claim 6, wherein fillets are provided between each side wall of cells of the flange.

10. The stabilizer unit according to claim 6, wherein the corners of cells of the flange are rounded.

11. A Method for manufacturing a stabilizer unit for a vehicle, comprising the following steps: providing a stabilizer bar; heat-treating the stabilizer bar; providing a flange, made of plastic material, including at least one retaining portion and one groove including a cradle portion; placing the stabilizer bar in the groove of the flange; injecting an elastomer into the groove of the flange, at the interface with the stabilizer bar, and obtaining an elastomer layer adhered directly to the stabilizer bar at this interface, the elastomer layer completely surrounding the stabilizer bar in one piece, in a continuous manner, without breaks; vulcanizing said elastomer layer.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein providing the flange includes the flange having a cellular structure and each cell including rounded corners.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein providing the flange includes the flange having a cellular structure including fillets between each side wall of cells of the flange.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The appended drawings are schematic and are primarily intended to illustrate the principles of the disclosure.

(2) In these drawings, from one figure (FIG.) to the other, identical elements (or portions of elements) are identified by the same reference signs. In addition, elements (or portions of elements) belonging to different exemplary embodiments but having a similar function are identified in the figures by numerical references incremented by 100, 200, etc.

(3) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stabilizer unit.

(4) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one example of a bearing.

(5) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the flange of FIG. 2.

(6) FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the bearing of FIG. 2.

(7) FIG. 5 is a top view of the bearing of FIG. 2.

(8) FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the bearing of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) In order to make the disclosure more concrete, one example of a stabilizer unit is described in detail below, with reference to the appended drawings. It is recalled that the disclosure is not limited to this example.

(10) FIG. 1 represents a stabilizer unit 1 for a vehicle comprising a solid or hollow stabilizer bar 10, painted or not, whose central portion 11 is equipped with two bearings 20. The bearings 20 are intended to be fastened on the chassis of the vehicle while the ends 12 of the stabilizer bar 10 are intended to be fastened on portions of the vehicle that are secured to each wheel of the same axle, particularly the wishbone of each wheel of the axle.

(11) FIGS. 2 to 6 represent such a bearing 20 mounted on a section 13 of the stabilizer bar 10. The bearing 20 comprises a flange 30 and an elastomer layer 59.

(12) The flange 30 has a general U shape and comprises two retaining tabs 31 connected by an arch 35 so as to form a groove 36. The flange 30 is symmetrical with respect to its main axis A which more broadly constitutes the main axis of the bearing 20.

(13) Each retaining tab 31 extends laterally from the base of the arch 35, perpendicularly to the main axis A. Each retaining tab 31 has an abutment surface 32, forming the abutment surface of the flange 30 and more broadly of the bearing 20, and a through bore 33, of axis C perpendicular to the abutment surface 32 and therefore parallel to the main axis A. Each bore 33 is provided with a metal sleeve 34.

(14) The generally U-shaped groove 36, is also symmetrical with respect to the main axis A. It has a semi-cylindrical bottom portion, forming a cradle portion 37, flanked by two planar side walls 38 opening onto the abutment surface 32 of the flange 30. The semi-cylindrical cradle portion 37 is directed along an axis B orthogonal to the axis A and corresponding to the direction of extension of the stabilizer bar 10 when the bearing 20 is mounted.

(15) The flange 30 is made by glass fiber-reinforced polyamide 66 molding and injection. These glass fibers are short fibers with a length comprised between 3 and 3.2 mm for a diameter comprised between 0.2 and 0.25 mm. These fibers are treated by sizing to allow proper wetting of the fibers and then mixed with the polyamide matrix at a level of 30 to 50% by mass of the final material. The metal sleeves 34 are for their part inserted into the mold of the flange 30 before the injection of the thermoplastic material; annular reliefs 34a allow blocking their positions within the flange 30 once the material has solidified.

(16) As better seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, the flange 30 includes many cylindrical cells 41, 42 extending parallel to the main axis A of the flange 30. The arch 35 includes a first set of cells 41 organized symmetrically with respect to the main axis A. Particularly, the walls 41a separating these cells 41 extend either radially with respect to the main axis A or along curves centered on the main axis A and preferably substantially circumferential with respect to the main axis A. These cells 41 are open on the external surface of the arch 35 and closed at the groove 36. In addition, the corners of these cells 41 are rounded, a fillet being provided between each side wall of the cells 41, so as to facilitate the passage and the orientation of the reinforcing fibers in the flange 30 during the injection.

(17) Each retaining tab 31 also includes a second set of cells 42 organized symmetrically with respect to the axis C of the bore 33 of the considered retaining tab 31. Particularly, the walls 42a separating these cells 42 extend radially with respect to the axis C of the bore 33. These cells 42 are open on the abutment surface 32 of the retaining tab 31 and closed at its opposite surface. Here again, the corners of these cells 42 are rounded, a fillet being provided between each side wall of the cells 42.

(18) The stabilizer unit 1 is then assembled in the following manner. Once the flange 30 is manufactured by molding and injection, the flange 30 is passed around the stabilizer bar 10. Particularly, it is noted in FIGS. 2 and 4 that the section 13 of the stabilizer bar 10 is received entirely in the groove 36 of the flange 10, that is to say that the groove 36 completely surrounds the stabilizer bar 10.

(19) The stabilizer bar 10 may have undergone a preparation treatment. Particularly, the stabilizer bar 10 may have undergone a flame treatment step during which the area(s) which are to receive the bearing 20 are heated locally for about 6 s using a torch flame, for example a gas, propane, butane or acetylene torch to mention a few examples. During this flame treatment step, the bar is turned around its axis, for example by hand.

(20) This unit is then placed in a mold so that the stabilizer bar 10 extends within the flange 30 along the axis B, leaving a continuous and constant clearance between the stabilizer bar 10 and the cradle portion 37 of the flange 30.

(21) Rubber is then injected into the mold so as to fill the space in the groove 63 left all around the stabilizer bar 10, thus forming the elastomer layer 59. Thus, as can be seen in FIG. 4, it is understood that the elastomer layer 59 completely surrounds, in one piece in a continuous manner, that is to say in a single portion without breaks, the section 13 of the stabilizer bar 10. The elastomer layer 59 thus obtained is then vulcanized so as to secure the stabilizer bar 10 within the flange 30: the bearing 20 is thus assembled and the same operation may be carried out for the second bearing 20.

(22) The stabilizer unit 1 thus assembled may then be mounted on the chassis of the vehicle by pressing the abutment surface 32 of the bearing 10 on the chassis and by screwing the bearing 20 on the chassis using two screws passing through the bores 33 of the retaining tabs 32.

(23) Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, it is obvious that modifications and changes may be made to these examples without departing from the general scope of the disclosure as defined by the claims. Particularly, individual characteristics of the various illustrated/mentioned embodiments may be combined in additional embodiments. Consequently, the description and the drawings should be considered in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense.

(24) It is also obvious that all the characteristics described with reference to one method may be transposed, alone or in combination, to one device, and conversely, all the characteristics described with reference to one device may be transposed, alone or in combination, to one method.