Propeller shaft slip member with crash collapse assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11156253-B2
Application number	US-201716323811-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2017
Priority date	Aug 9, 2016
Publication date	Oct 26, 2021
Grant date	Oct 26, 2021

Abstract

A vehicle shaft assembly (500). The shaft assembly includes a coupling assembly having a first (506), a second (508) and a third (510) joint member. A substantially cylindrical body portion of the second joint member is drivingly connected to a first shaft (560) having an increased diameter portion. The increased diameter portion of the first shaft has a retaining member groove (604) circumferentially extending along at least a portion of an outer surface of the increased diameter portion. At least a portion of the increased diameter portion of the first shaft is drivingly connected to a crash collapse adapter (608) having a crash collapse feature circumferentially extending along an inner surface of the crash collapse adapter. A second shaft (640) is integrally connected to at least a portion of an outer surface of the crash collapse adapter (608). At least a portion of a retaining member is disposed within the retaining member groove and the crash collapse feature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A shaft assembly, comprising:
a coupling assembly comprising a first joint member, a second joint member and a third joint member drivingly connecting said first joint member to said second joint member;
wherein said second joint member has a first end portion, a second end portion and an intermediate portion interposed between said first and second end portions of said second joint member;
wherein said second joint member has a substantially cylindrical body portion extending therefrom;

a first shaft having a first end portion, a second end portion and an intermediate portion interposed between said first and second end portions of said first shaft;
wherein at least a portion of said first shaft is drivingly connected to at least a portion of said substantially cylindrical body portion of said second joint member;
wherein said second end portion of said first shaft has an increased diameter portion with a plurality of axially extending increased diameter portion splines circumferentially extend along at least a portion of an outer surface thereof;
wherein a retaining member groove circumferentially extends along at least a portion of said outer surface of said increased diameter portion of said first shaft;

a crash collapse adapter having an inner surface and an outer surface defining a hollow portion therein;
wherein a plurality of axially extending crash collapse adapter splines circumferentially extend along at least a portion of said inner surface of said crash collapse adapter that are complementary to and meshingly engaged with said plurality of axially extending increased diameter portion splines on said outer surface of said increased diameter portion of said first shaft;
wherein a crash collapse feature circumferentially extends along at least a portion of said inner surface of said crash collapse adapter;
wherein said crash collapse feature comprises, in axial order, a first decreasing diameter portion, a substantially cylindrical portion, an increased diameter portion, and a second decreasing diameter portion;

a retaining member;
wherein at least a portion of said retaining member is disposed within said retaining member groove in said outer surface of said increased diameter portion of said first shaft and said increased diameter portion of said crash collapse feature in said inner surface of said crash collapse adapter;
wherein said retaining member radially collapses into said retaining member groove in said outer surface of said increased diameter portion of said first shaft when a pre-determined amount of force is applied to said retaining member;

a flexible boot having a first end portion and a second end portion;
wherein at least a portion of said first end portion of said flexible boot is connected to at least a portion of said substantially cylindrical body portion of said second joint member;
wherein at least a portion of said second end portion of said flexible boot is connected to at least a portion of said first shaft;

a second shaft having an inner surface and an outer surface defining a hollow portion therein; and
wherein at least a portion of a first end portion of said second shaft is drivingly connected to at least a portion of said crash collapse adapter.

2. The shaft assembly of claim 1 , wherein said retaining member is one of a snap-ring, a circlip, a C-Clip, and a Seeger ring or a Jesus clip.

3. The shaft assembly of claim 1 , wherein said flexible boot has an outermost diameter OD 1 that is less than a diameter D 1 of said hollow portion of said crash collapse adapter.

4. The shaft assembly of claim 1 , wherein a first decreasing diameter portion of said crash collapse feature extends from a first end of said inner surface of said crash collapse adapter;
wherein an end of said substantially cylindrical portion of said crash collapse feature is connected to an end of said first reducing diameter portion of said crash collapse feature opposite said first end of said crash collapse adapter;
wherein an end of said increased diameter portion of said crash collapse feature is connected to an end of said substantially cylindrical portion of said crash collapse feature opposite said first decreasing diameter portion of said crash collapse feature; and
wherein an end of said second decreasing diameter portion of said crash collapse feature is connected to an end of said increased diameter portion of said crash collapse feature opposite said substantially cylindrical portion of said crash collapse feature.

5. The shaft assembly of claim 4 , wherein said first decreasing diameter portion of said crash collapse feature has an outermost diameter OD 2 that is greater than a diameter D 2 of said substantially cylindrical portion of said crash collapse feature;
wherein said diameter D 2 of said substantially cylindrical portion of said crash collapse feature is less than a diameter D 3 of said increased diameter portion of said crash collapse feature;
wherein said second decreasing diameter portion of said crash collapse feature has an inner most diameter ID 1 that is substantially equal to a diameter D 1 of said hollow portion of said crash collapse adapter; and
wherein said outermost diameter OD 2 of said first decreasing diameter portion, said diameter D 2 of said substantially cylindrical portion and said diameter D 3 of said increased diameter portion of said crash collapse feature are greater than said diameter D 1 of said hollow portion of said crash collapse adapter.

6. The shaft assembly of claim 1 , wherein said pre-determined amount of force to radially collapse said retaining member into said retaining member groove is from approximately 30 kN to approximately 60 kN.

7. The shaft assembly of claim 1 , wherein said second decreasing diameter portion of said crash collapse feature of said crash adapter has an angle θ 3 that is measured from a centerline C 1 of said shaft assembly; and
wherein said angle θ 3 of said second decreasing diameter portion of said crash collapse feature is from approximately 30° to approximately 45°.

8. The shaft assembly of claim 1 , further comprising one or more vibration reduction devices having an inner surface and an outer surface; and
wherein at least a portion of said inner surface of said one or more vibration reduction devices are integrally connected to at least a portion of said outer surface of said second shaft or to at least a portion of an outer surface of said substantially cylindrical body portion of said second joint member.

9. The shaft assembly of claim 1 , wherein said first shaft further comprises an O-ring groove circumferentially extending along at least a portion of said outer surface of said increased diameter portion of said first shaft;
wherein at least a portion of an O-ring is disposed within said O-ring groove in said outer surface of said increased diameter portion of said first shaft; and
wherein at least a portion of said O-ring is in direct contact with at least a portion of said substantially cylindrical portion of said crash collapse feature in said inner surface of said crash collapse adapter.

10. A method of collapsing a shaft assembly, comprising:
providing a joint assembly comprising a first joint member, a second joint member and a third joint member drivingly connecting said first joint member to said second joint member;
providing a first shaft drivingly connected to said second joint member, wherein said first shaft has an increased diameter portion with a retaining member groove circumferentially extending along at least a portion of an outer surface of said increased diameter portion;
providing a crash collapse adapter driving connected

Assignees

• Dana Automotive Systems Group

Inventors

• Dutkiewicz Jeffrey A

Classifications

• F16D3/227 Primary

  the joints being telescopic · CPC title

• F16D3/06

  specially adapted to allow axial displacement · CPC title

• Y10T403/7033

  including a lock or retainer · CPC title

• F16D2003/22313

  Details of the inner part of the core or means for attachment of the core on the shaft · CPC title

• F16D9/04 Primary

  by tensile breaking · CPC title