Drive shafts made of composite materials and methods of making such shafts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11859665-B2
Application number	US-201916655722-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2019
Priority date	Oct 17, 2019
Publication date	Jan 2, 2024
Grant date	Jan 2, 2024

Abstract

A drive shaft has a tubular member extending between axial ends and being hollow. The tubular member is formed of a thermoplastic matrix with embedded fibers. At least one ring member is positioned radially of the tubular member. A method is also disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A drive shaft comprising:
a tubular member extending between axial ends and being hollow, said tubular member formed of a thermoplastic matrix with embedded fibers;
at least one ring member secured radially of said tubular member; and
wherein a bending stiffness of the at least one ring member in a hoop direction is at least twice as high as a bending stiffness of said tubular member in the hoop direction given the same width as said ring member.

2. The drive shaft as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said tubular member extends across 360° in the circumferential direction, and said ring member also extends across 360° in the circumferential direction.

3. The drive shaft as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said tubular member extends across 360° in the circumferential direction and said ring member includes a plurality of spaced ring portions, such that said ring member does not extend across 360° in the circumferential direction.

4. The drive shaft as set forth in claim 1 , wherein a wrap is placed on an opposed side of said ring member relative to at least one of an inner and outer peripheral surface of said tubular member.

5. The drive shaft as set forth in claim 1 , wherein there are a pair of said ring members, with one of said pair of said ring members placed on an outer peripheral surface of said tubular member and a second of said rings placed on an inner peripheral surface of said tubular member.

6. The drive shaft as set forth in claim 1 , wherein there are a plurality of ring members, with at least one of the plurality of ring members placed within a radial extent of said tubular member, and others of said plurality of ring members being placed on at least one of an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface of said tubular member.

7. The drive shaft as set forth in claim 1 , wherein there are a plurality of ring members spaced along an axial length of said tubular member, and an axial distance along a central axis of said tubular member is defined between each of said plurality of ring members and said axial distance is uniform across an axial length of said tubular member.

8. The drive shaft as set forth in claim 1 , wherein there are a plurality of ring members spaced along an axial length of said tubular member, and an axial distance is defined along a control axis of said tubular member between adjacent ones of said ring members and said axial distances are not uniform.

9. The drive shaft as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said ring member is generally rectangular in cross-section.

10. The drive shaft as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said ring member is non-circular in cross-section.

11. The drive shaft as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said ring member has a part circular cross-section.

12. The drive shaft as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said ring member has one of a generally L-shape in cross-section or a generally I-shape in cross-section.

13. The drive shaft as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said ring member is formed of either of a thermoplastic matrix with embedded fibers or a metal material or their combination.

14. The drive shaft as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said ring member is centered about a central axis of said tubular member.

15. The drive shaft as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said ring member is centered on an axis which is non-parallel to a central axis of said tubular member.

16. The drive shaft as set forth in claim 1 , wherein there is a plurality of said ring members each having a central axis which is non-parallel to said central axis of said tubular member, and at least one said central axis of at least one of said plurality of ring members extending in an opposed direction relative to said central axis of at least another of said plurality of said ring members.

Assignees

• Hamilton Sundstrand Corp

Inventors

• Gurvich Mark R
• Reed Brayton
• Schaefer Joyel M
• King Michael
• Gryk Kevin Thomas

Classifications

• F16C3/026 Primary

  Shafts made of fibre reinforced resin · CPC title

• B29C70/74

  Moulding material on a relatively small portion of the preformed part, e.g. outsert moulding {(B29C70/845 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B29L2031/75

  Shafts · CPC title

• F16D1/0858

  due to the elasticity of the hub (including shrink fits) · CPC title