Tubular body used for power transmission shaft and power transmission shaft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11940007-B2
Application number	US-202117195287-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2021
Priority date	Feb 27, 2019
Publication date	Mar 26, 2024
Grant date	Mar 26, 2024

Abstract

A tube is used in fiber-reinforced plastic power transmission shaft. The tube comprises: a cylindrical body section; a connection portion that has a larger diameter than the body section; and an inclined portion that has an outer diameter that increases toward the second connection section from the main body part. The inclined section has formed thereon, a weak section that is damaged when a load input in the axial direction exceeds a prescribed value. With this configuration, the cost of the tube can be reduced, and when a prescribed load is input to the tube in the axial direction, the tube is reliably damaged.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tubular body used in a power transmission shaft that transmits power by rotating and that is made of a fiber reinforced plastic, comprising:
a tubular main body portion that is centered at an axis;
a connection portion which has a larger diameter than the main body portion and to which a coupling member is joined; and
an inclined portion that is formed between the main body portion and the connection portion and that increases in outer diameter while extending from the main body portion toward the connection portion, wherein
a weak portion that fails when load inputted in an axial direction exceeds a predetermined value is formed in the inclined portion,
the inclined portion gradually decreases in wall thickness from an end of the inclined portion on the connection portion side toward the other end of the inclined portion on the main body portion side, wherein the wall thickness is the smallest at the other end of the inclined portion on the main body portion side, and
the weak portion is a portion in which the wall thickness of the inclined portion is smallest; and
the main body portion decreases in outer diameter from a center portion toward one end portion and to the other end portion, and
an outer peripheral surface of the main body portion is formed to be in a curved shape from one end to the other end.

Assignees

• Hitachi Astemo Ltd

Inventors

• Mori Kenichi
• Nakayama Takahiro
• Ohta Kazuki

Classifications

• F16C3/026 Primary

  Shafts made of fibre reinforced resin · CPC title

• F16D9/08

  over a single area encircling the axis of rotation, e.g. shear necks on shafts (F16D9/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16C2208/02

  comprising fillers, fibres · CPC title

• F16C2326/06

  Drive shafts · CPC title

• B60K17/22

  characterised by arrangement, location, or type of main drive shafting, e.g. cardan shaft · CPC title