Structure of semi-finished product for movement restriction member, apparatus for attaching semi-finished product to bar member, structure for attachment of semi-finished product and bar member, and method of attaching semi-finished product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017050488-A1
Application number	US-201415119593-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 8, 2014
Priority date	Feb 18, 2014
Publication date	Feb 23, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A semi-finished product ( 31 ) includes a first curved portion on one end of a plate-shaped bridge portion ( 33 ), and a second curved portion ( 37 ) on the other end of the bridge portion ( 33 ). The second curved portion ( 37 ) includes at the end a second lock portion ( 51 ) to lock with a first lock portion ( 41 ). The bridge portion ( 33 ) and the inner circumferential surfaces of the first and second curved portions ( 35, 37 ) are pressure-contacted and caulked on the outer circumferential surface of the stabilizer bar ( 11 ) by first and second dies ( 61, 62 ). At least one of the inner circumferential surfaces ( 31 c ) of the first and second curved portions ( 35, 37 ) and the outer circumferential surface of the stabilizer bar opposed to the inner surfaces ( 31 c ) is formed with an anti-slippage portion ( 38 ). The inner circumferential surfaces ( 31 c ) of the first and second curved portions ( 35, 37 ) and the outer circumferential surface of the stabilizer bar ( 11 ) have an anti-slippage material (Co) therebetween.

First claim

1 . A structure of a semi-finished product for a movement restriction member attached to a stabilizer bar for a vehicle,
the semi-finished product comprising: a plate-shaped bridge portion; a first curved portion integrally extending from one end portion of the bridge portion; and a second curved portion integrally extending from another end portion of the bridge portion, the semi-finished product being formed in a letter C shape as a whole, the first curved portion including an end portion including a first lock portion, the second curved portion including an end portion including a second lock portion to engage with the first lock portion, the semi-finished product being caulked such that the bridge portion, and respective inner circumferential surfaces of the first curved portion and the second curved portion are pressure-contacted on an outer circumferential surface of the stabilizer bar using a first die and a second die with the stabilizer bar placed on an inner circumferential surface of the first curved portion, the semi-finished product including an inner circumferential surface formed with an anti-slippage portion, and the anti-slippage portion being pressed and attached on an anti-slippage material provided on the outer circumferential surface of the stabilizer bar when the semi-finished product is attached to the stabilizer bar.

2 . The structure of the semi-finished product for the movement restriction member set forth in claim 1 ,
wherein the anti-slippage portion comprises a knurled pattern formed with a recess depressed by 30 μm to 700 μm or a projection protruding by 30 μm to 700 μm, and wherein the anti-slippage material comprises a coating.

3 . The structure of the semi-finished product for the movement restriction member set forth in claim 1 ,
wherein the anti-slippage portion is formed with a recess depressed by 30 μm to 700 μm or a projection protruding by 30 μm to 700 μm formed by shot peening.

4 . The structure of the semi-finished product for the movement restriction member set forth in claim 1 ,
wherein the anti-slippage portion is made of alumina powder.

5 . The structure of the semi-finished product for the movement restriction member set forth in claim 1 ,
wherein with L 2 [mm] denoting a length dimension of a work in process before being formed into the letter C shape and S [mm] denoting a dimension of a straight part on an inner surface side of the bridge portion, the S in the semi-finished product of the letter C shape before being attached to the stabilizer bar is expressed by
L 2×0.18−2≦ S≦L 2×0.18+2

when a plate thickness T of a raw material of the movement restriction member is 5 mm to less than 10 mm, and
L 2×0.18−1≦ S≦L 2×0.18+3

when the plate thickness T is 3 mm to less than 5 mm.

6 . An apparatus for attaching a semi-finished product to a bar member in which the semi-finished product for a movement restriction member to be attached to the bar member is caulked using a first die and a second die and thereby attached to the bar member,
the apparatus comprising a displacement preventer configured to prevent the semi-finished product for the movement restriction member set on a cavity of the first die from slipping out of place relative to the first die when the semi-finished product for the movement restriction member is set on the first die located on a lower side and caulked on the bar member.

7 . The apparatus for attaching the semi-finished product to the bar member set forth in claim 6 , wherein the displacement preventer comprises a gas spring configured to press the bar member extending from the semi-finished product set on the first die, against the first curved portion of the first die with the semi-finished product interposed between the bar member and the first die.

8 . The apparatus for attaching the semi-finished product to the bar member set forth in claim 6 , wherein the displacement preventer comprises a suction device including a sucker configured to suck either the bar member extending from the semi-finished product set on the first die or the semi-finished product set on the first die and press the semi-finished product against the first curved portion of the first die.

9 . The apparatus for attaching the semi-finished product to the bar member set forth in claim 6 , wherein the displacement preventer includes an unevenness portion formed on an outer circumferential surface of the first curved portion of the semi-finished product to prevent slippage from the first die; and an unevenness of the first die corresponding to the unevenness portion.

10 . The apparatus for attaching the semi-finished product to the bar member set forth in claim 6 ,
wherein the apparatus comprises: a first die holder configured to hold the first die; and a jig configured to hold rotatably the first die holder, wherein the jig makes the first die holder turn to an inside-dimension determination position for holding the first die and fixes the first die holder at the inside-dimension determination position when the semi-finished product, which is one of paired left and right semi-finished products to be attached to the bar member, is to be pressed and caulked using the first die and the second die with reference to an inner surface of the semi-finished product facing another one of the paired semi-finished products, and wherein the jig makes the first die holder turn to an outside-dimension determination position for holding the first die and fixes the first die holder at the outside-dimension determination position when the semi-finished product is to be pressed and caulked with reference to an outer surface of the left or right semi-finished product.

11 . A structure for attachment of a bar member and a semi-finished product for a movement restriction member in which the semi-finished product for the movement restriction member is attached to the bar member,
the semi-finished product comprising: a plate-shaped bridge portion; a first curved portion integrally extending from one end portion of the bridge portion; and a second curved portion integrally extending from another end portion of the bridge portion, the semi-finished product being formed in a letter C shape as a whole, the first curved portion including an end portion including a first lock portion, the second curved portion including an end portion including a second lock portion to engage with the first lock portion, the semi-finished product being caulked such that the bridge portion, and respective inner circumferential surfaces of the first curved portion and the second curved portion are pressure-contacted on an outer circumferential surface of the stabilizer bar using a first die and a second die with the stabilizer bar placed on an inner circumferential surface of the first curved portion, the semi-finished product including an inner circumferential surface of the first curved portion formed with an anti-slippage portion, and the anti-slippage portion being pressed and attached on an anti-slippage material provided on the outer circumferential surface of the bar member when the semi-finished product is attached to the stabilizer bar.

12 . The structure for attachment of the bar member and the semi-finished product for the movement restriction member set forth in claim 11 , wherein the anti-slippage portion comprises a recess depressed by 30 μm to 700 μm or a projection protruding by 30 μm to 700 μm, and
wherein the anti-slippage material comprises a coating having a thickness of 30 μm to 40 μm.

13 . A method of attaching a semi-finished product for a movement restriction member in which the semi-

Assignees

• Nhk Spring Co Ltd
• Nhk Spring Production Company

Inventors

• Katsuno Kenji

Classifications

• B21D39/02

  of sheet metal by folding, e.g. connecting edges of a sheet to form a cylinder · CPC title

• B60G21/0551 Primary

  Mounting means therefor · CPC title

• B60G21/04

  mechanically · CPC title

• B60G2206/427

  Stabiliser bars or tubes · CPC title

• B60G2206/8403

  Shot-peening · CPC title