Wheel Suspension Trailing Arm and Method Making Same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017355239-A1
Application number	US-201715616098-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 7, 2017
Priority date	Jun 8, 2016
Publication date	Dec 14, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A wheel suspension unit of a motor vehicle, for example a trailing arm, the trailing arm produced, at least in part, from a fiber-reinforced plastic. The trailing arm including a molded member or tube formed of braided and/or wound continuous fibers. The continuous fibers of the molded member or tube interlinked with a plastic matrix. The shape of the molded member or tube predefines the basic shape of the trailing arm with the trailing arm being of a curved and/or angled design

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vehicle wheel suspension comprising:
an elongated continuously extending beam having a first end, a second end, and a curved portion between said first end and said second end; said beam formed in part, of a molded tube of braided or wound continuous fibers, said continuous fibers of the molded tube interlinked with a plastic matrix wherein the shape of the molded tube predefines a shape of said beam.

2 . The vehicle wheel suspension of claim 1 wherein the molded tube has a cross-sectional shape that varies over a length of the beam.

3 . The vehicle wheel suspension of claim 1 including an additional component, other than said plastic matrix, embedded into said beam.

4 . The vehicle wheel suspension of claim 1 including a core disposed in a hollow portion of said tube.

5 . The vehicle wheel suspension of claim 4 wherein said core is formed of the same plastic matrix as the beam.

6 . A wheel suspension unit of a motor vehicle comprising:
a trailing arm having a first end for attachment to the vehicle and a second end for connection to a wheel carrier, the trailing arm formed, at least in part, from a fiber-reinforced plastic; the trailing arm formed, at least in part, of a molded member of braided or wound continuous fibers, the continuous fibers of the molded member being interlinked with a plastic matrix, and the shape of the molded member predefining the basic shape of the trailing arm wherein the trailing arm has a curved or angled design.

7 . The wheel suspension unit of claim 6 wherein the molded member has a cross section having a circular, oval, rectangular, or polygonal shape.

8 . The wheel suspension unit of claim 7 wherein the cross-sectional shape of the molded member varies over the length of the trailing arm.

9 . The wheel suspension unit of claim 1 including a bushing for attaching the trailing arm to the vehicle formed at the first end of the trailing arm.

10 . The wheel suspension unit of claim 1 including at least one component, composed of another material other than said plastic matrix, embedded into an area of the plastic of the trailing arm.

11 . The wheel suspension unit of claim 10 wherein said at least one component is a core used for manufacturing the molded member.

12 . A method for producing a suspension member of a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:
providing a pre-shaped winding core; winding a plurality of continuous fibers onto said core; and interlinking the continuous fibers with a matrix material; removing said core to provide said suspension member with an internal cavity such that said suspension member is a hollow component.

13 . The method set forth in claim 12 wherein the continuous fibers are wound onto the core at various angles.

14 . The method as set forth in claim 12 wherein said pre-shape winding core is a generic shape producing a molded member or two having a rectangular or polyvinyl cross-section; and
inserting a core into the hollow portion of said molded member and said core to create a predetermined geometry.

15 . The method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the space inside the molded member may be filled with material.

16 . The method as set forth in claim 11 wherein the core remains in the molded member.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Souschek Rainer
• Wolf-Monheim Freidrich Peter
• Gerhards Thomas
• Hintzen Ralf
• Mainz Daniel
• Zandbergen Paul
• Zandbergen Nicole
• Consolaro Alberto Girelli

Classifications

• B60G2206/85

  Filament winding · CPC title

• B60G2206/012

  Hollow or tubular elements · CPC title

• B60G2206/7101

  Fiber-reinforced plastics [FRP] · CPC title

• B60G3/02 Primary

  with a single pivoted arm · CPC title

• B29C70/222

  the structure being shaped to form a three dimensional configuration · CPC title