Manufacturing method for outer joint member of constant velocity universal joint and outer joint member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9505081-B2
Application number	US-201314651480-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2013
Priority date	Dec 19, 2012
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

A manufacturing method for an outer joint member of a constant velocity universal joint includes forming a cup member and a shaft member, forming a joining hole in a thickness of a bottom portion to prepare the cup member as a finished component, and forming a joining outer surface on an end portion of the shaft member to be joined onto the bottom portion of the cup member to prepare the shaft member as a finished component. The method also includes fitting the joining hole of the cup member and the joining outer surface of the shaft member as the finished components to each other, and welding a fitting portion between the joining hole and the joining outer surface through irradiation of a beam from an inner side of the cup member, a diameter of the fitting portion being an equal dimension for each joint size.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a plurality of outer joint members for a plurality of constant velocity universal joints which vary in joint type and joint size, each of the outer joint members comprising a cup section having track grooves, which engage with torque transmitting elements, formed in an inner circumference thereof, and a shaft section formed at a bottom portion of the cup section, wherein a shaft member constituting the shaft section is welded to a cup member constituting the cup section, the cup member and the shaft member being formed of medium carbon steel,
the method comprising, for each of the outer joint members:
integrally forming a tubular portion and the bottom portion of the cup member by forging;
performing a machining step and a heat treatment step on the cup member to prepare the cup member as a finished component,
the machining step for the cup member comprising forming a joining hole at the bottom portion of the cup member;
performing a machining step and a heat treatment step on the shaft member to prepare the shaft member as a finished component,
the machining step for the shaft member comprising forming a joining outer surface on an end portion of the shaft member to be joined to the bottom portion of the cup member, wherein the shaft member is one of a plurality of shaft members prepared with respect to the cup member, each of the shaft members having a particular specification depending on a type of a vehicle in which the shaft member is to be assembled;
fitting the joining hole of the cup member as the finished component and the joining outer surface of one shaft member selected from the plurality of shaft members as the finished component to each other; and
welding a fitting portion between the joining hole of the cup member and the joining outer surface of the one shaft member selected from the plurality of shaft members through irradiation of a beam from an inner side of the cup member,
wherein a diameter of the joining hole of the cup member of each of the outer joint members and a diameter of the joining outer surface of each of the shaft members of each of the outer joint members are set so that diameters of the fitting portions between the cup members and the corresponding shaft members are equal to each other among the outer joint members for the constant velocity universal joints having the same joint size, irrespective of the joint type and the particular specification of the shaft member.

2. The method for manufacturing the plurality of outer joint members for the plurality of constant velocity universal joints which vary in joint type and joint size according to claim 1 , further comprising, before the welding, finishing at least one of the cup member and the shaft member after heat treatment.

3. The method for manufacturing the plurality of outer joint members for the plurality of constant velocity universal joints which vary in joint type and joint size according to claim 2 , wherein the welding comprises electron beam welding.

4. The method for manufacturing the plurality of outer joint members for the plurality of constant velocity universal joints which vary in joint type and joint size according to claim 2 , wherein the welding is performed under a state in which pressure of an interior of the cup section is equal to or lower than atmospheric pressure.

5. The method for manufacturing the plurality of outer joint members for the plurality of constant velocity universal joints which vary in joint type and joint size according to claim 2 , wherein the welding is performed while cooling the cup section and the shaft section.

6. The method for manufacturing the plurality of outer joint members for the plurality of constant velocity universal joints which vary in joint type and joint size according to claim 2 , further comprising pre-heating a joining region between the cup member and the shaft member to 200° C. to 650° C. before the welding.

7. The method for manufacturing the plurality of outer joint members for the plurality of constant velocity universal joints which vary in joint type and joint size according to claim 2 , further comprising post-heating a joining region between the cup member and the shaft member to from 200° C. to 650° C. after the welding.

8. The method for manufacturing the plurality of outer joint members for the plurality of constant velocity universal joints which vary in joint type and joint size according to claim 2 , wherein hardness of a welded portion between the cup member and the shaft member ranges from Hv 200 to Hv 500.

9. The method for manufacturing the plurality of outer joint members for the plurality of constant velocity universal joints which vary in joint type and joint size according to claim 1 , wherein the welding comprises electron beam welding.

10. The method for manufacturing the plurality of outer joint members for the plurality of constant velocity universal joints which vary in joint type and joint size according to claim 1 , wherein the welding is performed under a state in which pressure of an interior of the cup section is equal to or lower than atmospheric pressure.

11. The method for manufacturing the plurality of outer joint members for the plurality of constant velocity universal joints which vary in joint type and joint size according to claim 1 , wherein the welding is performed while cooling the cup section and the shaft section.

12. The method for manufacturing the plurality of outer joint members for the plurality of constant velocity universal joints which vary in joint type and joint size according to claim 1 , further comprising pre-heating a joining region between the cup member and the shaft member to 200° C. to 650° C. before the welding.

13. The method for manufacturing the plurality of outer joint members for the plurality of constant velocity universal joints which vary in joint type and joint size according to claim 1 , further comprising post-heating a joining region between the cup member and the shaft member to 200° C. to 650° C. after the welding.

14. The method for manufacturing the plurality of outer joint members for the plurality of constant velocity universal joints which vary in joint type and joint size according to claim 1 , wherein hardness of a welded portion between the cup member and the shaft member ranges from Hv 200 to Hv 500.

Assignees

• Nakagawa Naoki
• Suzuki Shintaro
• Matsushita Shigeki
• Ntn Toyo Bearing Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nakagawa Naoki
• Suzuki Shintaro
• Matsushita Shigeki

Classifications

• F16D2250/0076

  Welding, brazing · CPC title

• C21D1/42

  Induction heating · CPC title

• Y10T403/477

  Fusion bond, e.g., weld, etc. · CPC title

• Y10T29/49826

  Assembling or joining · CPC title

• C21D9/40

  for rings; for bearing races · CPC title