Suspension arm member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9616725-B2
Application number	US-201315021727-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2013
Priority date	Oct 2, 2013
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

A suspension arm member includes a connecting portion configured to connect plural members of a suspension, and a support bar extending and provided with the connecting portion at each end. The support bar is made of a resin material and includes plural lightening hole portions each formed in a shape of a recessed portion. The lightening hole portions include plural front upper lightening hole portions ( 11 ) formed in a front upper portion of the support bar, plural front lower lightening hole portions formed in a front lower portion of the support bar, plural rear upper lightening hole portions formed in a rear upper portion of the support bar, and plural rear lower lightening hole portions formed in a rear lower portion of the support bar.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A suspension arm member comprising:
a connecting portion configured to connect a plurality of members of a suspension mounted on a vehicle; and
a support bar provided with the connecting portion at each end and extending in a longitudinal direction,
wherein the support bar is made of a resin material and comprises a plurality of lightening hole portions each formed in a shape of a recessed portion in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and
wherein the lightening hole portions comprise:
a plurality of front upper lightening hole portions formed in the longitudinal direction in a front upper portion of the support bar,
a plurality of front lower lightening hole portions formed in the longitudinal direction in a front lower portion of the support bar and staggered in a top-to-bottom direction with respect to the front upper lightening hole portions,
a plurality of rear upper lightening hole portions formed in the longitudinal direction in a rear upper portion of the support bar and staggered in a front-to-rear direction with respect to the front upper lightening hole positions,
a plurality of rear lower lightening hole portions formed in the longitudinal direction in a rear lower portion of the support bar and staggered with respect to the rear upper lightening hole portions and the front lower lightening hole portions, and
wherein parts of the support bar in which the lightening hole portions are formed in an S-shape or in an inverted S-shape, as seen in a cross-sectional view in a widthwise direction.

2. The suspension arm member according to claim 1 , wherein the lightening hole portions are provided with sidewalls, and the sidewalls are formed so as to extend from openings to inner bottom portions of the lightening hole portions and so as to have an angle of inclination such that the sidewalls are expanded to the openings.

3. The suspension arm member according to claim 2 , wherein the sidewalls are formed so that the sidewalls are expanded in an opposite direction to the adjacent respective lightening hole portions.

4. The suspension arm member according to claim 1 , wherein corner portions of the lightening hole portions are rounded with their respective predetermined radii of curvature.

5. The suspension arm member according to claim 1 , wherein the resin material comprises engineering plastic or super engineering plastic containing any of PA (polyamide) 66, PA 6, PPS (polyphenylene sulfide), and POM (polyoxymethylene).

6. The suspension arm member according to claim 5 , wherein the resin material comprises a fiber reinforcement material added thereto.

7. A suspension arm member comprising:
a connecting portion configured to connect a plurality of members of a suspension mounted on a vehicle; and
a support bar provided with the connecting portion at each end and extending in a longitudinal direction,
wherein the support bar is made of a resin material and comprises a plurality of lightening hole portions each formed in a shape of a recessed portion in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and
wherein the lightening hole portions comprise:
a plurality of front upper lightening hole portions formed in the longitudinal direction in a front upper portion of the support bar,
a plurality of front lower lightening hole portions formed in the longitudinal direction in a front lower portion of the support bar and staggered in a top-to-bottom direction with respect to the front upper lightening hole portions,
a plurality of rear upper lightening hole portions formed in the longitudinal direction in a rear upper portion of the support bar and staggered in a front-to-rear direction with respect to the front upper lightening hole portions,
a plurality of rear lower lightening hole portions formed in the longitudinal direction in a rear lower portion of the su ort bar and staggered with resect to the rear upper lightening hole portions and the front lower lightening hole portions, and
wherein parts in which the lightening hole portions are formed comprise:
an intermediate plate portion disposed in a central portion as seen in the cross-sectional view in the widthwise direction,
rib portions formed so as to extend in opposite directions from ends of the intermediate plate portion in a direction orthogonal to the intermediate plate portion, and
wing portions formed so as to extend from distal ends of the rib portions and parallel to a direction orthogonal to the rib portions,
wherein the lightening hole portions are formed so that the following equation is satisfied:
T1<T3<T2

where T 1 represents a plate thickness of the intermediate plate portion, T 2 represents a plate thickness of the rib portion, and T 3 represents a plate thickness of the wing portion.

8. A suspension arm member comprising:
a connecting portion configured to connect a plurality of members of a suspension mounted on a vehicle; and
a support bar provided with the connecting portion at each end and extending in a longitudinal direction,
wherein the support bar is made of a resin material and comprises a plurality of lightening hole portions each formed in a shape of a recessed portion in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and
wherein the lightening hole portions comprise:
a plurality of front upper lightening hole portions formed in the longitudinal direction in a front upper portion of the support bar,
a plurality of front lower lightening hole portions formed in the longitudinal direction in a front lower portion of the support bar and staggered in a top-to-bottom direction with respect to the front upper lightening hole portions,
a plurality of rear upper lightening hole portions formed in the longitudinal direction in a rear upper portion of the support bar and staggered in a front-to-rear direction with respect to the front upper lightening hole portions,
a plurality of rear lower lightening hole portions formed in the longitudinal direction in a rear lower portion of the support bar and staggered with respect to the rear upper lightening hole portions and the front lower lightening hole portions,
wherein the lightening hole portions are provided with sidewalls, and the sidewalls are formed so as to extend from openings to inner bottom portions of the lightening hole portions and so as to have an angle of inclination such that the sidewalls are expanded to the openings, and
wherein the angle of inclination comprises any angle in a range of 91 to 100 degrees with respect to a centerline of the support bar in the longitudinal direction.

Assignees

• Nhk Spring Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kuroda Shigeru

Classifications

• B60G7/001 Primary

  Suspension arms, e.g. constructional features (B60G7/006 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60G2204/416

  Ball or spherical joints · CPC title

• B60G2206/10

  Constructional features of arms · CPC title

• B60G7/005

  Ball joints (B60G7/006 takes precedence; for steering linkage B62D7/16; ball joints per se F16C11/06) · CPC title

• B60G2206/7101

  Fiber-reinforced plastics [FRP] · CPC title