Method for assembling an engine module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9981304-B2
Application number	US-201314438597-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2013
Priority date	Oct 29, 2012
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a method for assembling a module for a motor vehicle engine, which module comprises at least one supporting structure with bearing seats and at least one camshaft which is mounted rotatably in the bearing seats, the camshaft being constructed during the assembly of the module from a support shaft which is configured at least in sections as a hollow shaft and components which are to be connected to the support shaft at predefined joining positions. The method includes providing a supporting structure having bearing seats, positioning components to be affixed to a support shaft in a preliminary position with respect to the bearing seats, pushing the support shaft through the bearing seats and through-openings of the components, enlarging portions of the outer diameter of the support shaft at defined joining positions thereof, and axially moving the components on the support shaft onto the joining positions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for assembling a module for a motor vehicle engine, the module having at least one supporting structure with bearing seats and at least one camshaft which is mounted rotatably in the bearing seats, the camshaft being constructed during the assembly of the module from a support shaft having a cavity defined therein, which support shaft is configured at least in sections as a hollow shaft and components that are to be connected to the support shaft at predefined joining positions, the cavity of the support shaft extending at least partially under the joining positions, and the components having through openings defined therein for receiving the support shaft, the method comprising:
providing the supporting structure having bearing seats defined therein;
positioning one or more components that are to be fastened on the support shaft at preliminary axial positions in a predefined sequence such that the through openings of the components are aligned with the bearing seats of the supporting structure;
pushing the support shaft through the bearing seats of the supporting structure and the through openings of the one or more components that are to be fastened thereto;
after said pushing step, enlarging, by an internal pressure reshaping method, the outer diameter of the support shaft at least at one or more joining positions of the support shaft, which for each respective component the respective joining position is disposed at a different axial location along the support shaft than the respective preliminary position for such component, said enlarging step resulting in an outer diameter of the support shaft at one or more of said joining positions that is larger than the corresponding inner diameters of the through openings of the respective components to be finally affixed at each joining position, such that there is a pre-definable amount of overlap between the outer diameter of the support shaft at one or more joining positions and the corresponding inner diameter of the component to be seated at such joining position, which overlap is sufficient to create an interference fit there between;
after said enlarging step, fastening each of the one or more components to the support shaft one or more at a time, in each instance said fastening step comprising:
while in its respective preliminary position, setting the desired rotational angular position of the component relative to the support shaft by rotating the support shaft by a defined angle relative to the component, and

after said setting step, seating the component to its corresponding joining position on the support shaft by at least one of axially displacing the component along the support shaft from its respective preliminary position to its joining position on the support shaft, or axially displacing the support shaft relative to the component so as to move the preliminary position of the support shaft out of engagement with the through opening of the component and thereby move the joining position of the support shaft into engagement with the through opening of the component.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said step of enlarging, by an internal pressure reshaping method, includes generating internal pressure within a cavity of the support shaft, by a pressurized fluid.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein during said step of enlarging, by an internal pressure reshaping method, a pressure in a cavity of the support shaft is generated by spreading a pressure element within a cavity defined in the support shaft.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to said step of pushing the support shaft through the bearing seats of the supporting structure and the through openings of the components, arranging at least one structure on a circumferential face of the support shaft that extends at least partially into the region of the joining positions of the components.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said step of arranging at least one structure on the circumferential face of the support shaft comprises plastic reshaping of the circumferential face of the support shaft to produce the at least one structure thereon.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the plastic reshaping is a material-displacing process.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein said step of arranging at least one structure on the circumferential face of the support shaft comprises subjecting the circumferential face to a material-removing process having at least one of a geometrically defined or geometrically undefined cutting edge to produce the at least one structure thereon.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said step of arranging at least one structure on the circumferential face of the support shaft is performed by subjecting the circumferential face of the support shaft to a material-removal grinding process using a geometrically undefined cutting edge.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein said step of arranging at least one structure on the circumferential face of the support shaft is performed by subjecting the circumferential face of the support shaft to a material-removal turning process using a geometrically defined cutting edge.

10. The method of claim 4 , wherein said step of arranging at least one structure on the circumferential face of the support shaft is performed by one of an erosion, laser, or electron beam material-removal process.

11. The method of claim 4 , wherein said step of arranging at least one structure on the circumferential face of the support shaft is performed by one of a welding or brazing material-addition process.

12. The method of claim 4 , further comprising machining the at least one structure prior to said step of pushing the support shaft through the bearing seats.

13. The method of claim 4 , further comprising heating one or more of the supporting structure and components prior to said step of pushing the support shaft through the bearing seats of the supporting structure and the through openings of the components.

14. The method of claim 4 , further comprising heating one or more of the supporting structure and components during said step of pushing the support shaft through the bearing seats of the supporting structure and the through openings of the components.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of a region of the joining position on the support shaft has a coating disposed thereon that increases a frictional moment.

16. A method for assembling a module for a motor vehicle engine, the module having at least one supporting structure with bearing seats and at least one camshaft which is mounted rotatably in the bearing seats, the camshaft being constructed during the assembly of the module from a support shaft having a cavity defined therein, which support shaft is configured at least in sections as a hollow shaft and components that are to be connected to the support shaft at predefined joining positions, the cavity of the support shaft extending at least partially under the joining positions, and the components having through openings defined therein for receiving the support shaft, the method comprising:
providing the supporting structure having bearing seats defined therein;
positioning one or more components that are to be fastened on the support shaft at preliminary axial positions in a predefined sequence such that the through openings of the components are aligned with the bearing seats of the supporting structure;
pushing the support shaft through the bearing seats of the supporting structure and the through openings of the one or more components that are to be fastened thereto;

Assignees

• Thyssenkrupp Presta Tecct Ag

Inventors

• Wiesner Peter

Classifications

• F01L1/047

  Camshafts · CPC title

• B21D53/845 Primary

  Making camshafts · CPC title

• F16D1/072

  involving plastic deformation (plastic welding F16D1/068) · CPC title

• B23P2700/02

  Camshafts · CPC title

• F01L2001/0475

  Hollow camshafts · CPC title