JP2000329151A - Method and apparatus for joining outer ring members for constant velocity joints - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a cup and a shaft joined together while maintaining coaxial accuracy, to suppress post-processing as much as possible, and to reduce manufacturing cost. A mandrel on which a cup portion is set.
2 and a shaft 1 provided coaxially with the mandrel 92.
The upper center pin 132 and the lower center pin 98 for holding the shaft 4 and the shaft 14 are gripped.
4 for press-fitting 4 into cup portion 12
c, a clamp member 1 for clamping the cup portion 12
And a laser beam generating means 146 for welding the cup portion 12 and the shaft portion 14 to each other.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for joining an outer ring member for a constant velocity joint for integrally joining a cup portion and a shaft constituting an outer ring member for a constant velocity joint.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, a constant-velocity joint has been employed in a power transmission device of an automobile in order to obtain a smooth rotational force without being affected by the angle of a driven shaft. As a constant velocity joint of this type, a bar field type that provides rotational force with ball bearings,
A tripod type in which a rotational force is applied via at least three rollers is known.

In this case, the constant velocity joints of the bar field type and the tripod type are provided integrally with the shaft portion and the diameter thereof is increased from the end of the shaft portion. And an outer ring member including a cup portion having a track groove.

[0004] For example, when manufacturing an outer ring member constituting a barfield type constant velocity joint, a shaft portion is formed by subjecting a rod-shaped member cut to a predetermined length to forward extrusion molding. The cup portion is formed integrally with the shaft portion by performing various forging processes such as upsetting, rearward extrusion, and ironing.

When an outer race member is manufactured by using such a forging method, an intermediate treatment such as annealing and bonding is required between various forging steps. , A plurality of intermediate processes are required.

Further, in the forging method, there is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the thickness of the outer ring member because the surface pressure of the molding surface of the obtained molded body is extremely high.

Therefore, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-29380, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, one end of a high-carbon steel pipe cut to a predetermined size is narrowed by a cold press. Then, the base end of the shaft 2 formed from a round material by roll rolling or the like is welded to the center of the cup 1 so that the cup 1 and the shaft 2 are integrated. After that, a technical idea of performing a surface hardening treatment is disclosed.

[0008]

However, according to the technical idea disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-29380, when the cup and the shaft are welded, the coaxial accuracy between the cup and the shaft is reduced. Since it cannot be held, it is necessary to secure the coaxial accuracy by a post-processing mechanical process (eg, a grinding process). Therefore, there is a problem that much time is required for the post-processing, and the manufacturing cost rises.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described problems, and it is desirable to join a cup portion and a shaft portion while maintaining coaxial accuracy and reduce post-processing as much as possible to reduce manufacturing costs. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for joining an outer race member for a constant velocity joint that are possible.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a method for joining a cup and a shaft constituting an outer race member for a constant velocity joint, wherein the cup is set on a mandrel. And the cup portion and the shaft portion are coaxially formed by sandwiching the shaft portion along the axial direction by an upper center pin and a lower center pin through center holes formed at both ends of the shaft portion. A step of holding, and a step of displacing the upper center pin and the lower center pin in a state in which the cup portion and the shaft portion are clamped to press-fit the annular step portion of the shaft portion into the hole of the cup portion; Welding the cup portion and the shaft portion after releasing the clamped state of the shaft portion.

According to the present invention, since the cup portion and the shaft portion are integrally joined while being held coaxially,
The time required for post-processing is omitted, and the manufacturing process is simplified.

Further, the present invention relates to an apparatus for joining a cup and a shaft constituting an outer race member for a constant velocity joint,
A cup holding member in which a cup is set, a set of pin members provided coaxially with the cup holding member, and holding the shaft, and holding the shaft, and connecting the shaft to the cup. And a clamp mechanism for clamping the cup portion, and joining means for joining the cup portion and the shaft portion.

In this case, by inserting the projections of the set of pin members into the center holes formed at both ends of the shaft portion, the shaft portion and the set of pin members are respectively positioned. It is held coaxially.

The clamp mechanism includes a clamp member for holding a shoulder portion of the cup portion, a first actuator for rotating the clamp member at a predetermined angle in a circumferential direction, and a second actuator for raising and lowering the clamp member. It is preferable that a plurality of the clamp mechanisms are arranged at equal angular intervals along the circumferential direction.

According to the present invention, the cup portion and the shaft portion can be joined coaxially with a simple structure, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of a method for joining an outer race member for a constant velocity joint according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. I do.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a constant velocity joint outer ring member in which the cup portion 12 and the shaft portion 14 are integrally joined by the constant velocity joint outer ring member joining apparatus according to the present embodiment. Show.

The outer race member 10 for a constant velocity joint comprises a cup part 12 and a shaft part 14.
The shaft 2 and the shaft 14 are integrally formed by welding or the like. A substantially circular opening 16 is formed at one end of the cup portion 12, and a flange 20 having a substantially circular cross section for mounting a boot band 18 (see FIG. 2) is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the opening. Are formed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cup portion 12 has three bulging portions 22a to 22a spaced apart from each other by about 120 degrees in the circumferential direction and extending in the axial direction.
2c are formed, and track grooves 24a to 24c are formed on inner wall surfaces of the bulging portions 22a to 22c. Concentric arc portions 25a to 25c are formed between the adjacent bulging portions 22a to 22c.

In this case, the flange portion 20 and the bulging portion 22a
To 22c are formed on the peripheral surfaces having substantially the same radius of curvature. Therefore, the shape of the cup portion 12 can be simplified and downsized.

The other end of the cup portion 12 is squeezed by press molding described later to form a shoulder portion 28 whose diameter gradually decreases from the bulging portions 22a to 22c toward the shaft portion 14. (See FIG. 2).

As shown in FIG. 4, the shaft portion 14 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and center holes 30 and 32 are formed coaxially on both end surfaces along the axial direction thereof.
An annular step portion 34 is formed at the joint portion with.

Next, a description will be given of an outer ring member joining apparatus 60 for a constant velocity joint according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, the joining device 60 includes an upper die 62 provided to be able to move up and down under the action of a lifting means (not shown), and a lower die 64 fixed to a base (not shown). Consists of

The lower mold 64 is formed under the action of a substantially disk-shaped base plate 66, a fixed plate 68 fixed on the base plate 66, and annular bearing metals 70 and bearings 72 provided on the fixed plate 68. A rotation unit 74 provided rotatably about an axis, a motor 76 fixed to a side portion of the base plate 66 and rotating the rotation unit 74,
A gear mechanism 78 for transmitting the rotation driving force of the motor 76 to the rotation unit 74.

The rotating unit 74 includes first to fifth plates 80a which are stacked in order from the bottom and integrally connected.
A gear portion 82 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lowermost first plate 80a, and a substantially central portion of the first plate 80a is under the action of the pressure fluid supplied to the cylinder chamber 84. Ascending and descending piston 86 and piston 86
And a knockout cylinder 90 having a knockout pin 88 which is integrally displaced with the piston 86.

A mandrel 92 is fixed to the uppermost fifth plate 80e via an annular step.
In 2, an uneven portion corresponding to the track groove shape of the cup portion 12 and a shoulder portion 94 are formed. A hole 96 penetrating along the axial direction is formed inside the mandrel 92, and a lower center pin 98 is inserted into the hole 96, and the lower center pin 98 is connected to the knockout pin 88 so that a knockout cylinder 90 is formed. Is provided so as to be displaced integrally with the piston 86 under the driving action of the piston 86. A projection 100 is formed at one end of the lower center pin 98 along the axial direction to engage with the center hole 30 of the shaft 14, and the third plate 8 is formed at the other end.
A stopper 102 having a tapered cross section is formed so as to restrict the downward displacement by contacting the upper surface of Oc.

A clamp member 104 is provided near the mandrel 92, and the clamp member 104 is provided.
Is a cylinder chamber 106 formed in the fourth plate 80d.
Piston 108 moving up and down along
08 to 112c to 112c (second actuators) having a long piston rod 110 that is displaced integrally with the first and second cylinders.
(c is not shown) is provided so as to be able to move up and down under a driving action. In this case, the clamp member 104 abuts on the shoulder portion 28 of the cup portion 12 and the first to third
The cup 12 is held by the mandrel 92 by lowering under the driving action of the lifting cylinders 112a to 112c to press the cup 12 downward.

As shown in FIG. 6, first to third cylinders (first to third cylinders) having substantially the same configuration and spaced apart from each other by an angle of about 120 degrees in the circumferential direction are provided on the peripheral edge of the second plate 80b.
Actuators) 114a to 114c are provided, and the first to third cylinders 114a to 114c are respectively connected to a piston rod 116 integrally displaced with a piston (not shown) and one end of the piston rod 116, and are clamped. A pin member 118 that rotatably supports the member 104.

Therefore, the clamp member 104 is
Are provided so as to be rotatable in the circumferential direction around the axis of the piston rod 116 under the driving action of the first to third cylinders 114a to 114c, and under the driving action of the first to third lifting / lowering cylinders 112a to 112c. Are provided so as to be displaceable along the vertical direction.

Accordingly, the first to third cylinders 114a to 114a
Under the driving action of 114c, the piston rod 116
As a result, the clamp member 104 is separated from the cup part 12 (see the solid line in FIG. 6).
On the other hand, when the piston rod 116 is displaced in the direction of arrow B, the clamp member 104 rotates in the circumferential direction about the axis of the piston rod 110 as the rotation center, and the cup portion 1 is rotated.
2 is clamped (see a two-dot chain line in FIG. 6).

The gear mechanism 78 is rotatably supported on the base plate 66 by a drive gear 120 connected to a rotating shaft of a motor 76.
The sub gear 122 includes a driven gear 124 that is coaxially supported by the sub gear 122 and meshes with the gear 82 of the first plate 80a.

The upper die 62 is provided with a first block 126 and a second block 128 which can be moved up and down in the vertical direction under the action of a lifting means (not shown). An upper center pin 132 coaxially provided with the lower center pin 98, and a piston 136 connected to the upper center pin 132 and provided displaceably along a cylinder chamber 134; First to third gripping members 140a to 140c that grip the shaft portion 14 by being separated by an angle of about 120 degrees along the circumferential direction and rotating the pin portion 138 by a predetermined angle around the pin member 138; 3 gripping member 14
It has first to third gripping cylinders 142a to 142c for driving Oa to 140c, respectively.

The first to third gripping cylinders 142a
7, are arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other by an angle of about 120 degrees in the circumferential direction, as shown in FIG. 7, and the piston rod 144 is displaced in the direction of the arrow C, with the pin member 138 as a fulcrum. First to third gripping members 140
a to 140c are displaced in a direction approaching each other,
To grip. On the other hand, when the piston rod 144 is displaced in the direction of arrow D opposite to the above, the pin member 138 is displaced.
To the first to third gripping members 140a to 140c
Are displaced in a direction away from the shaft portion 14 to release the gripping state.

Further, the upper die 62 is provided with a laser beam generating means 146 for irradiating a laser beam to a joint portion between the cup part 12 and the shaft part 14, and the laser beam generating means 146 comprises first and second laser beams. Blocks 126, 128
And a laser beam irradiation unit 150 connected to the oscillator 148.

It should be noted that in FIG.
Indicates a transport loader that transports the shaft portion 14.

The joining device 60 according to the present embodiment is basically constructed as described above. Next, based on the manufacturing process of the outer race member 10 for a constant velocity joint, its operation, operation and effects will be described. Will be described.

First, the manufacturing process of the cup portion 12 will be described.

For example, a tubular body 36 such as a pipe is cut into a predetermined size (see FIG. 8A), and the cut tubular body 36 is subjected to an intermediate treatment. That is, lubrication processing such as annealing, shot blasting, and bonding is performed on the tubular body 36 (see FIGS. 8B and 8C). After the track groove and the shoulder portion are press-formed by the press-forming devices 38 and 40 on the tubular body 36 subjected to the intermediate treatment (see FIGS. 8D and 8E), lace processing is performed on both end surfaces of the tubular body 36, respectively. Is performed to form the cup portion 12 (see FIG. 8F).

In the present embodiment, the outer ring member 10 for a constant velocity joint can be made thinner by using the thin tubular member 36.

Next, a description will be given of a manufacturing process of the shaft portion 14, which is performed separately and in parallel with the cup portion 12.

The cylindrical body 44 whose rod-shaped member 42 has been cut to a predetermined size (see FIG. 9A) is subjected to intermediate treatments such as annealing, shot blasting and bonding (see FIGS. 9B and 9C). ), Forging of the cylindrical body 44 is performed in two steps to obtain molded bodies 46 and 48 (see FIGS. 9D and 9E). Further, in the molded body 48, the cup portion 12 is formed. Lace processing is performed on the joint portion with
4 is formed (see FIG. 9F). In FIG. 4,
The two-dot chain line indicates the shaft portion 1 in a state before the lace processing is performed.
4 shows the shape of FIG.

The shaft portion 14 is attached to one end of the cup portion 12, which is manufactured separately and in parallel in this way, at the reduced diameter.
(FIG. 10A), and the joint portion between the cup portion 12 and the shaft portion 14 is welded by a laser beam 50 as described later, so that the cup portion 12 and the shaft portion 14 are integrally joined ( (See FIG. 10B).

That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the cup portion 12 is transported via a transport loader (not shown) and is engaged with the mandrel 92. In this case, the shoulder portion 28 of the cup portion 12 and the shoulder portion 94 of the mandrel 92 are not in contact with each other, and a gap is formed. On the other hand, the shaft 14 is transported via the transport loader 152,
Is brought into contact with the lower center pin 98. In this case, the shaft portion 14 is positioned by inserting the projection 100 formed on the lower center pin 98 into the center hole 30 of the shaft portion 14.

Subsequently, the upper die 62 is lowered under the driving action of a lifting means (not shown), and the upper center pin 132 is brought into contact with the other end of the shaft portion 14 as shown in FIG. In this case, the protrusion 13 formed on the upper center pin 132
0 is inserted into the center hole 32 of the shaft portion 14,
The coaxial accuracy of the upper center pin 132, the shaft section 14, and the lower center pin 98 is ensured. By holding the shaft portion 14 between the upper center pin 132 and the lower center pin 98, the transport loader 152 is separated from the shaft portion 14.

At substantially the same time as the lowering of the upper mold 62, the first to third cylinders 114a to 114c and the first to third elevating cylinders 112a to 112c are driven, and the clamp member 104 is moved to the shoulder 28 of the cup 12. At the same time, the clamp member 104 is displaced downward (see FIG. 11). Therefore, the clamp member 104
The cup member 12 is slightly displaced downward along the mandrel 92 under the pressing action of, so that the shoulder portion 28 of the cup portion 12 comes into contact with the shoulder portion 94 of the mandrel 92, and the cup portion 12 Is mandrel 9
2 is held.

As described above, the cup portion 12 has the mandrel 92
In the state where the gripping members 140a to 142c are driven by the first to third gripping cylinders 142a to 142c,
140c is displaced so as to approach each other, and the shaft portion 14 is gripped by the three gripping members 140a to 140c.
By further lowering the upper die 62 while maintaining the state in which the shaft portion 14 is held by the three holding members 140a to 140c, the annular step portion 34 of the shaft portion 14
2 is pressed into the hole. In this case, three gripping members 1
When the shaft portion 14 is pressed downward by 40a to 140c, the lower center pin 98 also descends integrally with the shaft portion 14, and as shown in FIG. 12, the stopper portion 102 is provided on the upper surface of the third plate 80c. The upper mold 62 is lowered until the lower die is brought into contact with the upper die 62 and the displacement on the lower side is restricted.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13, the first to third cylinders 114a to 114c and the first to third elevating cylinders 112a to 112c are driven to separate the clamp member 104 from the cup portion 12. The clamp state is released, and the gripping cylinders 142a to 142
c to drive the gripping members 140a to 140c
To release the gripping state. Then, while maintaining the state in which the upper center pin 132 is in contact with the shaft portion 14, the upper mold 62 is slightly raised, and the laser beam irradiation unit 1
When the joint 50 and the joint portion of the shaft portion 14 and the cup portion 12 are in a substantially horizontal state, the upward movement of the upper mold 62 is stopped.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 13, the rotation unit 74 is rotated in the direction of arrow E or F about the axis of the lower center pin 98 via the gear mechanism 78 under the driving action of the motor 76. In addition, the laser beam 50 is irradiated from the laser beam irradiation unit 150 toward the joint between the cup unit 12 and the shaft unit 14. Therefore, the cup 12 held by the mandrel 92 and the shaft 14 held by the upper center pin 132 and the lower center pin 98 rotate integrally with the rotating unit 74, in other words, the shaft 14 and the cup 12 The cup portion 12 and the shaft portion 14 are firmly welded in a state where the coaxial accuracy is maintained. After the cup portion 12 and the shaft portion 14 are joined,
The motor 76 is deactivated to stop the rotation of the rotation unit 74 and stop the irradiation of the laser beam 50 from the laser beam irradiation unit 150.

After the cup portion 12 and the shaft portion 14 are joined in this manner, as shown in FIG. 14, the upper die 62 is raised to separate the upper center pin 132 from the shaft portion 14, and the knockout cylinder 90 is driven to lower the lower center pin 98. As a result, the cup section 12 is separated from the mandrel 92, and the transport loader 152
By gripping the shaft portion 14, it is transferred to the next step.

In the next step, after the band groove 52 for mounting the boot band 18 is subjected to sizing (see FIG. 10C), carburizing and polishing are performed last (FIG. 10D). The outer race member 10 for a constant velocity joint as a product is completed.

In this embodiment, center holes 30 and 32 are formed at both ends of the shaft portion 14, respectively.
The cup portion 12 and the shaft portion 14 are welded in a state where the projections 100 of the upper center pin 132 and the lower center pin 98 are inserted into the positions 0 and 32 and positioned, so that the coaxial accuracy between the cup portion 12 and the shaft portion 14 is obtained. Is held. For this reason, the machining process for maintaining the coaxial accuracy between the cup portion 12 and the shaft portion 14 by the post-processing can be omitted, the manufacturing process can be simplified, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

In addition, since the entire apparatus has a simple structure, the manufacturing cost can be further reduced.

Further, since the cup portion 12 is formed by plastically deforming the tubular body 36, the thickness of the cup portion 12 can be further reduced so that the weight can be reduced.

[0055]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

That is, since the cup portion and the shaft portion are integrally joined while being held coaxially, the time required for post-processing is omitted and the manufacturing process is simplified.

Further, since the cup portion and the shaft portion can be joined coaxially with a simple structure, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a constant velocity joint outer ring member joined by a constant velocity joint outer ring member joining apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view along the axial direction of the outer race member for a constant velocity joint.

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a shaft portion.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional configuration diagram of a device for joining outer ring members for a constant velocity joint according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an arrangement of first to third cylinders constituting the joining device.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing an arrangement of gripping cylinders constituting the joining device.

FIG. 8A to FIG. 8F are explanatory views each showing a manufacturing process of a cup portion.

FIG. 9A to FIG. 9F are explanatory views each showing a manufacturing process of the shaft portion.

FIGS. 10A to 10D are explanatory views showing steps of manufacturing the outer race member for a constant velocity joint by joining the cup portion and the shaft portion, respectively.

FIG. 11 is an operation explanatory view showing a state in which the upper die is lowered and the upper center pin contacts the end of the shaft.

FIG. 12 is an operation explanatory view showing a state where the upper mold is further lowered and the shaft is gripped by a plurality of gripping members.

FIG. 13 is an operation explanatory view showing a state in which a laser beam is applied to and welded to a joint between the cup and the shaft while rotating the rotating unit.

FIG. 14 is an operation explanatory view showing a state in which the knockout cylinder is driven to remove the integrally joined cup portion and shaft portion.

FIG. 15 is a partial sectional view of an outer race member for a constant velocity joint according to the related art.

16 is a side view of the outer race member for a constant velocity joint shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Outer ring member for constant velocity joints 12 ... Cup part 14 ... Shaft part 16 ... Opening parts 24a-24c ... Track groove 28, 94 ... Shoulder part 34 ... Annular step part 36 ... Tubular body 60 ... Joining device 62 ... Upper die 64 ... Lower mold 74 ... Rotating unit 76 ... Motor 88 ... Knockout pin 90 ... Knockout cylinder 92 ... Mandrel 98 ... Lower center pin 104 ... Clamp member 112a-112c ... Cylinder 114a-11
4c: cylinders 140a to 140c: gripping members 142a to 14
2c: gripping cylinder 146: laser beam generating means 150: laser beam irradiation unit

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A method of joining a cup part and a shaft part constituting an outer race member for a constant velocity joint, comprising: setting a cup part on a mandrel; and forming center holes formed at both ends of the shaft part. A step of holding the cup portion and the shaft portion coaxially by sandwiching the shaft portion along the axial direction with an upper center pin and a lower center pin via a pin, and clamping the cup portion and the shaft portion respectively. Displacing the upper center pin and the lower center pin to press-fit the annular step of the shaft into the hole of the cup; and releasing the clamped state of the cup and the shaft.
Welding the cup part and the shaft part. A method for joining outer race members for constant velocity joints, comprising: 2. An apparatus for joining a cup and a shaft constituting an outer race member for a constant velocity joint, comprising: a cup holding member on which a cup is set; and a coaxial member provided with the cup holding member. A set of pin members for holding the shaft portion, a gripping member for gripping the shaft portion and pressing the shaft portion into the cup portion, a clamp mechanism for clamping the cup portion, the cup portion and the shaft portion A joining means for joining the outer ring member and the outer ring member for a constant velocity joint. 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a center hole is formed at each of both ends of the shaft portion, and a projection inserted into the center hole is formed at the pair of pin members. A joining device for an outer ring member for a constant velocity joint, characterized in that: 4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the clamp mechanism comprises: a clamp member for holding a shoulder portion of the cup portion; a first actuator for rotating the clamp member by a predetermined angle in a circumferential direction; A joining device for an outer ring member for a constant velocity joint, comprising: a second actuator for raising and lowering the clamp member; and a plurality of the actuators being disposed at equal angular intervals along a circumferential direction.