JPS6411510B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to steering wheels, and more particularly to steering wheels made of reinforced plastic.

Generally, a steering wheel of an automobile includes a ring-shaped rim that serves as a grip, a boss that is attached to a steering shaft, and spokes that integrally connect the rim and the boss. However, in conventional steering wheels, the rim, boss, and spokes are all made of carbon steel, and the rim, spokes,
The spokes and bosses were welded, and the rim was molded with a design mold made of rubber or plastic, and because it was constructed mainly of steel, even a light one weighed 2 kg. For this reason, vibrations are generated in the steering wheel, especially when driving at high speeds or on rough roads, reducing operational stability and causing discomfort to the driver, as well as increasing fuel consumption.

The present invention has been made to eliminate the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, and is lightweight and has sufficient strength, does not cause vibration when running, has good operability, and can reduce fuel consumption. The objective is to provide a steering wheel with excellent impact characteristics.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 4 respectively show a side view, a front view, and a sectional view of a steering wheel according to this embodiment. In FIG. 1, the steering wheel is composed of a rim 1, spokes 2, and bosses 3.
It is fitted onto the steering shaft 4 at a serration engagement portion 5 provided on the boss 3 and fixed with a nut 6. Normally, the force that is applied to the steering wheel is sufficient to withstand the rotational moment and torsional moment associated with steering the car when the car is running, but in a collision, the driver hits the steering wheel with force and the steering wheel is damaged, resulting in, for example, a knife edge. If there is any damage that remains, it is a serious drawback that it can cause injury to the human body. As shown in Fig. 1, when the impact energy Q of a human body etc. is applied to the rim 1, the moment M shown in the figure is generated.
is given, and the maximum stress due to this moment occurs at the boss 3 and the base 7 of the spoke 2. In the conventional structure in which the boss 3, spokes 2, and rim 1 were made of Kishi Soko steel, the base 7 was bent to absorb part of the impact energy by deforming it. In a reinforced plastic steering wheel that is lightweight, has improved vibration characteristics, and has good operability, the carbon fiber or glass fiber unidirectional reinforced fibers 8, which are the strength members of the spokes 2, have little elongation and have the same strength as carbon steel. The fibers are plastically deformed and bent, and the fibers are sheared without absorbing energy. As a result, the damaged surface becomes a knife edge, or the plastic part is shattered, exposing the shaft of the steering jig shaft, resulting in serious drawbacks such as puncturing the human body. This embodiment eliminates this problem, and as shown in the cross-sectional views around the boss in FIGS. 3 and 4, the carbon steel arm 10 extends from the carbon steel boss 3 toward the spoke 2
is integrated with the core material (lightweight shape-retaining material) 9 made of foam material of the spokes 2 and the rim 1, and unidirectional reinforcing fibers 8 such as carbon fibers, glass fibers, aramid fibers, or alumina fibers are placed on the outside thereof. Wound in the longitudinal direction and in an orientation with a 45° inclination,
The arm 10 and the unidirectional reinforcing fibers 8 are wound together for reinforcement, and the unidirectional reinforcing fibers 12 made of aramid fibers are wound in the spoke circumferential direction to prevent the ends 11 of the unidirectional reinforcing fibers 8 from breaking.

Each unidirectional reinforcing fiber is impregnated with a matrix of plastic and heat cured before or after orientation.

According to this structure, the base 7 becomes the end where the arm 10 and the unidirectional fibers 8, 12 are combined,
Since it has the lowest rigidity and is made of carbon steel, the impact force Q
The unidirectional reinforcing fibers 12 of the outermost layer of aramid fibers bend when the maximum stress is generated, and the unidirectional reinforcing fibers 12 of the outermost layer of aramid fibers are hard to break due to the toughness of these fibers, and are bent by an abnormal impact force. When the base 7 is greatly deformed, the end 11 of the unidirectional fiber 8
Prevents irritation. These factors give the steering wheel important characteristics to prevent damage to the human body due to edges. That is, the human body is rim 1
Since the maximum bending moment occurs near the base 7 when the base collides with the steel arm 10 and the surface of the spoke 2 connected to the arm 10, the unidirectional reinforcing fiber 8 is wound around the base 7. ,12
The structure is a combination of the above, the rigidity is lowered, and the impact energy applied to the root 7 is absorbed by deformation, and when the root 7 is deformed, the outermost layer is made of unidirectional reinforcing fibers 12 to provide toughness,
It is possible to prevent the edges 11 of the unidirectional reinforcing fibers 8 from becoming sharp, and the effects on the human body to be minimized.

Further, since the rim 1 and the spokes 2 are made of a lightweight shape-retaining material, it is possible to obtain a highly safe steering wheel that is lightweight, has good vibration characteristics, and has good operability.

In the above embodiment, the arms are arranged in two stages, upper and lower, but the same effect can be obtained even if the arms are arranged in one stage as shown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. The same effect can be achieved even in the lower stage, and even if the arm is extended to the rim and has the function of a spoke as shown in Fig. 7, the weight can be reduced and the same effect can be achieved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention,
Fig. 1 is a side view, Fig. 2 is a front view thereof, Fig. 3 is a sectional view thereof, Fig. 4 is a detailed sectional view around the boss, and Figs. 5 to 7 are other embodiments of the present invention. FIG. In the diagram, 1 is the rim, 2 is the spoke, 3 is the boss, and 4
5 is a steering shaft, 5 is an engaging portion, 6 is a nut, 7 is a base, 8 is a fiber, 9 is a core material, 10 is an arm, 11 is an end portion, and 12 is a unidirectional reinforced aramid fiber. Note that the same reference numerals in each figure indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a steering wheel consisting of a ring-shaped rim that serves as a grip portion, a boss that is an attachment portion to the steering shaft, and spokes that integrally connect the rim and the boss, the rim and the spokes are made of steel. formed by a lightweight shape-retaining material connected to a steel arm protruding from the boss of the rim, and unidirectional reinforcing fibers are wound on the surfaces of the rim and the spokes, and the unidirectional reinforcing fiber is wound in the connection portion of the spoke with the arm. A steering wheel characterized by reinforcing the reinforcing fibers by further wrapping them around the reinforcing fibers.