JPH07113389B2 - Torsion spring device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a torsion spring device used in a portion to which a torsion torque is applied in various devices.

[Conventional technology]

The torsion coil spring is adapted to exert a torque through the arm of the terminal as described below in order to receive a torsion moment about its axis. For example, the conventional torsion coil spring 1 shown in FIG.
The torque is transmitted by hooking on. Further, in the conventional example shown in FIG. 8, the arms 1a and 1b are bent in the axial direction of the coil spring 1, and the arms 1a and 1b are fitted into the holes of the members 6 and 7 to which torque is to be applied.

Furthermore, like the suspension spring disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 57-69705, one end of a torsion coil spring made of fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) is connected to the vehicle body, and the other end is connected to the wheel side link. Things are also proposed.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

In the various torsion coil spring mounting structures described above, when a composite material reinforced with a fiber such as FRP or fiber reinforced metal was used as the spring material, it was not raised when using a steel spring. There are some special problems.

That is, all the conventional torsion coil springs 1 described above
Is strongly pressed against the member on the other side to which the arms 1a, 1b of the terminal give torque, and each time the spring 1 bends, the arms 1a, 1b and the member on the other side are repeatedly rubbed while being in strong contact with each other. . As a result, the surface of the spring material is worn and the reinforcing fibers are cut, resulting in great damage. In particular, the above-mentioned actual exploitation 57
When it is used as a suspension coil spring for a vehicle like the torsion coil spring of Japanese Patent No. 69705, it repeatedly bends under a large load, so if the end of the spring is strongly rubbed near the hole of the bracket. Reinforcing fibers can break in a relatively short period of time, leading to fatal damage.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to prevent the end of the torsion coil spring made of a composite material reinforced with fibers from being worn by rubbing against the member on the other side, and to prevent problems such as fiber cutting at the spring end. To prevent.

[Means for solving problems]

To achieve the above object, in the present invention, a torsion coil spring 11 in which a spring material 12 made of a composite material reinforced with fibers such as FRP is spirally wound, and a bracket attached to an end portion of the spring 11 are provided. A torsion spring device (10) including a wide member (14) having a width that tapers toward the end surface side of the spring member (12), and the wide member (14) is fitted to the bracket (18). A wide accommodating portion 21 having a possible shape is provided, and further, the wide portion 14 of the spring material 12 is attached to the bracket 18 by the wall 28 of the wide accommodating portion 21.
(EN) A torsion spring device (10) provided with a tightening means (23) for pressing against.

[Action]

In the torsion spring device having the above structure, the wide portion of the spring can be firmly fixed to the bracket like a wedge by pressing the wide portion of the spring into the wide accommodating portion of the bracket by the tightening means. The member to which torque is applied and the spring are connected to each other via the bracket. If the wide part of the spring is fixed to the bracket in this way, the relative position of the mounting part of the wide part and the bracket does not change even if the spring bends due to the torsional moment around the axis, so the spring reinforced with fibers It is possible to prevent or reduce the rubbing of the material surface.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. The torsion coil spring 11 used in the torsion spring device 10 of the present embodiment is a spirally wound FRP spring material 12. The spring material 12 is mainly composed of a large number of continuous reinforcing fibers along the longitudinal direction thereof and a matrix resin which is hardened by impregnating an aggregate of these fibers, and is formed by, for example, a filament winding method.

Wide portions 14 are integrally formed at both ends of the spring material 12. The wide portion 14 is formed on the end surface 12a of the spring material 12.
Is formed in such a shape that the width is tapered toward the side and the thickness is reduced. In this description, the wide portion 14
The outer surface 15 of is referred to as a tapered surface. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, most of the wide portion 14 is formed so that it is perpendicular to the central axis of the spring 11 and the wide portions 14, 14 are parallel to each other. desirable.

The spring material 12 is formed such that the cross-sectional areas of the longitudinal portions are substantially equal over the entire length including the wide portion 14. Although the cross-sectional shape of this embodiment is rectangular or square, it may be circular, elliptical, oval, or the like. When manufacturing by continuously winding a resin-impregnated fiber bundle around the molding groove of the mandrel, as in the filament winding method, it is basically advantageous in terms of manufacturing not to change the cross-sectional area in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the wide portion 14 described above
The shape having a constant cross-sectional area in which the width is widened and the thickness is reduced is suitable for the filament winding method and can be efficiently manufactured by continuous production. Further, if the cross-sectional area of each part in the longitudinal direction is constant, it is not necessary to cut the continuous fiber in the middle, which is extremely advantageous in terms of strength.

Brackets 18 (only one of which is shown) are provided on both ends of the spring 11, respectively. Since the brackets 18 have the same structure, one of them will be described as a representative. The bracket 18 of the present embodiment is made of metal, and has a bottomed short cylindrical shape with one surface open. However, a material other than metal may be used. At the center of the bracket 18, a boss portion 19 that fits on the inner diameter side of the spring 11 and a fitting groove 20 that extends in an annular shape around the boss portion 19 are formed. At a part of the fitting groove 20 in the circumferential direction, a wide accommodating portion 21 having a shape into which the wide portion 14 described above can be just fitted is provided.

Further, the bracket 18 is provided with tightening means 23.
The tightening means 23 of the present embodiment is composed of a bolt 26 screwed into a screw hole 25 formed in the end wall 24 of the wide accommodating portion 21 and a lock nut 27, and the tip surface of the bolt 26 is spring-loaded. Material
The end surface 12a of 12 is projected. And bolt 26
By rotating the wide portion 14 in the direction in which the width of the accommodating portion 21 is narrowed, the tapered surface 15 is moved to the wide accommodating portion 21.
It is strongly pressed against the side wall 28 of the.

In addition, liners 31, 32 are provided between the bracket 18 and the spring member 12.
(See FIG. 5) is interposed. This liner 31,32
Is for preventing abrasion due to direct contact between the bracket 18 and the spring material 12, and has a hardness equal to or less than that of the spring material 12, and a polymer having appropriate elasticity and flexibility. Materials or composite materials such as FRP are desirable. Furthermore, between the bracket 18 and the liners 31, 32,
It is advisable to load an adhesive between the liners 31 and 32 and the spring material 12 and bond them to each other.

A mounting seat 34 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the bracket 18. As shown in FIG. 5, a bolt 35 is inserted through the seat 34, and is fixed to the member 36 so that the rotation center of the member 36 to be given torque and the boss portion 19 are aligned with each other.
A rivet may be used instead of the bolt 35. Spring
The direction of the torque acting on 11 should be such that the coil diameter decreases as the load increases, that is, the direction in which the load increases mainly in the winding direction. In this way, tensile stress is mainly generated on the outer surface side of the spring 11 and compressive stress is mainly generated on the inner surface side of the spring 11, so that good results can be obtained in terms of durability in the spring material 12 reinforced with fibers. To be

In the torsion spring device 10 having the above structure, the tapered surface 15 of the wide portion 14 is tightened with the bolt 26 so that the side wall 28 of the wide accommodating portion 12 is covered.
By pressing on the wide part 14 like a wedge,
Can be firmly fixed to the bracket 18. Then, when the above-mentioned adhesive is hardened, the fixing becomes more reliable.

When transmitting torque between the spring 11 and the member 36, the torsional moment is transmitted through the bracket 18, and the bending elastic energy is mainly stored in the spring 11. As described above, the wide portion 14 of the spring 11 is firmly fixed to the bracket 18, so that displacement and rubbing of mutual mounting portions do not occur. Further, even if a very slight deviation occurs between the spring 11 and the bracket 18, the deviation is absorbed by the liners 31 and 32 and the adhesive, so that the spring material 12 is not adversely affected. Further, even if the spring 11 is repeatedly bent by a torsional moment about the axis, the mounting portions of the wide portion 14 and the bracket 18 are firmly integrated with each other and their relative positions do not change, so that the surface of the spring material 12 does not change. There is no problem that the reinforcing fiber is cut by rubbing.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a vehicle suspension system using the torsion spring device 10. In this embodiment, the body-side member 40
Horizontal shafts 41 and 42 are provided at two positions above and below the upper ring 43 and the lower link 44, respectively. These links 43, 44 project in the vehicle width direction, and each link 43,
A knuckle 45 is attached to the tip of 44. The hub of the tire 46 is supported by the knuckle 45. The torsion spring device 10 described above is used at the base of the link 43. That is,
One end of the torsion coil spring 11 is fixed to the vehicle body side member 40 via one bracket 18, and the other end side of the spring 11 is fixed to the link 43 via the other bracket (not shown). When mounted on the vehicle in this manner, a load is added to rotate the links 43, 44 upward in a normal use state (state in which a vehicle body load is applied). In this case, the torsion coil spring 11 is attached in a use direction such that it is twisted in the winding tightening direction as the load increases.

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the surface of the spring material of the torsion coil spring from strongly rubbing against the mounting surface on the mating side due to the bending of the spring. For this reason, even if a spring material such as FRP, which is considered to be weak against wear, is used, it is possible to prevent the surface of the spring material from being worn and the reinforcing fibers being cut or scratched, and stable durability against repeated use. Is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 to 5 show one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a FRP torsion coil spring and a bracket, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the spring, FIG. 3 is a front view of the spring, FIG. 4 is a side view of the spring, FIG. 5 is a plan view partially showing a state in which the spring and the bracket are assembled, and FIG. 6 is a front view of a vehicle suspension mechanism section showing an example of use of the torsion spring device. , FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are front views respectively showing a conventional torsion coil spring. 10 ... torsion spring device, 11 ... torsion coil spring, 12 ...
... Spring material, 12a ... End face, 14 ... Wide part, 18 ... Bracket, 21 ... Wide accommodating part, 23 ... Clamping means, 31,32 ...
…liner.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A torsion spring device comprising a torsion coil spring in which a spring material made of a composite material reinforced with fibers is spirally wound, and a bracket attached to an end of the spring. A wide portion is provided at the end of the spring member, the width of which widens in a taper shape toward the end surface side, and the bracket has a wide accommodating portion into which the wide portion can be fitted. A torsion spring device comprising a tightening means for pressing the wide portion of the spring member against the wall of the wide accommodating portion. 2. A flexible liner for preventing wear, which has a hardness equal to or lower than that of the spring material, is interposed between the spring material and the bracket. The torsion spring device described in 1). 3. The spring material is made of fiber reinforced plastic reinforced by continuous fibers along its length,
The torsion spring device according to claim (1), characterized in that the spring material is formed so that the cross-sectional areas of the respective parts in the length direction are equal.