Bearing member for pedal arm and pedal arm

A method for manufacturing a pedal arm including (i) a plate member having a mounting hole, (ii) a bearing member that is a tubular bearing member disposed in the mounting hole of the plate member, and (iii) a connecting shaft having a cylindrical outer peripheral face and passed through the bearing member so as to be rotatable relative to the bearing member, wherein the bearing member includes (ii-1) a large-diameter tubular portion having a first outer peripheral face with an external diameter larger than a diameter of the mounting hole and having a first inner peripheral face along which the connecting shaft is extended so as to be rotatable relative to the first inner peripheral face, (ii-2) a small-diameter tubular portion that is contiguous with the large-diameter tubular portion in an axial direction of the large-diameter tubular portion, the small-diameter tubular portion having a second outer peripheral face that is fitted in the mounting hole, the small-diameter tubular portion having the first inner peripheral face formed continuously from the large-diameter tubular portion, (ii-3) a swaged tubular portion that is contiguous with the small-diameter tubular portion in the axial direction and located on a side opposite to the large-diameter tubular portion, (ii-4) the swaged tubular portion being a deformed portion including a radially outwardly bulged portion and a radially inwardly bulged portion, (ii-5) the radially outwardly bulged portion being bulged radially outwardly and cooperating with the large-diameter tubular portion to grip the plate-member that is provided with the mounting hole in which the second outer peripheral face of the small-diameter tubular portion is fitted, and (ii-6) the radially inwardly bulged portion being bulged radially inwardly without any part of the radially inwardly bulged portion being located radially inside the first inner peripheral face of the large-diameter tubular portion and the small-diameter tubular portion, which serves as a bearing surface of the bearing member,

• the method being for manufacturing the pedal arm, by using a tubular member that is to be converted into the bearing member in a process of manufacturing the pedal arm, the method comprising:
• preparing the tubular member including (i) the large-diameter tubular portion, (ii) the small-diameter tubular portion, and (iii) a thin-wall tubular portion that is formed continuously with the small-diameter tubular portion in the axial direction so as to be located on a side opposite to the large-diameter tubular portion and so as to be integral with the small-diameter tubular portion, the thin-wall tubular portion having a second inner peripheral face with an inner diameter larger than an inner diameter of the first inner peripheral face of the small-diameter tubular portion, the thin-wall tubular portion having the second outer peripheral face formed continuously from the small-diameter tubular portion, a thickness of the thin-wall tubular portion being dependent on the external diameter of the second outer peripheral face and the inner diameter of the second inner peripheral face, and being smaller than a thickness of the small-diameter tubular portion that is dependent on the external diameter of the second outer peripheral face and the inner diameter of the first inner peripheral face,
• attaching the tubular member to the plate member, by introducing the small-diameter tubular portion of the tubular member through the mounting hole of the plate member, and by bringing a surface of the plate member into contact with a step which is formed between the large-diameter tubular portion and the small-diameter tubular portion and which corresponds to one of axially end faces of the large-diameter tubular portion;
• setting the tubular member and the plate member on a base such that the other of the axially end faces of the large-diameter tubular portion is in contact with the base;
• and
• applying, to the tubular member, a compressive load that is a load acting in a direction toward the base, such that the thin-wall tubular portion is compressed axially and bulged radially inwardly and outwardly whereby the thin-wall tubular portion is deformed to the swaged tubular portion including the radially outwardly bulged portion and the radially inwardly bulged portion, and such that the radially outwardly bulged portion is bulged radially outwardly and cooperates with the large-diameter tubular portion to grip the plate member that is provided with the mounting hole in which the small-diameter tubular portion is introduced, while the radially inwardly bulged portion is bulged radially inwardly without any part of the radially inwardly bulged portion being located radially inside the first inner peripheral face of the large-diameter tubular portion and the small-diameter tubular portion, which serves as the bearing surface of the bearing member,
• wherein the compressive load is applied to the bearing member in the direction toward the base, without using a bar, which is to be placed in an axial hole of the bearing member.