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US 10,975,931 B2Granted
Flexplates and method for capacitor discharge welding of flexplates
AssigneeMagna International Inc.
InventorsGuobin Yin, Markus R. Schuiki, Markus Reiterer, Alexander Dietrich
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A two-piece flexplate assembly having a ring gear welded to a central plate using a capacitor discharge welding process. The weld is established between a joining structure defined between the ring gear and the central plate using either an overlap arrangement, a projection arrangement, or a chamfer arrangement.
Claims6
A method of manufacturing a two-piece flexplate assembly comprising the steps of:
- providing a central plate having an outer peripheral portion, said central plate having a nitride layer formed at least on its outer peripheral portion;
- providing a ring gear having a rim portion;
- locating said outer peripheral portion of said central plate in engagement with a surface on said rim portion of said ring gear so as to establish a joining structure therebetween;
- and
- welding, said ring gear to said central plate along said joining structure using a capacitor discharge welding process for establishing a weld seam therebetween;
- wherein said joining structure is a projection joining structure between said ring gear and said central plate, wherein said rim portion of said ring gear defines a planar face surface, wherein said outer peripheral portion of said central plate defines a planar engagement surface having a plurality of projections extendedly outwardly therefrom and which are configured to engage said planar face surface on said rim portion of said ring gear, and wherein said weld seam formed by said capacitor discharge welding operation is a series of weld joints established between said projections and corresponding portions of the planar face surface of said ring gear;
- and
- wherein said planar face surface on said rim portion of said ring gear includes a series of detent chambers sized and arranged to receive and retain said projection extending from said central plate.
5 more elements
A method of manufacturing a two-piece flexplate assembly comprising the steps of:
- providing a central plate having an outer peripheral portion, said central plate having a nitride layer formed at least on its outer peripheral portion;
- providing a ring gear having a rim portion;
- locating said outer peripheral portion of said central plate in engagement with a surface on said rim portion of said ring gear so as to establish a joining structure therebetween;
- and
- welding, said ring gear to said central plate along said joining structure using a capacitor discharge welding process for establishing a weld seam therebetween;
- wherein said joining structure is a projection joining structure between said ring gear and said central plate, wherein said rim portion of said ring gear defines a planar face surface, wherein said outer peripheral portion of said central plate defines a planar engagement surface having a plurality of projections extendedly outwardly therefrom and which are configured to engage said planar face surface on said rim portion of said ring gear, and wherein said weld seam formed by said capacitor discharge welding operation is a series of weld joints established between said projections and corresponding portions of the planar face surface of said ring gear;
- and
- wherein said planar face surface of said rim portion includes a detent groove sized and arranged to receive and retain said projections extending from said central plate thereon.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.