Damper unit, a damper assembly, methods of making a damper unit and a damper assembly

A damper unit for use in a frequency-tuned vibration damper assembly for a steering wheel, said damper unit having an insertion end and an opposite rear end, and being configured to be inserted with the insertion end of the damper unit through a mounting opening of a horn plate of said damper assembly,

• said damper unit comprising:
• a sleeve having a central bore extending along an axis, and
• an elastomeric damper element molded on a radial outer side of the sleeve such that the sleeve and the elastomeric damper element together form a unitary structure,
• wherein:
• the elastomeric damper element includes an elastomeric insertion part configured to be inserted into the mounting opening of the horn plate, and an elastomeric support part configured to define a final mounting position of the damper unit,
• the elastomeric insertion part includes a plurality of elastomeric ribs which extend at least partially along said axis and are mutually spaced in a circumferential direction in relation to said axis, said elastomeric ribs together forming a radially outer engagement surface configured to be brought into direct engagement with an inner surface of said mounting opening,
• the radially outer engagement surface has a first radial dimension, and the elastomeric support part has a second radial dimension, larger than said first radial dimension,
• at least some of the elastomeric ribs present a radially outward extending snap-lock protrusion configured to be inserted through the mounting opening to snap-lock the damper unit in the final mounting position, and
• said elastomeric support part includes a plurality of elastomeric support studs, which are mutually spaced in the circumferential direction, each elastomeric support stud of the plurality of support studs:
• protrudes in the direction of said axis towards a stud end of the elastomeric support stud,
• is flexible in all directions transverse to said axis, and
• includes a distal end surface defined by said stud end facing the insertion end of the damper unit, wherein the distal end surfaces of the elastomeric support studs are configured, during assembly of the damper unit in the mounting opening of the horn plate, to come into contact with a rear side of the horn plate in the final mounting position.