Vibration damper with blade-type elastic member, and method for making the same

A hydrokinetic torque-coupling device for coupling a driving shaft and a driven shaft together, comprising:

• a casing rotatable about a rotational axis and having a locking surface;
• a torque converter including an impeller wheel rotatable about the rotational axis and a turbine wheel disposed in the casing coaxially with the rotational axis, the turbine wheel disposed axially opposite to the impeller wheel and hydro-dynamically rotationally drivable by the impeller wheel;
• and
• a locking piston axially moveable along the rotational axis to and from the locking surface of the casing, the locking piston having an engagement surface configured to selectively frictionally engage the locking surface of the casing to position the hydrokinetic torque-coupling device into and out of a lockup mode in which the locking piston is mechanically frictionally locked to the casing so as to be non-rotatable relative to the casing;
• the locking piston including a torsional vibration damper comprising
• a torque input member including a radially oriented first side plate and at least one supporting member mounted thereto;
• and
• a unitary radially elastic output member pivotable relative to and elastically coupled to the torque input member;
• the radially elastic output member including an output hub coaxial with the rotational axis and rotatable relative the torque input member, and at least one elastic blade non-movably connected to the output hub and configured to elastically and radially engage the at least one supporting member and to elastically bend in the radial direction upon rotation of the first side plate with respect to the radially elastic output member;
• the at least one elastic blade defining a raceway configured to bear the at least one supporting member;
• the at least one elastic blade including a main body and a blade insert non-moveably secured to the main body of the at least one elastic blade and radially engaging the at least one supporting member;
• the raceway of the at least one elastic blade defined by at least a portion of a surface of the blade insert.

A radially elastic output member for a torsional vibration damper, the radially elastic output member being rotatable about a rotational axis and comprising:

• an output hub rotatable relative to the rotational axis;
• and
• two elastic blades extending from the output hub;
• each of the elastic blades being non-movably connected to the output hub;
• each of the elastic blades including a main body and a blade insert non-moveably secured to the main body;
• at least a portion of a surface of each blade insert defining a raceway.

A method for assembling a torsional vibration damper, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a radially oriented first side plate and at least one supporting member;
• rotatably mounting the at least one supporting member to the first side plate;
• providing a unitary radially elastic output member, the radially elastic output member including an output hub coaxial with the rotational axis and rotatable relative the torque input member, and at least one elastic blade non-movably connected to the output hub and configured to elastically and radially engage the at least one supporting member and to elastically bend in the radial direction upon rotation of the first side plate with respect to the radially elastic output member;
• and
• elastically coupling the elastic output member to the torque input member so that the at least one elastic blade elastically and radially engages the at least one supporting member;
• the at least one elastic blade defining a raceway configured to bear the at least one supporting member;
• the at least one elastic blade including a main body and a blade insert non-moveably secured to the main body and radially engaging the at least one supporting member.