Vehicle driveline component with weldment having air pocket configured to shift residual stress in weldment away from the weld joint
AssigneeAmerican Axle & Manufacturing, Inc.
InventorsAnoop VASU, Shizhu XING, Jifa MEI, Chih-Hung CHUNG, Ravi S. DESAI
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A weldment includes a first component, a second component, and a weld joint coupling the first and second components together. The weld joint forms a heat affected zone in the first component and creates residual tensile stress in the first component. The first and second components cooperate to define a pocket configured to position a highest magnitude of the residual tensile stress in the first component in a location that is outside of the heat affected zone of the first component.
Claims20
A vehicle driveline component comprising:
- a first component;
- and
- a second component;
- and
- a weld joint coupling the first and second components together, the weld joint forming a heat affected zone in the first component and creating residual tensile stress in the first component,
- wherein the first and second components cooperate to define a pocket configured to position a highest magnitude of the residual tensile stress in the first component in a location that is outside of the heat affected zone of the first component.
A vehicle driveline component comprising:
- a first component including a first flange disposed about an axis, the first flange including a first exterior surface and a first interior surface;
- a second component including a second flange, the second flange including a second exterior surface and a second interior surface, the first and second interior surfaces cooperating to at least partially define a pocket;
- and
- a weld joint coupling the first and second flanges together, a root of the weld joint being disposed at or in the pocket,
- wherein a thickness between the first interior surface and the first exterior surface decreases with increased distance from the weld joint.
A vehicle driveline component comprising:
- a first component disposed about an axis and including a first flange, the first flange having a first surface;
- and
- a second component disposed about the axis and including a second flange, the second flange having a second surface that abuts the first surface to define a weld joint interface between the first and second flanges,
- wherein the first and second components cooperate to define a pocket disposed about the axis and adjacent to the weld joint interface such that the weld joint interface extends in a weld penetration direction from an exterior of the first and second components to the pocket,
- wherein the first flange has a first thickness between the exterior and the pocket at a first location proximal to the weld joint interface and a second thickness between the exterior and the pocket at a second location distal to the weld joint interface, the second thickness being less than the first thickness.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.