Automotive door hinge assembly, bush employed therein and method for installing bush in door hinge assembly

A door hinge assembly for pivotally connecting a door to a fixed structure, comprising:

• a first wing member adapted to be secured to one of the door and the fixed structure, said first wing member having first aligned bores formed therethrough;
• a second wing member adapted to be secured to the other one of the door and the fixed structure, said second wing member having second aligned bores formed therethrough, said first and second wing members being so assembled that all of the first and second aligned bores are aligned;
• a pivot shaft passing through the aligned first and second bores to pivotally connect the first and second wing members;
• plastically deformable bushes respectively disposed in the second bores while rotatably receiving therein said pivot shaft, each bush including a tubular part intimately and tightly received in the second bore, and a first flange part integrally formed on one end of said tubular part and intimately contacting with one surface of said second wing member, said bush having a slit which extends axially throughout the tubular and flange parts thereby to provide the bush with circumferentially opposed terminal end portions;
• first means for suppressing rotation of said pivot shaft relative to the first bores;
• and
• second means for suppressing rotation of said bushes relative to the second bores, said second means including a swelled portion of said tubular part of said bush, said swelled portion being produced by plastically deforming said tubular part.

A plastically deformable bush for use in a door hinge assembly, comprising:

• a tubular part which has an end portion tapered toward its free end;
• a circular flange part integrally and coaxially formed on the other end of said tubular part;
• and
• means defining a crooked slit which extends substantially axially throughout the tubular and flange parts thereby to provide the bush with circumferentially opposed terminal end portions which are formed with mutually engageable wave-like portions, each including a rounded portion and a rounded recess, said bush being produced by stamping a sheet which comprises a metal mesh and a plastic filling up the meshes of said metal mesh.

A door hinge assembly for pivotally connecting a door to a fixed structure, comprising:

• a first wing member adapted to be secured to one of the door and the fixed structure, said first wing member having first aligned bores formed therethrough;
• a second wing member adapted to be secured to the other one of the door and the fixed structure, said second wing member having second aligned bores formed therethrough, said first and second wing members being so assembled that all of the first and second aligned bores are aligned;
• a pivot shaft passing through the aligned first and second bores to pivotally connect the first and second wing members;
• plastically deformable bushes respectively disposed in the second bores while rotatably receiving therein said pivot shaft, each bush including a tubular part intimately and tightly received in the second bore, and a first flange part integrally formed on one end of said tubular part and intimately contacting with one surface of said second wing member, said bush having a slit which extends axially throughout the tubular and flange parts thereby to provide the bush with circumferentially opposed terminal end portions;
• first means for suppressing rotation of said pivot shaft relative to the first bores;
• and
• second means for suppressing rotation of said bushes relative to the second bores, said second means comprising a stopper pin integrally formed on said second wing member, said stopper pin being engaged with said slit of said bush to achieve a latching engagement therebetween.

A door hinge assembly for pivotally connecting a door to fixed structure, comprising:

• a first wing member adapted to be secured to one of the door and the fixed structure, said first wing member having first aligned bores formed therethrough;
• a second wing member adapted to be secured to the other one of the door and the fixed structure, said second wing member having second aligned bores formed therethrough, said first and second wing members being so assembled that all of the first and second aligned bores are aligned;
• a pivot shaft passing through the aligned first and second bores to pivotally connect the first and second wing members;
• plastically deformable bushes respectively disposed in the second bores while rotatably receiving therein said pivot shaft, each bush including a tubular part intimately and tightly received in the second bore, and a first flange part integrally formed on one end of said tubular part and intimately contacting with one surface of said second wing member, said bush having a slit which extends axially throughout the tubular and flange parts thereby to provide the bush with circumferentially opposed terminal end portions;
• first means for suppressing rotation of said pivot shaft relative to the first bores;
• second means for suppressing rotation of said bushes relative to the second bores;
• and
• in which each bush is produced by stamping a plastically deformable sheet which comprises an expanded metal mesh and a plastic which fills up the meshes of said metal mesh.

A door hinge assembly for pivotally connecting a door to a fixed structure, comprising:

• a first wing member adapted to be secured to one of the door and the fixed structure, said first wing member having first aligned bores formed therethrough;
• a second wing member adapted to be secured to the other one of the door and the fixed structure, said second wing member having second aligned bores formed therethrough, said first and second wing members being so assembled that all of the first and second aligned bores are aligned;
• a pivot shaft passing through the aligned first and second bores to pivotally connect the first and second wing members;
• plastically deformable bushes respectively disposed in the second bores while rotatably receiving therein said pivot shaft, each bush including a tubular part intimately and tightly received in the second bore, and a first flange part integrally formed on one end of said tubular part and intimately contacting with one surface of said second wing member, said bush having a slit which extends axially throughout the tubular and flange parts thereby to provide the bush with circumferentially opposed terminal end portions;
• first means for suppressing rotation of said pivot shaft relative to the first bores;
• second means for suppressing rotation of said bushes relative to the second bores;
• and
• in which each bush is produced by stamping a plastically deformable sheet which comprises a metal mesh and a plastic which fills up the meshes of said metal mesh.