Process and tool for producing a barrel for a telescopic universal transmission joint
AssigneeGlaenzer Spicer
InventorMichel Orain
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A barrel to be formed has internal tracks of circular profile which abut ridges (4). The process starts with a sheet-metal blank which is arranged around an inner shaping mandrel equipped with protuberances integral or rotatably attached and defining shaping surfaces for the tracks. Three dies are displaced radially and have a projection which initiates a fold and which than forces this fold between the protuberances in order to produce the ridge as a result of a flow of material towards this region, which will undergo a very high load during operation.
Claims33
A process for making a barrel for a sliding universal transmission joint, comprising:
- providing a barrel blank having a substantially cylindrical lateral wall with an inner face, a shaping mandrel having a plurality of shaping surfaces capable of shaping said inner face of said lateral wall of said barrel blank to define a plurality of tracks having a substantially circular profile extending parallel to the axis of said barrel blank, with each said track extending on one side of a ridge separating said track from another said track on the other side of said ridge, said ridge having a greater radial thickness than the radial thickness of said barrel blank and a plurality of dies disposed circumferentially about said shaping mandrel, said dies having a circumferential play between each other and pressure surfaces thereon directed toward said shaping mandrel;
- placing said substantially cylindrical lateral wall of said barrel blank between said shaping surfaces of said shaping mandrel and said dies;
- and
- shaping said inner face of said lateral wall by simultaneously displacing said dies toward a central axis of said shaping mandrel and compressing said lateral wall of said barrel against said shaping surfaces with said pressure surfaces thereof until said inner face of said lateral wall of said barrel blank defines a plurality of tracks having a substantially circular profile extending parallel to the axis of said barrel blank, with each said track extending on one side of a ridge separating said track from another said track on the other side of said ridge, said ridge having a greater radial thickness than the radial thickness of said barrel blank.
A press tool for forming a barrel for a sliding universal transmission joint, comprising:
- a mandrel having a central axis for connection to a press piston for movement parallel to the central axis of said mandrel, said mandrel having on its periphery cylindrical shaping surfaces having axes parallel to the central axis capable of shaping the inner face of a lateral wall of a barrel blank to define a plurality of tracks having a substantially circular profile extending parallel to the axis of the barrel blank, with each track extending on one side of a ridge separating the track from another track on the other side of the ridge and said ridge having a greater radial thickness than the radial thickness of the barrel blank;
- a plurality of dies circumferentially spaced about said shaping mandrel with a circumferential gap between them, said dies being mounted on respective slideways converging towards the central axis of the mandrel;
- and
- a pusher for connection to the press piston in order to simultaneously compel said dies to slide along said slideways in directions converging towards the central axis of said mandrel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.