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US 6,247,346 B1Granted
Method of forming a drive shaft
AssigneeAlcoa Inc.
InventorJohn A. Dickson, Jr.
Life of this patent
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AssigneeAlcoa Inc.
InventorJohn A. Dickson, Jr.
Estimating the term…
Methods for making an aluminum drive shaft for automobiles or trucks or other drive shaft applications from aluminum alloy tube and methods for making drive shafts. The method includes (a) providing an 6000 series type alloy hollow elongate tube; and (b) reducing the diameter of at least one portion of the hollow elongate tube to form a reduced diameter section and transition section between the reduced diameter section and the tube; the transition section having at least three subsections: i. a first subsection having a first slope; ii. a second subsection having a second slope; and iii. a third subsection located between the first and second subsections having a third slope which is less than the first and second slopes, the third section forming a circumferential step to stiffen the transition section. The drive shafts can also be made of metals other than aluminum alloys.
In a method of producing an aluminum tube member for a vehicular drive shaft having a transition section with a length and wall thickness sufficient to cause noises during periods of high stress, the improvement wherein said aluminum tube member is made by a method comprising:
In a method of producing a vehicular drive shaft from an alloy body is formed into a hollow elongate tube having a transition section with a length and wall thickness sufficient to cause noises during periods of high stress, the improvement comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.