Stamped cardan joint yoke member for an automotive vehicle steering column

A yoke member of Cardan joint of a motion transmission shaft including a yoke member pivot axis and a tightening axis on a transmission shaft,

• (a) said yoke member of Cardan joint being made in one unitary part through stamping and obtained through deforming a metal sheet having a thickness defined thereby to meet holding and strength functions,
• (b) said metal sheet being deformed without any breaking of material fibers making up such metal sheet, so that said yoke member be only made up of continuous fibers so as to obtain a desired thickness in desired sizes,
• (c) said yoke member including:
• (1) a pivot fork including two pivot arm portions each comprising a crossing hole, the axis of which is said pivot axis of a cross-piece, and
• (2) a connecting element for said transmission shaft, said connecting element having two tightening portions connected one to the other via a junction portion, each of said two tightening portions comprising a tightening hole, the axis of which is said tightening axis,
• (3) first and second reinforcing appendices arranged through stamping respectively on the one of said tightening portions in the vicinity and on the same side of said tightening hole thereof, said first and second reinforcing appendices being opposite one relative to the other and in the vicinity of one of transversal end faces of said connecting element, and
• (4) third and fourth reinforcing appendices arranged through stamping respectively on the other tightening portion in the vicinity and on the same side of the tightening hole thereof, said third and fourth reinforcing appendices being opposite one relative to the other and in the vicinity of the other transversal end face of said connecting element.