Camshaft

A camshaft for automotive engines, having cams which are contra-rotating about the camshaft axis over limited circumferential angles, with which

• an inner shaft and an outer shaft are arranged coaxially one inside the other,
• the contra-rotating cams include first cams and second cams, of which the first cams are fixedly connected to the inner shaft and the second cams are fixedly connected to the outer shaft,
• characterized by the features
• the outer shaft is designed as a circular cylindrical pipe with an inside diameter that is consistently the same, i.e., with a step-free inner lateral surface,
• the inner shaft is secured directly against the step-free inner lateral surface of the outer shaft via at least one securing device arranged on the axial end of the inner shaft,
• the securing device has a ringed-shaped securing element which is fixedly connected to the inner shaft and is arranged in the area of a circumferential step that is set back radially toward the inside and is arranged on one axial end of the inner shaft,
• a ring groove that is open toward the outside is formed in axial proximity between the circumferential step on the one hand and the securing element on the other hand, a ring-shaped sealing element being arranged in the ring groove and sealing an annular space between the inner shaft and the outer shaft.