Steering column with composite fibre elements produced in a braiding method
AssigneeThyssenkrupp Presta AG
InventorsThomas Heitz, Sebastian Regner, Arne Schacht
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a steering column for a motor vehicle, comprising a steering spindle mounted rotatably in a steering spindle bearing unit, and comprising a guide bracket for connecting the steering spindle bearing unit to a body of the motor vehicle, wherein at least one component of the steering column is formed at least in part from a fiber-reinforced composite material, wherein a component has a thin-walled braided core which corresponds to the shape of the subsequent component, is formed from a thermoplastic material, and is braided with a fiber material, wherein the braided core is produced in an injection molding method and contains functional elements molded therein.
Claims10
A method of producing a steering column for a motor vehicle, comprising:
- forming a braided core from at least one of a thermoplastic or thermosettable polymer by an injection molding method, the braided core having substantially a geometry corresponding to a component of the steering column;
- coupling the braided core to an auxiliary core configured to improve ease of handling the braided core;
- braiding a second set of fibers around the braided core after the coupling of the braided core to the auxiliary core, the second set of fibers being suitable for use as a composite fiber material;
- curing at least one of a synthetic resin or a thermoplastic material at least between the braided core and the braided second set of fibers so as to materially integrally connect the braided core and the second set of fibers;
- and
- removing the auxiliary core after said curing the at least one of the synthetic resin or the thermoplastic material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.