| 摘要 |
1,161,729. Motor vehicle drive lines; preventing axle hop. ADAM OPEL A.G. 4 April, 1968 [26 April, 1967], No. 16250/68. Heading B7H. [Also in Division F2] In a motor vehicle having an engine connected through a drive line to a rigid rear axle suspended by springs and dampers, a component in the drive line is of such torsional softness or stiffness that the respective natural frequencies of torsional vibration in the drive line and of rise and fall of the rear axle are separated to such an extent as to avoid mutual stimulation between the two systems whereby extreme torque fluctuations in the drive line do not produce a negative overall torque considered in relation to that supplied by the engine and axle hop under accelerating and braking conditions is avoided. Torsional softness may be provided in the drive line by a flexible coupling, Fig. 8, fitted between the gear-box output shaft 22 and the propeller shaft 16. The coupling comprises a rubber element 10 of low Shore hardness bonded between conical flanges 25, 26. Stop pins 27 limit maximum twisting of the coupling to 30-40 degrees in a forward direction and 80-90 degrees in reverse. A centring device 28 locates the two shafts and the coupling also accommodates misalignment of the shaft axes to replace the usual universal joint. Torsional softness may alternatively be provided by employing a torsionally flexible propeller shaft, Fig. 13, comprising bifurcated heads 35, 36 connected to tubes 37, 38 having bonded thereon rubber rings 39, 40, 41, 42 which are pressed into an outer tube 43. Twisting of the shaft is limited by pins 48, 49 mounted in the heads 35, 36 for co-operation with slots 46, 47 in lead-in cones 44, 45 fitted on the outer tube 43 to facilitate insertion of the rubber rings. Torsional stiffness may be provided in the drive line by increasing the torsional stiffness of the half shafts in the rear axle. In Fig. 11 a reinforcing tube 33 having at each end a splined connection is fitted to the half shaft 30. In another embodiment large diameter half shafts having a torsional stiffness twice as great as is conventional are fitted. Tubular half shafts may be employed in order to save weight. |
