Drive shaft for motor vehicles and method for manufacturing a drive shaft of this type

摘要

A drive shaft for motor vehicles comprises shaft portions arranged one after the other in s longitudinal direction of the drive shaft. One shaft portion is a tubular shaft portion having a large cross section and another shaft portion having a cross section that is smaller than the tubular shaft portion having a large cross section. A transition region having a region wall is provided between the tubular shaft portion and the shaft portion having the smaller cross section. If the drive shaft is compressed in the event of a crash, the shaft portion having the smaller cross section is pushed into the tubular shaft portion having the large cross section by an insertion length, thus deforming or breaking the region wall of the transition region.

主权项

1. A drive shaft for motor vehicles formed with shaft portions arranged one after the other in a longitudinal direction of the drive shaft, the drive shaft comprising:
a tubular shaft portion with a large cross section; and a shaft portion having a smaller cross section than the large cross section of the tubular shaft portion; wherein the shaft portion having the large cross section is arranged, when the drive shaft is in an initial state, on one side of an annular transition region of the drive shaft and the shaft portion having the smaller cross section is arranged on another side of annular transition region; wherein the annular transition region comprises a region wall that interconnects the tubular shaft portion having the large cross section and the shaft portion having the smaller cross section; wherein the tubular shaft portion having the large cross section and the shaft portion having the smaller cross section move relative to one another, under action of a longitudinal force imposed on the tubular shaft portion having the large cross section or on the shaft portion having the smaller cross section in the longitudinal direction of the drive shaft and compresses the drive shaft starting from the initial state, in the longitudinal direction of the drive shaft, and the region wall of the transition region between the tubular shaft portion having the larger cross section and the shaft portion having the smaller cross section forming a predetermined deformation point, a predetermined breaking point, or both; wherein the shaft portion having the smaller cross section comprises an insertion length arranged outside the tubular shaft portion having the large cross section when the drive shaft is in the initial state and extends in the longitudinal direction of the drive shaft and by which the shaft portion having the smaller cross section is pushed into the tubular shaft portion having the large cross section when the drive shaft is compressed, thus deforming or breaking the region wall of the transition region arranged between the tubular shaft portion having the large cross section and the shaft portion having the smaller cross section; wherein the shaft portion having the smaller cross section is guided inside the tubular shaft portion having the large cross section in a direction of movement when the tubular shaft portion having the large cross section and the shaft portion having the smaller cross section move relative to one another when the drive shaft is compressed; and wherein the insertion length of the shaft portion having the smaller cross section is provided with a cross-section widening that is molded into the shaft portion having the smaller cross section over a partial length of the insertion length; wherein the cross-section widening has a cross section that is larger than a cross section of a remaining length of the shaft portion having the smaller cross section; wherein the remaining length extends in the longitudinal direction of the drive shaft on the side of the cross-sectional widening remote from the tubular shaft portion having the large cross section when the drive shaft is in the initial state; wherein the shaft portion having the smaller cross section is guided inside the tubular shaft portion having the large cross section in the direction of movement by the cross-sectional widening molded into the shaft portion having the smaller cross section when the tubular shaft portion having the large cross section and the shaft portion having the smaller cross section move relative to one another when the drive shaft is compressed.