| 摘要 |
An intermediate steering shaft 32 including a tubular shaft element 34 , a solid shaft element 36 telescoped into the tubular shaft element, a pair of universal couplings 40,48 for connecting the tubular and solid shaft elements to respective ones of a steering shaft 14 and a steering gear input shaft 26 , and a torsionally elastic coupling 56 between the solid shaft element and the corresponding one of the universal couplings. The torsionally elastic coupling 56 includes a torsion sleeve 58 on the solid shaft element 36 , a bushing cavity 82 around the torsion sleeve in a yoke 52 of the universal coupling 48 , and an elastomeric bushing 70 on the torsion sleeve interference fitted in the bushing cavity. A pair of long radial lugs 66 on the torsion sleeve 58 are disposed in respective ones of a pair of notches 88 in the universal coupling yoke 52 with separation " S " therebetween. The elastomeric bushing 70 is relatively soft for maximum torsional vibration isolation at high vehicle speed. At low vehicle speed, the elastomeric bushing 70 twists until the long radial lugs 66 on the torsion sleeve 58 engage the notches 88 in the yoke 52 to rigidly couple the solid shaft element 36 to the yoke 52 parallel to the elastomeric bushing. |
