JP2008249113A - Torque rod and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a torque rod capable of being manufactured more inexpensively than before and its manufacturing method. <P>SOLUTION: In the torque rod 10 having a first bush 12, a second bush 14 and a rigid connection part 16 for connecting these, a first metal fitment 50-1 and a second metal fitment 50-2 are integrally connected by mutually caulking and fixing at respective longitudinal end edge parts while overlapping parts 16-1, 16-2 mutually overlap and the connecting part 16 is structured by the overlapping parts 16-1, 16-2. An outer cylinder 18 is structured by respective half parts 18-1, 18-2, an outer cylinder 26 is structured by half parts 26-1, 26-2, and bush bodies 24, 32 consisting of inner cylinders 20, 28 and rubber elastic bodies 22, 30 are press-fitted into each of respective cylinders. The bush bodies 24, 32 are clamped and fixed axially inward with stepped parts 54, 58 of the outer cylinder 18 and the outer cylinder 26. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  This invention is interposed between the engine side and the body side of a vehicle, regulates the displacement in the roll direction of the engine and the displacement in the front-rear direction, and at the same time, a torque rod that insulates vibration between the engine side and the body side, and its It relates to a manufacturing method.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a first bush on one end side in a longitudinal direction and a second bush on the other end side each provided with a rigid outer cylinder, an inner cylinder and a rubber elastic body interposed therebetween in a vehicle, A torque rod having a bush and a rigid connecting portion for connecting the second bush is interposed between the engine side and the body side of the vehicle, receives torque from the engine by the torque rod, and is displaced in the roll direction of the engine. In addition, the displacement in the front-rear direction is regulated.
The torque rod also has a function of vibration isolation between the engine side and the body side.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a conventionally known torque rod (the following Patent Document 1).
In the figure, reference numerals 200 and 202 denote a first bush and a second bush respectively having rigid inner cylinders 204 and 206, outer cylinders 208 and 210, and rubber elastic bodies 212 and 214 interposed therebetween. It is connected at a connecting portion 216.

In the torque rod, one of the first bush 200 and the second bush 202 is elastically coupled to the engine side and the other to the body side of the vehicle, and receives torque from the engine while elastically deforming the rubber elastic bodies 212 and 214. Regulates the displacement of the engine in the roll direction and the displacement in the front-rear direction.
Further, vibration insulation is performed between the engine side and the body side based on the elasticity of the rubber elastic bodies 212 and 214.

  In this torque rod, the outer cylinder 208 of the first bush 200, the outer cylinder 210 of the second bush 202, and the connecting rod 216 are usually made of a metal material, and each end of the connecting rod 216 is formed on the outer cylinder of the first bush 200. 208, welded to the outer cylinder 210 of the second bush 202 and joined together.

  However, in this case, it is necessary to manufacture and join the connecting rod 216 separately from the outer cylinders 208 and 210, which increases the number of components and the number of processing steps, and requires a welding process for joining. As a whole, the cost becomes high.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a torque rod proposed by the present applicant in a previous patent application (the following Patent Document 2) in order to solve this problem.
In this example, a pair of plate-shaped metal fittings of a first metal fitting 218-1 and a second metal fitting 218-1 are used, except for the inner cylinders 204 and 206 of the first bush 200 and the second bushing 202 in the torque rod. It is the example which comprised the part.

  Specifically, in this example, the flat plate portions 220 of the first metal fittings 218-1 and 218-2 are arranged in parallel with a space between them, and a gap between the flat plate portions 220 and 220 is formed. The connecting portion 224 of the torque rod is formed by filling the rubber 222 with the rubber member 222, and each of the axial directions of the outer cylinder 208 in the first bush 200 by the first metal fitting 218-1 and the second metal fitting 218-2, respectively. A half portion is configured, and each half portion in the axial direction of the outer cylinder 210 of the second bush 202 is configured.

  In the case of the torque rod of this example, the first metal fitting 218-1 and the second metal fitting 218-1 are set in the molding die together with the inner cylinder 204 of the first bush 200 and the inner cylinder 206 of the second bush 202 and filled. The rubber 222 and the rubber elastic body 212 in the first bushing 200 and the rubber elastic body 214 in the second bushing 202 are integrally vulcanized and molded, and at the same time vulcanized and bonded to the first metal fittings 218-1 and 218-2. The whole can be configured.

  However, in the case of the torque rod shown in FIG. 9, the number of vulcanized products per molding die, that is, the number of torque rods to be taken is small. Therefore, the cost for vulcanization is increased accordingly, and the first fitting 218-1 is also increased. , The second metal fitting 218-2 must be preliminarily bonded in advance in the pre-vulcanization process, which requires a large number of man-hours and costs for bonding, resulting in FIG. In the case of a torque rod, there was a problem that cost reduction was not sufficient.

The following Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4 disclose that in such a torque rod, a bush is independently vulcanized and assembled by press-fitting to constitute a torque rod. .
Further, in Patent Document 5 below, a metal portion including a connecting portion in a torque rod is constituted by a pair of plate-shaped metal fittings, and the pair of plate-like metal fittings are caulked and fixed at edge portions in the longitudinal direction. The point which comprised the torque rod is disclosed.
However, these are different inventions from the present invention and are different inventions.

JP-A-57-191129 JP 2005-163844 A JP-A-60-125438 JP 2006-283870 A JP 2005-291447 A

  The present invention has been made for the purpose of providing a torque rod that can be manufactured at a lower cost than the prior art and a method for manufacturing the torque rod.

  Thus, claim 1 relates to a torque rod, and includes a first bush and an other end on one end side in the longitudinal direction, each having a rigid outer cylinder and an inner cylinder, and a rubber elastic body interposed therebetween. A second bush on the side, and a rigid connecting portion that connects the first bush and the second bush, and is connected to the engine side and the body side of the vehicle to receive torque from the engine, and the engine roll In the torque rod that regulates the displacement in the direction, (a) the axial half of the outer cylinder in the first bush is on one end side in the longitudinal direction, and the axial half of the outer cylinder in the second bush is A first metal fitting having a plate-like overlapping portion on the central side, and (b) the other half of the axial direction of the outer cylinder in the first bush on the one end side in the longitudinal direction, Axial direction of the outer cylinder in the second bush A second metal fitting having a plate-like overlapping portion on the center side and having the other half portion on the other end side, and caulked and fixed to each other at each edge in the longitudinal direction with the overlapping portions overlapping each other. And integrally connecting the connecting portion at each of the overlapping portions of the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting, and the outer cylinder of the first bush at each half of the one end side, respectively. The first bush formed by forming the outer cylinder of the second bush at each half portion on the other end side, and vulcanizing and bonding the rubber elastic body to the inner cylinder to the outer cylinder of the first bush. The bush body is press-fitted and fixed on the outer peripheral surface of the rubber elastic body to form the first bush together with the outer cylinder, and the rubber elastic body is vulcanized to the outer cylinder of the second bush and the inner cylinder The bush body of the second bush formed by bonding is press-fitted and fixed on the outer peripheral surface of the rubber elastic body. The second bush together with the outer cylinder, and the outer cylinder of the first bush and the outer cylinder of the second bush have axially inwardly facing step surfaces on both sides in the axial direction. An attaching portion is provided, and the rubber elastic body of each bushing body of the first bush and the second bush is sandwiched and fixed inward in the axial direction by the stepped portion.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the rubber elastic body of each bushing body of the first bush and the second bush has stepped portions having axially outward stepped surfaces on both sides in the axial direction. The stepped portion of the outer cylinder of the first bush and the stepped portion of the outer cylinder of the second bush sandwich and fix the stepped portion of the rubber elastic body inward in the axial direction. And

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting are caulked and fixed to each other at the overlapping portion of the first metal fitting and the overlapping portion of the second metal fitting. Features.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the fixing with caulking at the end edge in the longitudinal direction of the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting is performed by bending the caulking piece formed at one end edge portion and the other end. It is characterized by being fixed by caulking with a structure that sandwiches the edge.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the method according to the third aspect, in the caulking fixing of the overlapping portion, the cylindrical upright portion formed on one side is inserted into the fixing hole in the through-thickness direction formed on the other side. The tube is expanded, and the upright portion is fixed by caulking so as to be in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the fixing hole.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, each of the overlapping portions of the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting is provided with a bulging portion that partially bulges in opposite directions. And

  A seventh aspect of the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a torque rod according to the first aspect of the present invention. In the manufacturing method, the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting are separated from each other in the thickness direction of the overlapping portion. The bushing body of the first bushing is located between the metal fitting and the second metal fitting and on one end side in the longitudinal direction, and the bushing body of the second bushing is located on the other end side. A pressing force in the overlapping direction is applied to the two metal fittings, and the bushing body of the first bushing is press-fitted into the half on the one end side of the first metal fitting and the half on the one end side of the second metal fitting. In addition, the rubber elastic body of the bush body in the first bush is sandwiched inward in the axial direction at the stepped portion of the half portion on the one end side of the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting, and the The half of the other end of the first metal fitting and the half The bushing body of the second bushing is press-fitted into the half part on the other end side of the two metal parts, and each stepped part of each half part on the other end side of the first metal part and the second metal part Then, the rubber elastic body of the bushing body in the second bushing is sandwiched inward in the axial direction, and the overlapping portions of the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting are overlapped, and in this state, the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting Each edge part of the longitudinal direction of a metal fitting is fixed by caulking.

Effects and effects of the invention

  As described above, according to the present invention, the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting are joined together by caulking and fixing them at the end edges in the longitudinal direction so that their overlapping portions overlap each other. The connecting portion of the torque rod is configured, and the outer cylinder of the first bush is provided in each half of the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting on one end side in the longitudinal direction, and each other provided on the other end side in the longitudinal direction. The outer cylinder of the second bush is formed in the half, and the bush body of the first bush and the bush body of the second bush made of an integral vulcanized product of the inner cylinder and the rubber elastic body are respectively press-fitted therein. The first bush and the second bush are configured together with the outer cylinder constituted by the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting.

  Further, in the present invention, each outer cylinder of the first bush and the second bush is provided with a stepped portion, and the rubber elastic bodies of the bush bodies in the first bush and the second bush are sandwiched in the axial direction by the stepped portions. Fix it.

  In the present invention, like the torque rod shown in FIG. 9, the metal portion excluding the inner cylinders of the first bush and the second bush is composed of the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting. Unlike the torque rod shown in FIG. 9, the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting are not components of the integrally vulcanized product. Therefore, when the torque rod is manufactured, the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting are formed into a metal mold. There is no need to set it to a mold.

  In the present invention, the bush body of the first bush formed by vulcanizing and bonding a rubber elastic body to the inner cylinder, and the bush body of the second bush constitute an integral vulcanized product, and the first bracket and the second bracket are Since it is not a component part of an integrally vulcanized product, the number of vulcanized products per molding die can be increased, and the cost required for vulcanization can be reduced.

  Further, the torque rod of the present invention is obtained by caulking and fixing the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting to each other in a state where the bush bodies of the first bush and the second bush as the integral vulcanized product are press-fitted. Therefore, the assembly process is simple, and it is not necessary to weld a pair of metal fittings at that time, and the cost required for welding can be reduced.

  In addition, in the present invention, the outer cylinder of the first bush and the outer cylinder of the second bush constituted by the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting are respectively connected to the corresponding first bush and second bush by the respective stepped portions. Since the rubber elastic bodies of the bush main body are fixed in a state of being sandwiched inward in the axial direction, the bush bodies of the assembled first bush and second bush can be satisfactorily prevented from coming off in the axial direction.

  Further, the rubber elastic body of the corresponding bush body is sandwiched inward in the axial direction by the stepped portions of the outer cylinders of the first bush and the second bush, and at the same time, it can be pre-compressed in the radial direction. Become.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the first outer cylinder and the second outer cylinder are provided with stepped portions having axially outward step surfaces on both axial sides of the rubber elastic bodies of the bush bodies of the first bush and the second bush. In this stepped portion, the stepped portion of the rubber elastic body is sandwiched and fixed inward in the axial direction. According to claim 2, the first outer cylinder and the second outer tube are The rubber elastic body can be pinched inward in the axial direction by the stepped portion.

In the present invention, the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting can be caulked and fixed to each other at the overlapping portion (Claim 3).
If it does in this way, the 1st metal fitting and the 2nd metal fitting can be fixed also in the portion between the 1st bush and the 2nd bush, and the fixation strength of the 1st metal fitting and the 2nd metal fitting becomes higher strength. Can do.

In the present invention, the caulking and fixing at the longitudinal end edges of the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting are fixed by caulking with a structure in which the caulking piece formed on one edge is bent and the other edge is sandwiched. (Claim 4).
Further, the fixing with caulking in the overlapping portion is expanded in a state where the cylindrical upright portion formed on one side is inserted into the fixing hole in the plate thickness direction formed on the other side, and the upright portion is expanded to the inner periphery of the fixing hole. It can be fixed by caulking in close contact with the surface (Claim 5).

  Next, Claim 6 is provided with a bulging portion that partially bulges in the opposite direction to each overlapping portion of the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting. The strength of the overlapping portion, that is, the strength of the connecting portion of the torque rod can be increased by the reinforcing effect of the bulging portion.

Next, a seventh aspect relates to a method of manufacturing the torque rod according to the first aspect. According to this manufacturing method, the bush main body in the first bush and the second bush are simply between the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting. The bush main body is positioned, and the pair of first metal fittings and second metal fittings are pressed in the overlapping direction. It can be assembled to the outer cylinder of the first bush and the outer cylinder of the second bush constituted by the second metal fitting in a press-fitted state and a retaining state, and thereafter, the pair of the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting are fixed by caulking. The entire torque rod can be assembled and configured simply by simply.
At the same time, each bushing body can be fixed and assembled in a secured state by a stepped portion provided on the outer cylinder.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2, reference numeral 10 denotes a torque rod according to this embodiment, which includes a first bush 12 made of a small bush, a second bush 14 made of a large bush, and a connecting portion 16 for connecting them in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Yes.
The torque rod 10 has a first bush 12 elastically coupled to the engine and a second bush 14 elastically coupled to the vehicle body side.
Here, in the first bush 12, an inner cylinder 20 (to be described later) is fixed to the engine, and in the second bush 14, the inner cylinder 28 is fastened and fixed to the body side with bolts and nuts, respectively.

The 1st bush 12 which consists of small bushes has the metal-made rigid outer cylinder 18 and the inner cylinder 20 which comprise a cylindrical shape, and the cylindrical rubber elastic body 22 between them.
In the first bush 12, the inner cylinder 20 is integrally vulcanized and bonded together with the rubber elastic body 22, and the integrally vulcanized product of the rubber elastic body 22 and the inner cylinder 20 is the bush main body 24 in the first bush 12. Is made.

On the other hand, the second bush 14, which is a large bush, also has a metal-made rigid outer cylinder 26 and inner cylinder 28, and a rubber elastic body 30.
Also in the second bush 14, the inner cylinder 28 is integrally vulcanized and bonded to the rubber elastic body 30, and the integrally vulcanized product including the rubber elastic body 30 and the inner cylinder 28 is a bush main body 32 in the second bush 14. Is made.

As shown in FIG. 1, the rubber elastic body 30 of the second bush 14 penetrates in the axial direction between the left and right positions of the inner cylinder 28 in the drawing, that is, the front position and the rear position in the vehicle longitudinal direction. There are straight portions (recesses) 34 and 36.
Specifically, the rubber elastic body 30 is formed in a direction away from the first bush 12 formed facing the rubber inner layer 38 having a predetermined thickness and the straight portions 34 and 36 formed along the inner periphery of the outer cylinder 26. A pair of rubber legs 40 that are open in a letter shape, and a rubber stopper 46 that protrudes in a substantially trapezoidal cross section from the inner rubber layer 38 toward the inner cylinder 28 on the right side (rear side) of the inner cylinder 28 in the figure. And have.
Here, the pair of rubber legs 40 are connected to each other at connecting portions 42 and 44 having an arc shape along the inner cylinder 28 at the left side position and the right side position of the inner cylinder 28 in the drawing.

  In this embodiment, the protruding rubber stopper 46 and the connecting portion 44 come into contact with each other, so that the stopper action is performed during vehicle acceleration, and the connecting portion 42 and the rubber inner layer 38 are opposed to the connecting portion 42. Makes a stopper action when the vehicle is decelerated.

In this embodiment, the metal portion (excluding the inner cylinders 20 and 28) in the torque rod 10 includes a plate-like first metal fitting (upper metal fitting) 50-1 and a second metal fitting (lower metal fitting) shown in FIGS. 50-2.
Specifically, the outer cylinder 18 in the first bush 12 and the outer cylinder 26 and the connecting portion 16 in the second bush 14 are constituted by the pair of the first metal fitting 50-1 and the second metal fitting 50-2.

  The first metal fitting 50-1 is formed by pressing a flat plate material, and the half portion 18-1 in the axial direction of the outer cylinder 18 of the first bush 12 is formed on one end side in the longitudinal direction and the other end side. The second bush 14 is integrally provided with a half portion 26-1 in the axial direction of the outer cylinder 26, and a flat plate-shaped overlapping portion 16-1 at the center between them.

The second metal fitting 50-2 is also formed by pressing a flat plate material. The shape of the second metal fitting 50-2 is symmetrical with respect to the first metal fitting 50-1 in the vertical direction in the figure. (Except for an upright portion 64, a fixing hole 66 and a caulking piece 62 described later).
Specifically, the second metal fitting 50-2 has the other half 18-2 in the axial direction of the outer cylinder 18 in the first bush 12 on one end side in the axial direction and the outer cylinder 26 in the second bush 14 on the other end side. The other half portion 26-2 in the axial direction is integrally provided with a flat overlapping portion 16-2 on the center side therebetween.

  The first metal fitting 50-1 and the second metal fitting 50-2 constitute a connecting portion 16 in the torque rod 10 by a pair of overlapping portions 16-1 and 16-2 by overlapping them vertically. The half portions 18-1 and 18-2 constitute the outer cylinder 18 in the first bush 12. Furthermore, the outer cylinder 26 in the second bush 14 is constituted by the half portions 26-1 and 26-2.

The half portions 18-1 and 18-2 of the first metal fitting 50-1 and the second metal fitting 50-2 have a small diameter at the opening side of the shaft end and a large diameter at the other portions, A stepped portion 54 having an axially inwardly-facing step surface 52 is provided on each axial side.
Similarly, the half portions 26-1 and 26-2 of the first metal fitting 50-1 and the second metal fitting 50-2 have a small diameter at the opening side of the shaft end and a large diameter at the other portions. A stepped portion 58 having an axially inwardly stepped surface 56 is provided on each axial side.

That is, the outer cylinder 18 in the first bush 12 is provided with stepped portions 54 having axially inwardly stepped surfaces 52 on both sides in the axial direction, and the stepped portions 54 provide rubber elasticity in the first bushing 12. The body 22 is sandwiched in an elastically compressed state in the axial direction.
Similarly, the outer cylinder 26 in the second bush 14 is provided with stepped portions 58 having axially inwardly stepped surfaces 56 on both sides in the axial direction. The rubber elastic body 30 is sandwiched in an elastically compressed state in the axial direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, one of the second metal fittings 50-2 has an arcuate shape in the shape of an arc that rises upward along the longitudinal edge in the shape before assembly. The caulking pieces 60 and 62 are integrally formed, and the caulking pieces 60 and 62 are bent so as to sandwich the longitudinal edge portion of the first metal fitting 50-1, whereby a pair of first metal fittings 50-1 are formed. And the second metal fitting 50-2 are fixed by caulking at respective end edges in the longitudinal direction, and are integrally coupled.

The second metal fitting 50-2 is also provided with standing parts 64 that form a short cylindrical shape in the overlapping part 16-2 at two positions in the longitudinal direction in the shape before assembly.
On the other hand, the first metal fitting 50-1 is provided with a fixing hole 66 penetrating in the plate thickness direction at a position corresponding to the upright portion 64 of the overlapping portion 16-1 in the same shape before assembly.
The upright portion 64 of the second metal fitting 50-2 is expanded in the radial direction while being inserted into the fixing hole 66 of the first metal fitting 50-1, and is crushed toward the inner peripheral surface of the fixing hole 66. Thus, the overlapping portion 16-1 of the first metal fitting 50-1 and the overlapping portion 16-2 of the second metal fitting 50-2 are fixed by caulking at the portions of the standing portion 64 and the fixing hole 66.
Here, the upright portion 64 is pressure-bonded to the inner peripheral surface of the fixing hole 66 in a close contact state.

As shown in FIG. 6, the upright portion 64 has a tapered shape in which the tip side has a slightly smaller diameter in the shape before assembly, while the fixed hole 66 has an inner peripheral surface opposite to the upright portion 64. The taper is directed in the opposite direction, that is, an inversely tapered shape inclined at an inclination angle θ such that the upper side has a large diameter in the drawing.
Therefore, as shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 2, the upright portion 64 is expanded and crimped in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the fixing hole 66. The overlapping portion 16-1 and the overlapping portion 16-2 of the second metal fitting 50-2 are strongly coupled in the vertical direction in the figure.

The overlapping portions 16-1 and 16-2 of the first metal fitting 50-1 and the second metal fitting 50-2 also have bulging portions 68 that bulge in opposite directions, respectively, along the longitudinal direction. One pair is provided at both sides in the width direction. Each of these bulging portions 68 has a longitudinal shape as clearly shown in FIG.
These bulging portions 68 are formed by press working, and the inner portion is hollow.
Note that the bulging portion 68 of the first metal fitting 50-1 and the bulging portion 68 of the second metal fitting 50-2 are provided at positions that overlap each other in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the bush main body 24 made of an integrally vulcanized product of the inner cylinder 20 of the first bush 12 and the rubber elastic body 22 is elastic in a free-form state before assembly. The upper and lower shaft ends of the body 22 in the drawing have a small diameter, and the portion between them has a large diameter, and stepped portions 72 having stepped surfaces 70 facing outward in the axial direction are provided on both sides in the axial direction. .
In addition, annular recesses 74 that are recessed inward in the axial direction are formed at both ends in the axial direction at portions between the small diameter portion of the axial end portion and the inner cylinder 20.

Here, the rubber elastic body 22 in the bush main body 24 has an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the outer cylinder 18 of the first bush 12, more specifically, the inner diameter of the large diameter portion in a free-form state before assembly. ing.
Therefore, the rubber elastic body 22 is in a radially compressed state, that is, in a pre-compressed state under the assembled state.

On the other hand, also on the second bushing 14 side, the bush main body 32 made of an integrally vulcanized product of the inner cylinder 28 and the rubber elastic body 30 has a small diameter at the upper and lower shaft ends of the rubber elastic body 30 in the drawing, and a portion between them. Is provided with a stepped portion 78 having a stepped surface 76 facing outward in the axial direction on both sides in the axial direction.
On the second bush 14 side, the outer diameter of the large-diameter portion of the rubber elastic body 30 in the bush main body 32 is substantially equal to or slightly larger than the inner diameter of the outer cylinder 26 in a free-form state before assembly. It is the diameter.
That is, the outer peripheral surface itself of the rubber elastic body 30 is not greatly deformed by diameter reduction, particularly inward in the radial direction.

However, the rubber elastic body 30 of the bushing body 32 on the second bushing 14 side has a radial direction from the outer peripheral surface of the rubber inner layer 38 to the radially outer position of the rubber leg 40 as shown in FIGS. A pair of projecting portions 80 projecting outward are provided.
These protrusions 80 are provided in a form extending in the axial direction along the outer peripheral surface of the rubber inner layer 38 so as to form a flat quadrangular prism shape having a long side in the circumferential direction. The end position in the axial direction of the large diameter portion of the rubber inner layer 38 is substantially the same position.
The protruding portion 80 forms a stepped portion 84 having both axial end portions having stepped surfaces 82 facing outward in the axial direction.

The bush main body 32 in the second bush 14 is compressed and deformed radially inward by the protrusion 80 being pushed inward in the radial direction during press-fitting into the outer cylinder 26, and the pair of rubber legs 40. Are assembled in the outer cylinder 26 in a pre-compressed state in the radial direction.
Further, the stepped portion 84 of the projecting portion 80 is sandwiched in the axial direction by the stepped portion 58 of the outer cylinder 26, whereby the bushing body 32 is firmly fixed to the outer cylinder 26 in a state of being prevented from coming off in the axial direction.

5 to 7 show a method for manufacturing a torque rod according to the present embodiment.
In this embodiment, the inner cylinder 20 and the rubber elastic body 22 on the first bush 12 side, and the inner cylinder 28 and the rubber elastic body 30 on the second bush 14 side are respectively integrally vulcanized. That is, the bush bodies 24 and 32 made of an integrally vulcanized product are manufactured and prepared in advance.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the bush bodies 24 and 32 are set in the corresponding positions on the upper surface side of the second metal fitting 50-2 serving as the lower metal fitting.
Specifically, the bush main body 24 is placed on the half 18-2 of the second metal fitting 50-2, and the bush main body 32 is placed on the half 26-2.

At this time, since the outer diameter of the rubber elastic body 22 is larger than the inner diameter of the half portion 18-2, the bush main body 24 is supported in a state where it floats on the half portion 18-2.
Further, the bush main body 32 is also supported in a state of being lifted from the half portion 26-2 due to the presence of the pair of projecting portions 80 as shown in FIG.

  In this state, as shown in FIG. 5, the first metal fitting 50-1 as the upper metal fitting is set so as to face the second metal fitting 50-2, and in this state, the first metal fitting 50-1 is shown in the drawing. As shown in FIG. 6, the overlapping portion 16-2 of the second metal fitting 50-2 and the overlapping portion 16-1 of the first metal fitting 50-1 are overlapped as shown in FIG.

At this time, the bush main body 24 on the first bush 12 side is configured such that each half of the first metal fitting 50-1 and the second metal fitting 50-2 is accompanied by compression deformation (diameter deformation) of the rubber elastic body 22 in the radial direction. 18-1 and 18-2 are press-fitted in directions opposite to each other, and in the press-fitted state, shafts are formed at the stepped portions 54 on both axial sides of the outer cylinder 18 constituted by the half portions 18-1 and 18-2. It is pinched inward and fixed.
The rubber elastic body 22 of the bush body 24 is deformed in the reduced diameter direction during press-fitting, so that a part of the rubber elastic body 22 is deformed in the axial direction. However, in the final assembled state, the rubber elastic body 22 is sandwiched in the axial direction by the stepped portion 54 of the outer cylinder 18 and compressed.

On the other hand, the bush main body 32 on the second bushing 14 side is a portion of the projecting portion 80 and is configured by the respective half portions 26-1, 26-2 of the first metal fitting 50-1 and the second metal fitting 50-2. When the rubber leg 40 is pressed into the outer cylinder 26 and pressed inward in the radial direction by the protrusion 80 in the press-fitted state, pre-compression in the radial direction is applied to the rubber leg 40.
Further, the bush main body 32 is fixed to the outer cylinder 26 in an axially retained state mainly by pinching in the axial direction by the stepped part 58 of the outer cylinder 26 with respect to the stepped part 84 of the protruding part 80.
Even at this time, the stepped portion 58 sandwiches the protruding portion 80 in a compressed state in the axial direction.

  In this embodiment, after overlapping the first metal fitting 50-1 and the second metal fitting 50-2 and assembling the bush bodies 24 and 32 in the press-fit state, the first metal fitting 50-1 and the second metal fitting 50-2 are assembled as shown in FIG. The caulking pieces 60 and 62 provided in an upright state at the longitudinal edge of the two metal fittings 50-2 are bent so as to sandwich the longitudinal edge of the first metal fitting 50-1, and the first metal fitting 50-1 and the first metal fitting 50-1 The edge portions in the longitudinal direction of the two metal fittings 50-2 are fixed by caulking, and they are joined together.

At the same time or separately thereafter, the short cylindrical upright portion 64 of the first metal fitting 50-2 that has entered the fixing hole 66 of the first metal fitting 50-1 is expanded in the radial direction, and the inner periphery of the fixing hole 66 is obtained. Crimped in close contact with the surface, and the overlapping portions 16-1 and 16-2 of the first metal fitting 50-1 and the second metal fitting 50-2 are fixed by caulking at the portions of the upright portions 64 and the fixing holes 66. To do.
Here, the torque rod 10 shown in FIG. 1 is obtained.

  In the present embodiment as described above, similarly to the torque rod shown in FIG. 9, the metal portion of the torque rod 10 is attached to the first metal fitting 50 except for the inner cylinders 20 and 28 of the first bush 12 and the second bush 14. -1 and the second metal fitting 50-2, but in this embodiment, the first metal fitting 50-1 and the second metal fitting 50-2 are not components of the integrally vulcanized product. Therefore, when manufacturing the torque rod 10, it is not necessary to set the first metal fitting 50-1 and the second metal part 50-2 in the molding die.

  In this embodiment, the bush main body 24 of the first bush 12 formed by vulcanizing and bonding the rubber elastic body 22 to the inner cylinder 20, and the second bush 14 formed by vulcanizing and bonding the rubber elastic body 30 to the inner cylinder 28. The bush main body 32 is an integral vulcanized product, and the first metal fitting 50-1 and the second metal fitting 50-2 are not constituent parts of the integral vulcanized product. The number of vulcanized products can be increased, and the cost required for vulcanization can be reduced.

  Further, the torque rod 10 of the present embodiment is obtained by caulking and fixing the first metal fitting 50-1 and the second metal fitting 50-2 in a state where the bush bodies 24, 32 as the integral vulcanized product are press-fitted and integrally coupled. Since the entire torque rod 10 can be configured, the assembly process is simple, and it is not necessary to weld a pair of metal fittings at that time, and the cost required for welding can be reduced.

  In addition, in this embodiment, the outer cylinder 18 of the first bush 12 and the outer cylinder 26 of the second bush 14 constituted by the first metal fitting 50-1 and the second metal fitting 50-2 are respectively provided with the stepped portions 54. , 58 to fix the rubber elastic bodies 22 and 30 of the respective bush bodies 24 and 32 of the corresponding first bush 12 and second bush 14 in the axially inwardly sandwiched state, so that the assembled bush bodies 24 are fixed. 32 can be satisfactorily fixed in the axial direction.

Further, the rubber elastic bodies 22 and 30 of the corresponding bush bodies 24 and 32 are sandwiched inward in the axial direction by the stepped portions 54 and 58 of the outer cylinders 18 and 26 of the first bush 12 and the second bush 14, respectively. At the same time, this can be pre-compressed in the radial direction.
At this time, the stepped portions 54 and 58 of the outer cylinders 18 and 26 sandwich the stepped portions 72, 78 and 84 of the rubber elastic bodies 22 and 30 inward in the axial direction. The pinching of the direction can be performed more favorably.

In this embodiment, since the first metal fitting 50-1 and the second metal fitting 50-2 are also fixed by caulking in the overlapping portions 16-1 and 16-2, the first metal fitting 50-1 and the second metal fitting 50-2 are also fixed. The fixing strength with the metal fitting 50-2 can be made higher.
Moreover, according to the manufacturing method of this embodiment, the torque rod 10 can be manufactured cheaply and easily.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, this is merely an example.
For example, in the present invention, the overlapping portions 16-1 and 16-2 of the first metal fitting 50-1 and the second metal fitting 50-2 are fixed by caulking with a structure other than the above example, for example, the standing portion 64 It is also possible to make a structure with fixing by caulking such that the end portion of the first metal fitting 50-1 is bent and the portion around the fixing hole 66 is sandwiched. Are provided on the side of the second metal fitting 50-2 that is the lower metal fitting, but they are provided on the side of the first metal fitting 50-1 that is the upper metal fitting to crimp the pair of metal fittings 50-1 and 50-2. It is also possible to fix and connect them together.
Further, the present invention can be configured in variously modified forms without departing from the gist of the present invention, for example, the caulking structure at both ends in the longitudinal direction can be changed to other caulking structures other than the above examples.

It is a front view shown in the state where a part of torque rod which is one embodiment of the present invention was notched. It is side surface sectional drawing of the torque rod of the same embodiment. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows the torque rod of the embodiment in the state before an assembly | attachment. It is side surface sectional drawing of the state shown in FIG. It is process explanatory drawing of the manufacturing method of the torque rod of the embodiment. It is process explanatory drawing following FIG. It is the figure which showed the principal part of FIG. 5 from another angle. It is a figure which shows an example of the conventional torque rod. It is a figure which shows the example different from FIG. 8 of the conventional torque rod.

Explanation of symbols

10 Torque Rod 12 First Bush 14 Second Bush 16 Connecting Portion 16-1, 16-2 Superposed Portion 18, 26 Outer Tube 18-1, 18-2, 26-1, 26-2 Half Portion 20, 28 Inner Tube 22, 30 Rubber elastic body 24, 32 Rubber bushing 52, 56, 70, 76, 82 Step surface 54, 58, 72, 78, 84 Stepped portion 60, 62 Caulking piece 64 Standing portion 66 Fixing hole 68 Swelling portion

Claims (7)

A first bushing on one end side in the longitudinal direction and a second bushing on the other end side, each having a rigid outer cylinder and an inner cylinder, and a rubber elastic body interposed therebetween, and the first bushing and the first bushing A torque rod that has a rigid connecting portion that connects two bushes, is connected to the engine side and the body side of the vehicle, receives torque from the engine, and regulates displacement in the roll direction of the engine;
(a) An axial half of the outer cylinder in the first bush is on one end side in the longitudinal direction, and an axial half of the outer cylinder in the second bush is on the other end side. A first metal fitting having a plate-like overlapping portion; and (b) the other half of the axial direction of the outer cylinder in the first bush at one end in the longitudinal direction, and the axial direction of the outer cylinder in the second bush. A second metal fitting having a plate-like overlapping portion on the center side and having the other half portion on the other end side, and caulked and fixed to each other at each edge in the longitudinal direction with the overlapping portions overlapping each other. And integrally connecting the connecting portion at each of the overlapping portions of the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting, and the outer cylinder of the first bush at each half of the one end side, respectively. Construct an outer cylinder of the second bush at each half on the other end side,
A bush main body of the first bush formed by vulcanizing and bonding the rubber elastic body to the inner cylinder is press-fitted and fixed to the outer cylinder of the first bush on the outer peripheral surface of the rubber elastic body together with the outer cylinder. A bush body of the second bush formed by vulcanizing and bonding the rubber elastic body to the inner cylinder is press-fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the rubber elastic body. The second bush is configured together with the outer cylinder,
In addition, the outer cylinder of the first bush and the outer cylinder of the second bush are provided with stepped portions having axially inwardly facing step surfaces on both sides in the axial direction. A torque rod, wherein the rubber elastic bodies of the bush bodies of the first bush and the second bush are sandwiched and fixed inward in the axial direction.   In Claim 1, the rubber elastic body of each bush body of the first bush and the second bush is provided with a stepped portion having stepped surfaces that are axially outward on both sides in the axial direction. The torque rod, wherein the stepped portions of the outer cylinder of the bush and the outer cylinder of the second bush sandwich and fix the stepped portion of the rubber elastic body inward in the axial direction.   2. The torque rod according to claim 1, wherein the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting are caulked and fixed to each other at the overlapping portion of the first metal fitting and the overlapping portion of the second metal fitting.   2. The caulking structure according to claim 1, wherein the caulking and fixing at the longitudinal end edges of the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting is performed by bending a caulking piece formed on one end edge and sandwiching the other edge. Torque rod characterized by being fixed.   4. The caulking and fixing of the overlapping portion according to claim 3, wherein the tubular standing portion formed on one side is expanded in a state of being inserted into a fixing hole penetrating in the thickness direction formed on the other side, and the standing portion is expanded. A torque rod characterized in that it is fixed by caulking so as to be brought into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the fixing hole.   2. The torque rod according to claim 1, wherein each of the overlapping portions of the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting is provided with a bulging portion that partially bulges in opposite directions. It is a manufacturing method of the torque rod of Claim 1, Comprising: In the state which mutually separated the said 1st metal fitting and the said 2nd metal fitting in the plate | board thickness direction of the said superimposition part, Between these 1st metal fittings and a 2nd metal fitting, The bushing body of the first bushing is positioned on one end side in the longitudinal direction, and the bushing body of the second bushing is positioned on the other end side. In addition, the bush body of the first bushing is press-fitted into the first half of the first metal fitting and the one half of the second metal fitting, and the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting. The rubber elastic body of the bushing body in the first bushing is sandwiched inward in the axial direction at each stepped portion of the half on the one end side of the metal fitting,
In addition, a bush body of the second bush is press-fitted into the half part on the other end side of the first metal fitting and the half part on the other end side of the second metal fitting. The rubber elastic body of the bushing body in the second bushing is sandwiched inward in the axial direction at each stepped portion of each half on the other end side of the two metal fittings,
In addition, the overlapping portions of the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting are overlapped, and in this state, the respective edge portions in the longitudinal direction of the first metal fitting and the second metal fitting are fixed by caulking. Production method.

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