Clamping band

Abstract: A balancing arrangement for a rotating member (60), especially for a hollow shaft made from lightweight metal, in which a counterweight (40) of predetermined size and weight is affixed onto the external surfaces of the rotating member (60) in predetermined position by the use of a clamping band (10) made from a material normally devoid of any significant elastic stretchability. A plastically deformable ear structure (50) is provided in the clamp structure for tightening the clamping band which includes two generally outwardly extending leg portions (51a, 51b) interconnected by a bridging portion (52) that includes downwardly bent tab-like members (53a, 53b) along the longitudinal sides of the bridging portion to act as ramp surfaces and reinforcing elements for the ear structure. The counterweight (40) is thereby connected with the clamping band in one place by spot-welding (45), particularly, when both clamping band and counterweight are made of stainless steel.

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a clamping band to provide an improved balancing arrangement for hollow rotating members such as hollow drive shafts for motor vehicles. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Balancing arrangements by the use of counterweights are known as such in the prior art. Various arrangements have been proposed heretofore which rely on fastening counterweights in the position or positions as determined on a balancing machine rotating the part to be balanced. These machines are known as such, for example, in connection with balancing the wheels of automobiles where counterweights are attached in predetermined positions on the rim of the wheel. With the advent of hollow drive shafts for motor vehicles made from light-weight metal, such as aluminum or aluminum alloys which have to be balanced, the method of balancing such drive shafts, as used heretofore in the automotive industry, consisted of welding counterweights of predetermined size and weight in predetermined positions. These hollow drive shafts, contrary to prior art solid drive shafts, involved a hollow aluminum construction of larger diametric dimensions than the prior art solid drive shafts used heretofore in the automotive industry for many years. Because aluminum drive shafts as used presently in the automotive industry have a wall thickness of about 2.2 mm., the counterweights had to be welded to the outer surface of the corresponding cylindrical end piece of the universal joint which itself is made of a wall thickness of about 5 mm. The drawbacks of these prior art drive shafts and balancing arrangements are due to the fact that the welding operations not only require longer cylindrical end pieces of the universal joint to accommodate the largest counterweights and their welded connections but additionally are both time-consuming and relatively costly, not to mention problems always inherent with welded connections of this type. US-A-4 299 012 discloses a clamping band according to the preamble of claim 1, which clamping band is not specifically intended to secure a counterweight to a rotating member, but otherwise has the features included in the first part of claim 1. There are occasions where it is desirable to further increase the holding ability of such a clamping band. US-A-3 901 046 discloses a balancing arrangement in which a screw-type clamping head serves as a fixed counterweight so that balancing counterweight members to compensate for any excess in weight of the clamping head have to be installed on the clip substantially diametrically opposite the clamping head. Additionally, the balancing arrangement of this patent including its screw-type clamping head fail to provide any compensation for thermal stresses resulting from the relatively elevated temperatures which can occur in hollow drive shafts of relatively larger diameter. Additionally, this prior art balancing arrangement also entails significant disadvantages as regards cost, weight and ease of installation because it normally provides by its clamping head only a single fixed counterweight, which, when not correct, requires more frequently than not one or more additional counterweight members to be mounted opposite the clamping head to compensate for any excess weight of the fixed counterweight formed by the clamping head. It therefore precludes the use of a single counterweight which can be chosen for weight as required and which can be concentrated in the area of the band circumference to optimize its effectiveness in operation. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to improve the prior-art balancing arrangement by increasing the holding ability of the balancing arrangement without increase in cost of manufacture and assembly and at the same time avoiding problems due to positional changes of the balancing arrangement occasionally encountered heretofore in the course of transfer or displacement movements of the balanced drive shafts. According to the present invention, a so-called "Oetiker" ear is used in the clamp structure which is provided with two tab-like members bent down in the inward direction of the clamp structure along the longitudinal edges of the bridging portion of the ear. These tab-like members serve a dual purpose in the balancing arrangement according to the present invention. On the one hand, they serve as ramps during displacements or transfers of the drive shafts with installed balancing arrangements to lift any object in the path of axial movement of the drive shaft over the ear structure, thereby precluding or at least minimizing any axial displacement of the balancing arrangement. At the same time, these bent-down tab-like members further reinforce the holding ability of the ear-like structure so that the ear can be closed with even greater force. The reinforcement in the bridging portion of the ear is preferably constructed to assure optimum deformation on the assembly line even if the deforming tool, such as, for example, pneumatic pincers are not applied completely correctly. This is attained by the use of a shallow reinforcing depression. According to still a further feature which reduces the cost of manufacture and installation, the counterweight of the present invention is fixed to the clamping band by a spot-welded connection, thereby obviating the need for cold-deformed projections or the like to hold the counterweight in place. Welded connections in clamping bands, especially galvanized steel, are not desirable because of the known drawbacks inherent in such welded connections. However, the drawbacks normally attending spot-welded connections are of lesser significance in the balancing arrangement according to the present invention for two reasons. First, the holding ability of the spot-welded connection is of no great concern because the counterweight is held in place by the clamping band once the clamping band is tightened about the counterweight and the drive shaft. Second, the clamping band and the counterweight are made of stainless steel, thereby eliminating those problems normally encountered in particular with galvanized steel. A loosening of the spot-welded connection is therefore of no great concern as long as the spot-welded connection is adequate to hold the parts in preassembled condition, ready for installation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which shows, for purposes of illustration only, one embodiment in accordance with the present invention, and wherein: Figure 1 is a plan view on a clamping band according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the clamping band of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view on a drive shaft with a balancing arrangement before the open ends of the clamping band are interconnected and the clamping band is tightened; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 4-4 of Figure 3; and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken along line 5-5 of Figure 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring now to the drawing wherein like reference numerals are used throughout the various views to designate like parts, and more particularly to Figures 1 and 2, these two figures illustrate a clamping band generally designated by reference numeral 10 preferably made from stainless steel and provided with a number of sections generally designated by reference numeral 20 which impart elastic stretchability to the clamping band, normally devoid of any significant elastic stretchability in its longitudinal direction. Each section 20 thereby consists of two non-rectilinear lateral band portions 21a and 21b that are formed exclusively by cutouts from the clamping band 10. More specifically, the concavely curved side surfaces 22a and 22b are produced by corresponding concave, segmentally shaped cutouts along the sides of the clamping band 10. The inner surfaces 23a and 23b of each lateral band portion 21a and 21b are formed by corresponding surfaces of a cutout 24 in the central area of the clamping band which, in the illustrated embodiment, has the shape at least approximately resembling an hourglass. The non-rectilinear lateral band portions 21a and 21b are thereby of substantially constant width over at least a major part of their length which is attained by substantially parallel surfaces 22a, 23a, and 22b, 23b. Adjacent sections 20 are connected with each other by web portions 26 extending over the normal width of the clamping band which are defined by transversely extending end surfaces 25 of the central cutouts 24 of adjacent sections 20. To avoid stress peaks, the corners between the end surfaces 25 and the side surfaces 23a and 23b are thereby rounded-off. Similarly, the transitions from the side surfaces 22a and 22b to the normal width of the side surfaces of the clamping band are also rounded-off. The end portions 10a and 10b of the clamping band, devoid of any elastic stretchability-imparting sections 20, include the means for mechanically connecting the open ends of the clamping band and for tightening the clamping band. More specifically, the clamping band end portion 10b is provided with two cold-deformed hooks 32 and a tab-like guide hook 31. The opposite end portion 10a of the clamping band is provided with apertures 33 to receive the hooks 32 and 31. The mechanical interconnection described so far is of the type disclosed in my U.S. Patent 4,299,012. However, the mechanical interconnection may also be of any other construction known in the art, for example, of the type as disclosed in my prior U.S. Patent 4,622,720. The counterweight generally designated by reference numeral 40, which is affixed to the clamping band end portion 10b by a single spot-welded connection 45, is of predetermined weight and configuration, for example, of rectangular configuration and is chosen for its size and weight as determined by the requirements for balancing the rotating member. The counterweight 40 is preferably of a curved shape conforming at least approximately to the external surface of the rotating member onto which it is to be affixed and preferably is made with a radius of curvature R (Figure 4) slightly smaller than the radius of curvature R SHAFT of the external surface of the rotating member 60 so that the tightening forces of the clamp structure will cause the counterweight to elastically adapt itself to the radius of curvature of the rotating member. As a result thereof, the counterweight 40 will anchor itself securely in the predetermined position on the outer surface of the rotating member 60 once the clamping band is tightened. The tightening means for the clamping band of the illustrated embodiment includes a so-called "Oetiker" ear generally designated by reference numeral 50 which incudes two generally outwardly extending leg portions 51a and 51b interconnected by a bridging portion 52. The bridging portion 52 may be provided with a reinforcing groove as described in my prior U.S. Patent 3,402,436 or with a relatively shallow reinforcing depression as disclosed in my copending U.S. application Serial No. 06/922,408, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference (British Patent No. 2,160,577 corresponds to this last-mentioned copending application). However, the ear structure 50 according to the present invention is provided with tab-like members 53a and 53b which are bent down along the longitudinal sides of the bridging portion as shown in Figure 5 to serve as ramps for any obstacle with which the clamping arrangement may come in contact during transfer of the drive shaft involving axial movement after the balancing arrangement has been installed. These bent-down tab-like members 53a and 53b serve an additional purpose in that they increase the holding ability of the ear so that the clamping band can be tightened with greater force. Any object moving relative to the ear structure 50 in the direction, for example, of arrow A (Figure 5) will be lifted by the bent-down tab-like member 53a over the surface of the bridging portion 52 of the ear-like structure 50, thereby avoiding the danger that the balancing assembly may be displaced in the axial direction of the drive shaft. The angle α between the generally horizontal top surface of the bridging portion 52 and the tab-like members 53a, 53b may be chosen at will depending on the desired ramp and strengthening effects which vary somewhat inversely as the angle is varied, and, is preferably chosen at an angle of about 120 to about 140°. In order to be able to use a clamping band of constant width without any significant waste of material, substantially rectangular cutouts 59a, 59b, 59a' and 59b' (Figure 1) are made in the clamping band within the end areas of the ear 50 which, in effect, reduces the width of the ear 50 by utilizing the remaining width of band material for the tab-like members 53a and 53b. The depth of these cutouts depends on the compromise between desired length of the tab-like members and the accepted reduction in width of the bridging portion if a band material of constant width is used. According to another feature of the present invention, the ear reinforcement generally designated by reference numeral 55, instead of the relatively flat depression as shown in my aforementioned copending U.S. application Serial No. 06/922,408, has a bottom part 56 which continues to be relatively flat as viewed in transverse cross section (Figure 5) but is slightly concavely shaped as viewed in longitudinal cross section (Figure 4) as also disclosed already in this last-mentioned copending application. The radius of curvature of the concavely shaped bottom part 56 is thereby substantially greater than the length of the leg portions 51a and 51b. The longitudinal connecting portions 57a and 57b of the reinforcement 55 thereby extend substantially rectilinearly from the remaining bridging portion 52 with which they form an angle β which may be as disclosed in my aforementioned prior U.S. application Serial No. 06/922,408. The radii of curvature of the rounded-off transitions between the top surface of the bridging portion 52 and the longitudinal connecting portions 57a and 57b are thereby relatively small, particularly as compared to the much larger radius of curvature for the concavely shaped bottom part 56 as seen in longitudinal cross section (Figure 4). The angle between the longitudinal connecting portions 57a and 57b and the bottom part 56 is then also equal to β . The particular shape of the reinforcement 55 as shown and described herein not only provides a holding ability at least equal to the holding ability as disclosed in my aforementioned copending U.S. application Serial No. 06/922,408 but assures a more reliable plastic deformation of the ear into the desired shape at the assembly line, where, under the pressure of time, the closing tool, such as a pneumatic pincer-like tool, is not always applied precisely as required for optimum deformation of the ear. As already described in my aforementioned copending U.S. application Serial No. 07/446,812, the counterweight 40 and/or the clamping band 10 may again be provided with appropriate anchoring means in the internal surfaces thereof which will anchor the same more securely in the predetermined position on the outer surfaces of the rotating member 60. The anchoring means may be in the form of ragged, non-deburred edges produced by the use of a dull tool for punching-out the counterweight 40, respectively, clamping band 10 and/or may be produced by treatment of the internal surfaces by any known means to produce rough surfaces and/or by selection of the material composition for the counterweight to produce such rough surfaces. The balancing arrangement according to the present invention entails significant advantages. On the one hand, it is simple to install, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and reliable in operation without the danger of unwanted displacement during movements of the drive shaft on which it is installed. On the other hand, it permits permanent preassembly by a spot-welded connection between the counterweight and the clamping band, particularly when both are made of stainless steel. As with other balancing arrangements, a number of different sizes and weights of counterweights will be necessary to be stocked to permit balancing of the rotating member with the use of the balancing arrangement according to this invention. As the clamping band may be made of relatively thin band material, the overlap in the area of the free band ends is relatively insignificant to the problem of achieving a satisfactory balance of the rotating member. Moreover, any imbalance resulting from the overlap can be taken into consideration in the design of the counterweights, as explained in my aforementioned copending U.S. application. While I have shown and described only one embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it is understood that the same is not limited thereto but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications as known to those skilled in the art. For example, instead of being integral with the clamping band, the ear my be formed in a separate connecting member as disclosed in my aforementioned copending U.S. application Serial No. 07/446,812. Additionally, the elastic stretchability-imparting sections 20 may be modified as long as the elastic stretchability imparted thereby together with the elastic properties of the deformed ear are sufficient to compensate for the expected changes due to temperature and/or pressure fluctuations. The use of the balancing arrangement is not limited to hollow-rotating members, such as drive shafts, made of aluminum, aluminum alloys or other metallic light-weight materials, but is equally usable with hollow rotating members made from any other appropriate metallic or non-metallic materials, such as synthetic resinous materials, possibly reinforced with fibrous material(s), or any other known materials used in the manufacture of such hollow rotating members. I therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are encompassed by the scope of claim 1.

Claims: A clamping band (10) operable to tightly engage the external surface of a rotating member (60) and a counterweight (40) of predetermined size and weight for fixedly securing said counterweight onto the external surface of said rotating member, said clamping band (10) having free ends (10a,10b), connecting means (31, 32, 33) for mechanically connecting the free ends (10a, 10b) of said clamping band (10) and means for tightening the clamping band about said rotating member (60) and said counterweight (40), said tightening means including plastically deformable ear means (50) having generally outwardly extending leg portions (51a, 51b) interconnected by a bridging portion (52) extending in the longitudinal direction of the clamping band (10) and being provided with reinforcing means, characterised in that the bridging portion (52) includes tab-like members (53a, 53b) bent downwardly along its longitudinal sides so that said tab-like members (53a, 53b) provide a ramp surface to lift an object moving axially relative to the clamping band (10) over the top surface of the bridging portion (52) and at the same time serve as said reinforcing means increasing the holding ability of the plastically deformable ear means (50). The clamping band of claim 1, wherein the end surfaces of each tab-like member (53a, 53b), as viewed in the longitudinal direction, converge toward one another, and approximately rectangular cutouts (59a, 59a', 59b, 59b') are formed in the clamping band portion within the area of each leg portion on both sides of the clamping band (10). The clamping band of claim 1 or 2, wherein said counterweight (40) is secured to the clamping band (10) by a spot-welded connection (45). The clamping band of claim 1, 2 or 3, including further means (20) for imparting to the band predetermined elastic stretchability in its longitudinal direction, said further means (20) including at least one section having non-rectilinear lateral band portions (21a, 21b) on both sides of the centre longitudinal plane of the clamping band (10). The clamping band of claim 4, wherein the lateral non-rectilinear band portions (21a, 21b) are formed by at least one window (24) disposed in the centre area of the clamping band (10), the non-rectilinear sides (22a, 22b) of said clamping band (10) being curved concavely, the non-rectilinear lateral band portions (21a, 21b) being formed between a respective side surface (22a, 22b) of the clamping band (10) and the corresponding adjacent side (23a, 23b) of the window (24), and each of the two lateral band portions (21a, 21b) being at least of approximately constant width over a substantial part of its length. The clamping band of claim 5, wherein said window (24) has a shape at least approximately resembling an hourglass, the clamping band (10) including several sections containing such further means (20) with transversely extending web portions (26) of substantially full band width connecting adjacent sections. The clamping band of claim 4, wherein the further means are formed by openings (24) in the clamping band (10) located at least within the area opposite the connecting means (31, 32, 33) when the clamping band (10) is installed over the rotating member (60) and the counterweight (40), at least some of said openings (24) being generally of the same shape. The clamping band of any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the further means (20) are substantially symmetrical with respect to the centre longitudinal plane of the clamping band (10). The clamping band of any preceding claim, wherein the counterweight (40) and/or the clamping band (10) includes means for anchoring the same in the external surface of the rotating member, the anchoring means being formed at least in part by ragged, non-deburred edges obtained by cutting and/or stamping operations with the use of relatively dull tools and/or by non-smooth internal surfaces realised at least in part by material composition, manufacture and/or after-treatment of the respective part to obtain the desired internal anchoring surfaces. The clamping band of any preceding claim, wherein said reinforcing means further includes at least one relatively shallow depression (55) occupying at least a substantial portion of the total area of the bridging portion (52) in its non-reinforced condition. The clamping band of claim 10, wherein the depression (55) has a bottom part (56) which is substantially flat as viewed in transverse cross section through the bridging portion (52). The clamping band of claim 11, wherein the bottom part (56) of the depression (55) is of concave shape as viewed in longitudinal cross section with a radius of curvature that is substantially larger than the length of the leg portions (51a, 51b) and is a multiple of the length of the tab-like members (53a, 53b).

Inventors: OETIKER HANS, OETIKER, HANS
Applicants: OETIKER HANS MASCHINEN, HANS OETIKER AG MASCHINEN- UND APPARATEFABRIK
Application year: 1991
Main classification: F16F15
IPC codes: F16F15, B60K17, F16L33, F16B2