Patent ID: 7043818

Claim:
A vehicle shaft comprising: a rigid intermediate portion of the shaft, the intermediate portion having first and second ends having respective first and second contact surfaces, each of contact surface having a respective material thickness and a cross section across the shaft; a first and a second shaft journal located at the first and second ends of the intermediate portion respectively, with the first shaft journal having a third end disposed with a third contact surface at the first end of the intermediate portion and the second shaft journal having a fourth end with a fourth contact surface disposed at the second end of the intermediate portion; a first weld connection between the first end of the intermediate portion and the third end of the first shaft journal at the first and the third contact surfaces and a second weld connection between the second end of the intermediate portion and the fourth end of the second shaft journal at the second and the fourth contact surfaces, the first and third contact surfaces at the first weld have the same material thickness and the second and fourth contact surfaces at the second weld have the same material thickness; at least one of the intermediate portion and the respective shaft journals at the ends of the intermediate portion has a respective cross section that is shaped to have a respective material thickness reduction thereat, and the thickness reduction is spaced at an axial distance from the contact surfaces between the shaft portion and each of the shaft journals, the axial distance being less than the material thickness at the respective contact surfaces.