Tolerance rings improve vehicle efficiency
A
Rencol Tolerance Rings product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Oct 27, 2008
Due to rising fuel prices, consumer demand is forcing car manufacturers to improve the efficiency of cars by any means possible - lightweight EPAS systems are already being adopted, for instance.
Chris Needes of Saint-Gobain performance plastics Rencol looks at how tolerance rings can help.
To help car manufacturers meet CO2-emission targets, the traditional hydraulic steering system is being replaced by the lighter electric power assisted steering (EPAS) system.
Some analysts predict that 10.7 million EPAS systems will be fitted to vehicles built in Western Europe by 2013.
However, as fuel prices continue to rise, manufacturers are keen to consider each and every technique that can decrease the overall weight of the car, and further increase efficiency.
Tolerance rings are already used in the steering column allowing it to slide or collapse longitudinally should the steering wheel be struck by the driver during a collision.
Another steering related application for tolerance rings is bearing mounting, where they guard against problematic (noise, vibration and hardness) resonances and ensure good performance over a range of component tolerances and operating temperatures throughout the car's lifetime.
They are now being used as a slipping element in steering column locks, enabling them to withstand the 100Nm force prescribed by EU regulations.
The idea behind tolerance rings is very straightforward - they're simply radially sprung steel rings that are designed to be press fitted between two mating components, such as a motor shaft and a take-off pulley.
They are, in other words, a special form of spring fastener.
In production quantities, these tolerance rings cost just a few pence.
The increased adoption rate of EPAS systems has now brought the weight saving benefits of these steel fasteners into sharp focus.
Using tolerance rings for motor mounting is also becoming widely accepted in EPAS systems.
The radially sprung steel fasteners help to absorb shock transmitted from the engine, as well as fixing the stators within the drive motors themselves, where they hold the stator securely in place while reducing the levels of vibration to which it is exposed, allowing considerable savings in both size and weight.
Tolerance rings are usually purpose-designed for each application, with engineers from Rencol working closely with designers from the early stages of development.
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Other Rencol Tolerance Rings stories
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Tolerance rings created to handle torque overload
Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Rencol has created tolerance rings to handle torque overload conditions in power tools. -
Tolerance rings - from concept to production
When tackling a fixing issue between two mating components, Stuart Kelly argues it can prove beneficial to consider integrating an innovative radial spring fastener. -
Tolerance rings take the strain out of motors
Chris Needes looks at some of the innovative ways in which tolerance rings are currently being used in electric motors. -
Simpler mounting for sensors
The key to getting the best out of automotive sensors is all in the mounting, says Chris Needes, Automotive Product Manager at Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Rencol. -
Running rings round steering design challenges
Tolerance rings are simple in concept, inexpensive, compact and easy to use; yet they can enhance performance and safety while reducing costs in steering column assemblies, as Chris Needes explains.
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