Method for manufacturing a fiber-reinforced metal connecting rod, and resulting connecting rod
View Patent ↗The present invention relates to a method of fabricating a metal link rod ( 6 ) that is longitudinally reinforced in its thickness by fiber reinforcement ( 2 ), the method comprising the following steps: making a metal blank including at least one longitudinal housing ( 11, 12 ) leading into an edge face of the blank; inserting fiber reinforcement ( 2 ) in the housing; connecting the fiber reinforcement to the blank by metal diffusion around the fibers of the fiber reinforcement ( 2 ); and finishing the blank in order to obtain a link rod ( 6 ). The invention also provides a link rod having a metal matrix in which reinforcing fibers are embedded that extend on either side of a longitudinal axis (X) of the link rod, the fibers leading into an edge face of the link rod.
1. A method of fabricating a metal link rod ( 6 ) that is longitudinally reinforced in a thickness of the metal link rod by fiber reinforcement ( 2 ), the method comprising the following steps:
making a metal blank having at least one longitudinal housing ( 11 , 12 ) opening out into an edge face of the blank;
inserting fiber reinforcement ( 2 ) into the housing;
bonding the fiber reinforcement to the blank by metal diffusion around the fibers of the fiber reinforcement ( 2 ); and
finishing the blank to obtain a link rod ( 6 );
wherein the fiber reinforcement is inserted by means of the following operations:
placing the fiber reinforcement on a support in the form of an angle bar; and then
inserting the angle bar carrying the corresponding fiber reinforcement in the housing.
2. A link rod ( 6 ) suitable for being obtained by the method according to claim 1 , the link rod comprising a metal matrix having reinforcing fibers embedded therein lying on either side of a longitudinal axis (X) of the link rod, the fibers leading into an edge face of the link rod.
3. A method of fabricating a metal link rod ( 6 ) that is longitudinally reinforced in a thickness of the metal link rod by fiber reinforcement ( 2 ) extending parallel to a longitudinal direction of the link rod, the method comprising the following steps:
making a metal section member ( 1 ) of constant section and including at least two longitudinal housings ( 11 , 12 );
inserting a respective piece of fiber reinforcement ( 2 ) in each of the housings, the insertion of the fiber reinforcement comprising the steps of placing fiber reinforcement on a support in the form of an angle bar and then inserting each angle bar carrying the corresponding fiber reinforcement in one of the housings;
applying hot isostatic compression to the assembly in order to obtain a reinforced bar;
cutting up the reinforced bar in order to make a plurality of link-rod blanks; and
finishing each blank in order to obtain reinforced link rods.
4. A method of fabricating a metal link rod ( 6 ) that is longitudinally reinforced in a thickness of the metal link rod by fiber reinforcement ( 2 ), the method comprising the following steps:
making a metal blank having at least one longitudinal housing ( 11 , 12 ) leading into an edge face of the blank;
inserting fiber reinforcement ( 2 ) into the housing;
bonding the fiber reinforcement to the blank by metal diffusion around the fibers of the fiber reinforcement ( 2 ); and
finishing the blank to obtain a link rod ( 6 );
wherein the fiber reinforcement is inserted by means of the following operations:
placing the fiber reinforcement on a support in the form of an angle bar, the angle bar being made of an alloy; and then
inserting the angle bar carrying the corresponding fiber reinforcement in the housing; and
wherein any remaining space of the housing is filled by inserting a filler block ( 4 ) made of an alloy that is the same as the alloy of the angle bar.