FRP drive shaft

1. An FRP drive shaft which is formed by joining metal end-joints to each end of an FRP cylinder, wherein each of said metal end-joints comprises:

a press-fitting joint having a serrated portion which is press-fitted into said FRP cylinder, and

a cylindrical outer collar which is a separate member from said press-fitting joint and is fixed, using bond, onto an outer periphery of said FRP cylinder,

wherein said cylindrical outer collar and said press-fitting joint have non-circular engaging portions, respectively, which are directly engaged with each other, without any intervening component therebetween,

wherein said FRP cylinder and each of said metal end-joints are connected to form a unitary member and to integrally rotate with each other by a press-fit engaging portion between an inner surface of said FRP cylinder and said serrated portion of said press-fitting joint, by a bonded portion between the outer periphery of said FRP cylinder and an inner surface of said cylindrical outer collar, and by said non-circular engaging portions between said cylindrical outer collar and said press-fitting joint,

wherein said serrated portion and said non-circular engaging portions do not axially overlap.

2. The FRP drive shaft according to claim 1 , wherein said non-circular engaging portions comprise an oval-shaped hole and an oval-shaped cross sectional shaft portion, respectively.

3. The FRP drive shaft according to claim 1 , wherein said press-fitting joint comprises a rod-shaped press-fitting joint, the diameter of which is maximum at said serrated portion, wherein said cylindrical outer collar comprises a cylindrical portion which is fixed to said outer periphery of said FRP cylinder, and an end face portion which is positioned at an end of said cylindrical portion and in which a non-circular engaging hole having a size within an outer diameter of said FRP cylinder is formed, and wherein a non-circular cross sectional shaft portion which is engaged in said non-circular engaging hole of said cylindrical outer collar is formed on said press-fitting joint to be continuous with said serrated portion.

4. The FRP drive shaft according to claim 3 , wherein an axial length of said cylindrical outer collar that is positioned outside of said FRP cylinder is substantially the same as an effective serration length of said serrated portion that is positioned inside of said FRP cylinder.

5. The FRP drive shaft according to claim 3 , wherein an axial length of said cylindrical outer collar that is positioned outside of said FRP cylinder is greater than an effective serration length of said serrated portion that is positioned inside of said FRP cylinder.

6. The FRP drive shaft according to claim 1 , wherein said press-fitting joint comprises a large-diameter flange portion which is continuous with said serrated portion and greater in diameter than said serrated portion, wherein said cylindrical outer collar comprises an end face portion having a greater diameter than said FRP cylinder, a non-circular engaging hole being formed in said end face portion to have a size that exceeds an outer diameter of said FRP cylinder, and wherein a non-circular cross sectional shaft portion which is engaged in said non-circular engaging hole is formed on said press-fitting joint to be positioned between said serrated portion and said large-diameter flange portion.

7. The FRP drive shaft according to claim 6 , wherein said press-fitting joint comprises a single member which integrally includes said serrated portion and said large-diameter flange portion.

8. The FRP drive shaft according to claim 6 , wherein said press-fitting joint comprises a serrated shaft portion having said serrated portion, and wherein said large-diameter flange portion which is joined to said serrated shaft portion.

9. The FRP drive shaft according to claim 1 , wherein reinforcement FRP layers which include fiber components extending in a circumferential direction are formed into cylinders on the outer periphery of said FRP cylinder proximate both ends thereof, respectively.

10. The FRP drive shaft according to claim 1 , wherein said FRP cylinder comprises a plurality of CFRP layers by winding a plurality of prepregs, which are made by impregnating thermosetting resin sheets with carbon reinforcement fibers, into a cylinder and thermally curing said plurality of prepregs thus wound.

11. The FRP drive shaft according to claim 1 , wherein each of said outer collar and said press-fitting joint is formed as a single member.

12. An FRP drive shaft which is formed by joining metal end-joints to each end of an FRP cylinder, wherein each of said metal end-joints includes

a press-fitting joint having a serrated portion which is press-fitted into said FRP cylinder to transmit torque between said press-fitting joint and said FRP cylinder, and

a cylindrical outer collar which is fixed onto an outer periphery of said FRP cylinder, said cylindrical outer collar and said press-fitting joint having non-circular engaging portions which are engaged with each other to transmit torque between said press-fitting joint and said cylindrical outer collar,

wherein said press-fitting joint comprises a rod-shaped press-fitting joint, the diameter of which is maximum at said serrated portion,

said cylindrical outer collar comprises a cylindrical portion which is fixed to said outer periphery of said FRP cylinder, and an end face portion which is positioned at an end of said cylindrical portion and in which a non-circular engaging hole having a size within an outer diameter of said FRP cylinder is formed,

a non-circular cross sectional shaft portion which is engaged in said non-circular engaging hole of said cylindrical outer collar is formed on said press-fitting joint to be continuous with said serrated portion,

an axial length of said cylindrical outer collar that is positioned outside of said FRP cylinder is greater than an effective serration length of said serrated portion that is positioned inside of said FRP cylinder, and

said cylindrical portion of said cylindrical outer collar is joined to said FRP cylinder with a through-rivet which radially penetrates through a portion of said FRP cylinder in which no part of said serrated portion exists.

13. The FRP drive shaft according to claim 12 , wherein said cylindrical outer collar comprises two split outer collars, each having a semi-cylindrical cross section and a coupling member for coupling said two split outer collars.

14. An FRP drive shaft which is formed by joining metal end-joints to each end of an FRP cylinder, wherein each of said metal end-joints comprises:

a press-fitting joint that has a circular serrated portion which is press-fitted into said FRP cylinder, and has a non-circular engaging portion that is axially displaced from the circular serrated portion; and

a cylindrical outer collar that has a circular portion fixed, using bond, directly onto an outer periphery of said FRP cylinder, to form a unitary member, and has a non-circular engaging portion that is axially displaced from the circular portion;

wherein said cylindrical outer collar and said press-fitting joint are separate members, which are directly engaged with each other by their non-circular engaging portions, without any intervening component therebetween, and

wherein said FRP cylinder and each of said metal end-joints are connected to integrally rotate with each other by a press-fit engaging portion between an inner surface of said FRP cylinder and said serrated portion of said press-fitting joint, by a bonded portion between the outer periphery of said FRP cylinder and an inner surface of said cylindrical outer collar, and by said non-circular engaging portions between said cylindrical outer collar and said press-fitting joint.