Method for producing a tubular stabilizer for a motor vehicle

Abstract

In a method for producing a tubular stabilizer, an original outer diameter of a tube is reduced in a swaging process thereby producing one-piece tubular stabilizer halves of uniform material.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for producing a tubular stabilizer for a motor vehicle, comprising:
 swaging at least a section of a tube having a constant cross sectional geometry from outside the tube in a swaging device, thereby reducing an outer diameter of the tube and providing the tube with cross sectional geometries that vary along a longitudinal direction of the tube, wherein a connection flange or an actuator sleeve is formed on the tubular stabilizer by the swaging.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , used for producing a tubular stabilizer half for an active or semi-active motor vehicle stabilizer. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a wall thickness of the tube is increased in the swaging process. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the tube is pushed in an axial direction through the swaging device with a forward movement. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein a speed of the forward movement is adjustable. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising before the swaging step, heating the section of the tube. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the section of the tube is heated by an induction coil arranged immediately upstream of the swaging device. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising inserting an end section of the tube into the swaging device, passing the end section through the swaging device while retaining the end section in an original state, and initiating the swaging at an inner section of the tube. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising forming the swaged tubular stabilizer relative to a longitudinal center axis of the tube stabilizer. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising inserting an inner mandrel into the tube during the forming process. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the inner mandrel has an outer profile, which is embossed by the swaging process into an inner sheath surface of the tube. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the swaging step includes forming at least a section of the tube from a round starting geometry to at least one cross sectional geometry selected from the group consisting of an elliptic, polygonal and rectangular cross sectional geometry. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a wall thickness of the tube is reduced by the swaging step by using an inner mandrel and a counter holding mandrel. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising after the swaging step, hardening and/or tempering at least a portion of the tubular stabilizer.