Lightweight air spring die casting

Abstract

This utility model relates to the field of air spring technology and discloses a lightweight air spring die-casting part, including an upper cover plate. An air spring bladder is connected to the bottom surface of the upper cover plate, and a base is connected to the lower end of the air spring bladder. Specifically, the upper cover plate includes a protective plate with an arc-shaped cross-section. Multiple through slots are formed on the upper surface of the protective plate. A mounting plate is fixedly installed on the bottom surface of the protective plate, and a connecting seat is fixedly installed at the center of the bottom surface of the mounting plate. Reinforcing ribs are also provided on the upper surface of the mounting plate. In this utility model, through integrated die-casting technology, the arc-shaped protective plate and the star-shaped reinforcing ribs form a hollow support frame. Combined with the through-slot hollow design, material usage is reduced, while the reinforcing ribs are fully fitted to the bottom surface of the protective plate to form a distributed force transmission path.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of air spring technology, and in particular to a lightweight air spring die casting. Background Technology

[0002] An air spring is a spring that is filled with compressed air in a flexible, sealed container. It uses the compressibility of gas to achieve its vibration isolation and buffering functions. It is also commonly known as an airbag, airbag cylinder, or bellows cylinder.

[0003] Traditional air spring top covers often employ welded or split metal structures, resulting in drawbacks such as heavy weight, low connection reliability, and limited functionality. A solid metal design for the air spring top cover leads to bulky components, increases unsprung mass, deteriorates dynamic response performance, and increases vehicle fuel consumption and emissions. Existing lightweight solutions often achieve this through thinning the wall thickness or creating local openings, but these often sacrifice structural rigidity and fail to optimize the anchoring mechanism of the air spring connection, making it difficult to balance lightweight design with long-term reliability, thus limiting the performance improvement and lifespan of air springs. Therefore, we propose a lightweight die-cast air spring component. Utility Model Content

[0004] The present invention aims to solve the technical problems existing in the prior art and provide a lightweight air spring die-casting part.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a lightweight air spring die-casting part, including an upper cover plate, an air spring bladder connected to the bottom surface of the upper cover plate, a base connected to the lower end of the air spring bladder, the upper cover plate specifically including a protective plate, the protective plate having an arc-shaped cross-section, multiple through slots through the upper surface of the protective plate, an mounting plate fixedly installed on the bottom surface of the protective plate, a connecting seat fixedly installed at the center of the bottom surface of the mounting plate, a reinforcing rib also provided on the upper surface of the mounting plate, the outer walls of the two sides of the reinforcing rib being fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the protective plate and the upper surface of the mounting plate respectively, the protective plate, connecting column, ball head seat, reinforcing rib and mounting plate are all integrally die-cast.

[0006] Preferably, the upper surface of the protective plate is integrally die-cast with a bolt seat, and the bottom surface of the mounting plate is fixedly installed with a connecting seat.

[0007] Preferably, the protective plate has an inwardly curved portion on its periphery, and a second groove is formed inside the curved portion.

[0008] Preferably, the outer wall of the connecting seat has multiple first grooves, and the outer wall of the first groove is fitted with a fixing ring, with the upper end of the air spring bladder located between the connecting seat and the fixing ring.

[0009] Preferably, a portion of the outer wall of the air spring bladder is embedded inside the curved portion and is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the curved portion by vulcanization bonding.

[0010] Preferably, the reinforcing ribs are in a star-shaped structure, and the upper surface of the reinforcing ribs is in contact with the bottom surface of the protective plate.

[0011] Preferably, a connecting column is fixedly installed at the center of the upper end face of the protective plate, and a ball head seat is fixedly installed at the upper end of the connecting column. Beneficial effects

[0012] This invention provides a lightweight air spring die-casting part. It has the following advantages:

[0013] (1) This lightweight air spring die-casting component utilizes integrated die-casting technology. The arc-shaped protective plate and the star-shaped reinforcing ribs form a hollow support frame. Combined with the through-slot hollow design, it reduces material usage. The reinforcing ribs are fully fitted to the bottom surface of the protective plate to form a distributed force transmission path, which increases axial load-bearing capacity while reducing weight. The protective plate, connecting seat, ball joint seat, and other components are integrally die-cast, eliminating weak welding areas and reducing assembly processes. At the same time, the bolt seats integrated on the upper surface of the protective plate directly connect to the frame, avoiding stress concentration problems associated with separate installations. This achieves a balance between lightweight, high reliability, and efficient manufacturing. The air spring top cover integrates a multi-level lightweight structure and an enhanced connection interface, significantly reducing weight while improving connection reliability and overall rigidity. Attached Figure Description

[0014] To more clearly illustrate the embodiments of this utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art can derive other embodiments based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0015] The structures, proportions, sizes, etc. illustrated in this specification are only for the purpose of assisting those skilled in the art in understanding and reading the content disclosed herein, and are not intended to limit the implementation conditions of this utility model. Therefore, they have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in the proportions, or adjustments to the size, without affecting the effects and objectives that this utility model can produce, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in this utility model.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the air spring structure of this utility model;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the air spring structure of this utility model;

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the disassembled structure of the upper cover plate of this utility model;

[0019] Figure 4 This utility model Figure 2 Enlarged structural diagram at point A in the middle;

[0020] Figure 5 This utility model Figure 2 Enlarged structural diagram at point B.

[0021] Legend: 1. Top cover plate; 101. Protective plate; 102. Through groove; 103. Connecting column; 104. Ball head seat; 105. Reinforcing rib; 106. Connecting seat; 107. Bolt seat; 108. First groove; 109. Fixing ring; 110. Mounting plate; 111. Bend; 112. Second groove; 2. Air spring airbag; 3. Base. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0023] like Figure 1-5 As shown, a lightweight air spring die-casting part includes an upper cover plate 1, an air spring airbag 2 connected to the bottom surface of the upper cover plate 1, and a base 3 connected to the lower end of the air spring airbag 2. The upper cover plate 1 specifically includes a protective plate 101, the protective plate 101 has an arc-shaped cross-section, and multiple through slots 102 are opened through the upper surface of the protective plate 101. An mounting plate 110 is fixedly installed on the bottom surface of the protective plate 101, and a connecting seat 106 is fixedly installed at the center of the bottom surface of the mounting plate 110. A reinforcing rib 105 is also provided on the upper surface of the mounting plate 110. The outer walls on both sides of the reinforcing rib 105 are fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the protective plate 101 and the upper surface of the mounting plate 110, respectively. The protective plate 101, the connecting column 103, the ball head seat 104, the reinforcing rib 105 and the mounting plate 110 are all integrally die-cast.

[0024] The protective plate 101 is located above the mounting plate 110. The protective plate 101 is combined with the mounting plate 110 through the reinforcing ribs 105. On the one hand, it can increase the overall thickness of the upper cover plate 1 and ensure the rigid support of the top of the air spring. On the other hand, the protective plate 101 has multiple through slots 102 and is connected to the mounting plate 110 through the reinforcing ribs 105, which makes the upper cover plate 1 lightweight.

[0025] like Figure 3 As shown, the upper surface of the protective plate 101 is integrally die-cast with a bolt seat 107, and the bottom surface of the mounting plate 110 is fixedly installed with a connecting seat 106. The bolt seat 107 can be used to connect the air spring to the vehicle body, and the connecting seat 106 is used to strengthen the connection between the upper end of the air spring airbag 2 and the bottom surface of the upper cover plate 1. Both the bolt seat 107 and the connecting seat 106 are integrally die-cast with the protective plate 101 and the mounting plate 110.

[0026] like Figure 5 As shown, the protective plate 101 has an inwardly curved part 111 on its periphery, and a second groove 112 is provided inside the curved part 111. During vulcanization, the rubber that makes up the air spring bladder 2 flows into the second groove 112 and forms an "anchoring" effect after curing, which can enhance the connection strength between the air spring bladder 2 and the inner wall of the curved part 111.

[0027] like Figure 4 As shown, the outer wall of the connecting seat 106 has multiple first grooves 108, and a fixing ring 109 is fitted on the outer wall of the first groove 108. The upper end of the air spring bladder 2 is located between the connecting seat 106 and the fixing ring 109. The first grooves 108 on the outer wall of the connecting seat 106 are threaded. The fixing ring 109 is threaded to the lower outer wall of the connecting seat 106. The opening of the first grooves 108 can increase the contact area between the connecting seat 106 and the outer wall of the air spring bladder 2, making the connection between the connecting seat 106 and the outer wall of the air spring bladder 2 more stable.

[0028] like Figure 5 As shown, part of the outer wall of the air spring bladder 2 is embedded in the interior of the curved portion 111 and is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the curved portion 111 by vulcanization bonding; the curved portion 111 is bent inward, and part of the outer wall of the air spring bladder 2 is located inside the curved portion 111, so that the outer wall of the air spring bladder 2 can be fixed by the curved portion 111.

[0029] like Figure 3 As shown, the reinforcing rib 105 has a star-shaped structure, and the upper surface of the reinforcing rib 105 is in contact with the bottom surface of the protective plate 101. The star-shaped structure of the reinforcing rib 105 reduces the overall weight of the upper cover plate 1 while ensuring the support effect of the protective plate 101, making the upper cover plate 1 more in line with the lightweight design.

[0030] like Figure 3As shown, a connecting post 103 is fixedly installed at the center of the upper end face of the protective plate 101, and a ball head seat 104 is fixedly installed at the upper end of the connecting post 103. The connecting post 103 and the ball head seat 104 are both integrally die-cast with the protective plate 101. The die-casting enhances the connection between the end of the connecting post 103 and the upper surface of the protective plate 101, and the ball head seat 104 facilitates the connection between the air spring and the frame.

[0031] The working principle of this utility model is as follows: In use, the two ends of the air spring bladder 2 are connected to the upper cover plate 1 and the base 3 respectively. The air spring bladder 2 and the base 3 are connected by an interference fit, which is existing technology and will not be described in detail here. The upper cover plate 1 is located at the upper end of the air spring bladder 2. The upper cover plate 1 is an integral die-cast structure. The protective plate 101 is located above the mounting plate 110. The protective plate 101 is combined with the mounting plate 110 by reinforcing ribs 105. On the one hand, it can increase the overall thickness of the upper cover plate 1 to ensure the rigid support of the top of the air spring. On the other hand, the protective plate 101 has multiple through slots 102 and is connected to the mounting plate 110 by reinforcing ribs 105, which makes the upper cover plate 1 lightweight. The upper surface of the protective plate 101 is also integrally formed by die casting. The column 103 and bolt seat 107 facilitate the connection of the air spring to the vehicle frame. The inner wall of the curved part 111 located around the protective plate 101 and the outer wall of the connecting seat 106 located on the bottom surface of the mounting plate 110 are respectively provided with a first groove 108 and a connecting seat 106. The opening of the first groove 108 and the connecting seat 106 can increase the contact area between the air spring bladder 2 and the inner wall of the curved part 111 and the outer wall of the connecting seat 106. When the air spring bladder 2 is connected to the connecting seat 106 and the inner wall of the curved part 111 by vulcanization bonding, the annular grooves provided on the inner wall of the curved part 111 and the outer wall of the connecting seat 106 allow the rubber that makes up the air spring bladder 2 to flow into the grooves during vulcanization. After curing, an "anchoring" effect is formed, which can enhance the connection strength between the air spring bladder 2 and the inner wall of the curved part 111 and the outer wall of the connecting seat 106.

[0032] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of this utility model. Those skilled in the art should understand that this utility model is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of this utility model. Various changes and modifications can be made to this utility model without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the claims. The scope of protection of this utility model is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A lightweight air spring die-casting part, comprising an upper cover plate (1), an air spring bladder (2) connected to the bottom surface of the upper cover plate (1), and a base (3) connected to the lower end of the air spring bladder (2), characterized in that: The upper cover plate (1) specifically includes a protective plate (101). The protective plate (101) has an arc-shaped cross section. Multiple through slots (102) are opened through the upper surface of the protective plate (101). An installation plate (110) is fixedly installed on the bottom surface of the protective plate (101). A connecting seat (106) is fixedly installed at the center of the bottom surface of the installation plate (110). A reinforcing rib (105) is also provided on the upper surface of the installation plate (110). The outer walls on both sides of the reinforcing rib (105) are fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the protective plate (101) and the upper surface of the installation plate (110), respectively. The protective plate (101), the connecting column (103), the ball head seat (104), the reinforcing rib (105) and the installation plate (110) are all integrally die-cast.

2. The lightweight air spring die-casting part according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper surface of the protective plate (101) is integrally die-cast and has a bolt seat (107), and the bottom surface of the mounting plate (110) is fixedly installed with a connecting seat (106).

3. A lightweight air spring die-casting part according to claim 2, characterized in that: The protective plate (101) has an inwardly curved part (111) on its periphery, and a second groove (112) is provided inside the curved part (111).

4. A lightweight air spring die-casting part according to claim 3, characterized in that: The outer wall of the connecting seat (106) has multiple first grooves (108), and the outer wall of the first groove (108) is fitted with a fixing ring (109). The upper end of the air spring airbag (2) is located between the connecting seat (106) and the fixing ring (109).

5. A lightweight air spring die-casting part according to claim 4, characterized in that: Part of the outer wall of the air spring airbag (2) is embedded into the interior of the curved part (111) and is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the curved part (111) by vulcanization bonding.

6. A lightweight air spring die-casting part according to claim 5, characterized in that: The reinforcing rib (105) has a cross-shaped structure, and the upper surface of the reinforcing rib (105) is in contact with the bottom surface of the protective plate (101).

7. A lightweight air spring die-casting part according to claim 6, characterized in that: A connecting column (103) is fixedly installed at the center of the upper end face of the protective plate (101), and a ball head seat (104) is fixedly installed at the upper end of the connecting column (103).

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