Leakage-free viscous damper

Abstract

The application discloses a leakage-free viscous damper, which has the characteristics of no friction and high heat dissipation efficiency while solving the problems of oil seepage and oil leakage of the existing viscous damper, and has the structure comprising: a damping core, a metal bellows, a connecting rod, a bellows end cover, a sleeve and damping liquid; the damping core is located in the center of the leakage-free viscous damper, the bellows is installed at both ends of the damping core, the connecting rod is arranged on the outer side of the bellows for righting and guiding, and the damper works, the damping liquid flows in the fluid pipeline of the damping core by the expansion and contraction of the bellows, so that the damping force is generated, the application is applied to the shock absorption field of buildings, bridges and industrial equipment, has the simple structure, does not need sliding sealing, has no friction, and basically has no problems of oil seepage and oil leakage.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of vibration reduction technology, mainly to viscous dampers, and in particular to a leak-free viscous damper that solves the problems of oil seepage and leakage in existing viscous dampers. Background Technology

[0002] Viscous dampers are commonly used vibration reduction devices. Traditional viscous dampers dissipate energy during vibration through the reciprocating motion of a piston rod. Viscous dampers are widely used in vibration reduction systems for buildings and bridges, automotive suspension systems, aircraft landing gear, and industrial equipment in aerospace, nuclear power, and other fields. Most existing viscous dampers are structurally derived from hydraulic cylinders, requiring numerous rubber or other polymer seals. In particular, the piston rod and cylinder often use a sliding seal, which is prone to oil leakage when the seals age or dust and sand get in during operation.

[0003] To address these issues, foreign manufacturers have adopted methods such as labyrinth metal seals. However, these products are often more complex in structure and have higher production costs than traditional dampers, thus limiting their application scope.

[0004] Therefore, traditional dampers still dominate the market. In the construction industry, since buildings often have a lifespan exceeding 50 years, far surpassing the calendar life of rubber seals, current viscous damper products can only maintain their required performance parameters through routine inspections and maintenance every 3 to 5 years. Furthermore, maintenance is primarily based on whether the damper leaks oil, which introduces significant subjective factors, making inspections inconvenient and difficult to guarantee the original performance requirements of the viscous damper throughout the building's entire lifespan. In addition, space constraints and subsequent interior decoration in some buildings further complicate damper inspection and maintenance, all of which negatively impact the building's seismic safety and maintenance costs. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the shortcomings and defects of existing technologies, the inventors, through research and development, proposed a leak-free viscous damper. This structure completely solves the problems of oil seepage and leakage throughout the entire life cycle of traditional dampers. Simultaneously, this technology reduces maintenance costs, improves reliability and stability, and extends service life. This helps improve system efficiency and sustainability, reduces operating costs, and meets environmental protection requirements. Specifically, this invention is implemented as follows:

[0006] A leak-free viscous damper includes: a sleeve for mounting a damping core and accommodating a set of expansion joints; a damping core mounted on the top of the sleeve, having several sliding holes for providing extension and retraction displacement of the connecting rods and damping fluid communication gaps for the flow of damping fluid; two sets of expansion joints, respectively mounted on both sides of the damping core, one set mounted inside the sleeve and the other set mounted outside the sleeve, with their ends connected to expansion joint end caps, forming an inner cavity filled with damping fluid between the expansion joints and the expansion joint end caps; several connecting rods, each movably slidingly mounted on the damping core, with both ends respectively connected and fixed to the expansion joint end caps at their respective ends; the expansion joints can extend and retract accordingly with the extension and retraction movement of the connecting rods; and damping fluid, sealed and filled within the sealed inner cavity formed by the two sets of expansion joints, and interconnected through the damping fluid communication gaps on the damping core.

[0007] Furthermore, the damping fluid communication gap includes: multiple gap guide holes formed on the end faces of both ends of the damping core, which are connected by damping gaps that can generate partial damping force; several jet holes formed on the damping core that connect the end faces of both ends; jet holes on opposite sides that are interconnected, which can generate partial damping force, and the performance parameters of the leak-free viscous damper can be adjusted by adjusting the diameter of the jet holes; the jet holes on opposite sides that are interconnected; the guide holes are annular or linear slits with a slit width of 0.5–3 mm, and the jet holes are small circular holes with a diameter of 0.5–5 mm.

[0008] Furthermore, the damping core includes: an inner core and an outer core nested together, with a damping gap between the inner core and the outer core, allowing damping fluid to flow in the damping gap, and a pressure cap fixing the inner core and the outer core from both the top and bottom ends, and the pressure cap being connected to the sleeve.

[0009] Furthermore, the jet holes are formed on the damping screws, and two opposite damping screws are connected by a channel, so that the jet holes are interconnected.

[0010] Furthermore, the expansion joint is a metal bellows; the length of the sleeve is not less than the sum of the length of the metal bellows and the stroke of the damper; the damping fluid filled in the damping core and the metal bellows is silicone oil. The expansion joint end cap is a bellows end cap, and the bellows end cap is provided with an oil injection hole.

[0011] Furthermore, limiters are installed on each of the connecting rods. The limiters are fitted on the outside of the connecting rod and are located between the damping core and the end cap at one end. The distance between the limiter and the end cap is the design stroke of the damper. The two limiters on the same connecting rod are located at both ends of the damping core and cannot pass through the damping core.

[0012] Furthermore, this damper also includes several armored rings, which are sequentially installed around the metal bellows to improve the pressure-bearing capacity of the metal bellows.

[0013] Furthermore, limit blocks are installed between the armor rings to limit the spacing between them and restrict uneven deformation of the metal bellows.

[0014] Furthermore, doping silicone oil with fibers or clay materials can improve its thermal conductivity and viscosity.

[0015] Furthermore, the damper is equipped with connecting lugs at both ends, and the connecting lugs are fitted with spherical bearings or ball bearings.

[0016] Introduction to the working principle of this invention:

[0017] This invention utilizes a sealed cavity formed between the two ends of the expansion joint, along with a connecting rod and a damping core structure, to achieve the expansion and contraction of the expansion joint relative to the damping core. This enables the mutual flow and transfer of the internal damping fluid, achieving a damping effect. Since the extension and contraction of the connecting rod occurs outside the expansion joint, the entire internal cavity structure is a single, sealed structure, eliminating the need for sliding seals and avoiding the problems of damping fluid leakage associated with sliding seals. It also avoids frictional resistance during damping operation. The invention features an ingenious structure: a sleeve serves as the mounting carrier for the damping core and the base for the expansion space. The expansion joint's independently formed damping fluid cavity is structurally reliable and stable. The damping fluid flows through the damping fluid communication gaps within the internal cavity, connecting the damping core area, eliminating the need for sliding seals and simplifying manufacturing and assembly. The viscous damping effect is generated through the compression or expansion of the viscous fluid within the expansion joint. Due to the flow through the damping fluid communication gaps, the damping fluid can flow throughout the entire system, resulting in a more uniform and stable damping effect. By adjusting the size of the damping fluid connection gap, the damping force of the viscous damper can be adjusted to meet different engineering needs. The damping core forms a stable gap and jet hole system through a mechanical structure, avoiding gap size deviations caused by assembly errors of moving parts in traditional dampers. The use of bidirectional sealing in multiple environments and a metal bellows improves the structural stability and pressure resistance of the damper, enabling it to operate under various conditions. The corrugated structure of the metal bellows further facilitates heat dissipation, improving the damper's heat dissipation performance and ensuring the stability of its performance parameters under severe vibrations.

[0018] Beneficial technical effects of the present invention:

[0019] (1) Simple and reliable structure: Compared with traditional dampers, this structure has fewer parts and a simpler structure. Compared with traditional dampers, it reduces the difficulty of processing and assembly, and the production cost will also be reduced.

[0020] (2) Superior heat dissipation performance: The metal bellows has a larger surface area, which is more conducive to the heat dissipation of the damper and effectively delays the thermal decay of the damping fluid.

[0021] (3) More reliable sealing: It can achieve a complete metal seal without using any rubber sealing structure, and there is no problem of rubber aging.

[0022] (4) No leakage: Under metal sealing, the damping fluid will not leak at all, and the performance of the damper will not change throughout the entire life cycle of the building.

[0023] (5) More economical: The number of seismic loads is generally low, and the structure of the present invention is more in line with the working conditions of seismic load frequency. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a front view of a leak-free viscous damper structure;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a front view of the damping core structure of the present invention;

[0026] in:

[0027] 1—Sleeve,

[0028] 2—Damping core, 21—Guide hole, 22—Damping gap, 23—Jet hole, 24—Inner core, 25—Outer core, 26—Gland, 27—Damping screw

[0029] 3—Connecting rod, 31—Limit switch,

[0030] 4—Expansion joint, 41—Bellbell end cap, 42—Armored ring,

[0031] 5—Damping fluid,

[0032] 6—Connecting ear. Detailed Implementation

[0033] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these descriptions are merely exemplary and not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Furthermore, descriptions of well-known structures and techniques are omitted in the following description to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the concept of the invention.

[0034] Example 1: A leak-free viscous damper, mainly comprising the following structure:

[0035] Sleeve 1 is used to install the damping core 2 and accommodate a set of expansion joints 4; the bottom of the outer side of sleeve 1 can be a hinge seat for installing and determining the location where the leak-free viscous damper needs to be installed.

[0036] Damping core 2 is installed on top of sleeve 1 and serves as a channel shaft to provide the telescopic displacement of several connecting rods 3. Damping core 2 is the core structure of this leak-free viscous damper. It serves as a sliding seat for the telescopic movement of connecting rods 3, and also installs the telescopic devices 4 at both ends and places them in the middle. At the same time, it is the core component for the damping fluid 5 to generate damped flow.

[0037] The connecting rods 3, usually four in number, are evenly installed around the damper and all pass through the damping core 2. One end is located inside the sleeve 1 and the other end is located outside the sleeve 1. As a movable component that displaces under force, it can generate relative expansion and contraction displacement through the channel shaft of the damping core 2.

[0038] The expansion joint 4 has two sets, which are respectively installed on both sides of the damping core 2. One set is installed inside the sleeve 1 and the other set is installed outside the sleeve 1. The expansion joint 4 is fixed to the end of the connecting rod 3 through the expansion joint 4 end cap, so that the expansion joint 4 and the connecting rod 3 are fixedly installed, and the expansion joint 4 can extend and retract accordingly with the extension and retraction of the connecting rod 3.

[0039] The damping fluid 5 communication gap is set on the damping core 2 to connect the two sealed inner cavities;

[0040] The damping fluid 5 is silicone oil, which is sealed in the sealed inner cavity of the two sets of expansion joints 4 and flows between them through the damping connection gap in the damping core 2.

[0041] Based on the above basic structure, the basic structure of this leak-free viscous damper can be obtained, and its basic function can be realized: when the displacement that generates vibration occurs, the expansion joint 4 and the connecting rod 3 are displaced, the internal damping fluid 5 on the squeezed side is compressed, and enters the other expansion joint 4 through the damping connection gap in the damping core 2, thereby realizing the release and consumption of energy.

[0042] Preferably, the damping connection gap structure is as follows:

[0043] Multiple gap guide holes 21 are formed on both end faces of the damping core 2, and the gap guide holes 21 are connected by damping gaps 22, which can generate partial damping force. Several jet holes 23 are formed on the damping core 2 and connected to both end faces. The jet holes 23 on opposite sides are interconnected. The jet holes can generate partial damping force, and the performance parameters of the leak-free viscous damper can be adjusted by adjusting the diameter of the jet holes. The jet holes 23 on opposite sides are interconnected. The guide holes 21 are annular or linear slits with a slit width of 0.5 to 3 mm. The jet holes 23 are circular holes with a diameter of 0.5 to 5 mm. The specific size is selected according to the engineering requirements and installation environment.

[0044] More specifically: The damping core 2 is a structure in which an inner core 24 and an outer core 25 are nested together. A damping gap 22 is designed between the inner core 24 and the outer core 25, allowing the damping fluid 5 to flow within the damping gap 22. A pressure cap 26 secures the inner core 24 and the outer core 25 from both ends and is connected to the sleeve 1 to fix the entire damping core 2 structure. Regarding the design of the jet hole 23: The jet hole 23 is formed on the damping screw 27. Two opposing damping screws 27 are connected by a channel, allowing the jet holes 23 to communicate with each other. This design means that the damping fluid 5 needs to pass through the jet holes 23 twice when passing through the damping core 2.

[0045] Preferably, the expansion joint 4 is a metal bellows or other expandable and sealing material; the length of the sleeve 1 is not less than the sum of the length of the metal bellows and the stroke of the damper; the damping fluid 5 filling the damping core 2 and the metal bellows is silicone oil. The end cap of the expansion joint 4 is a bellows end cap 41, and the bellows end cap 41 is provided with an oil injection hole. Armored rings 42 are sequentially installed around the metal bellows to improve the pressure-bearing capacity of the metal bellows. The function of the armored rings 42 installed on the bellows compensator is to withstand greater pressure on the pipeline, thereby improving the pressure resistance and service life of the bellows compensator.

[0046] In the preferred structural configuration, limiters 31 are installed on each connecting rod 3. The limiters 31 are fitted onto the outside of the connecting rod 3, located between the damping core 2 and the end cap at one end. The distance between the limiter 31 and the end cap is the design stroke of the damper. The two limiters 31 on the same connecting rod 3 are located at opposite ends of the damping core 2 and cannot pass through the damping core 2. This is to prevent damage caused by displacement exceeding the maximum stroke of the damper.

[0047] In the preferred structural design, limit blocks are installed between the armor rings 42 to limit the spacing between the armor rings 42 and restrict the uneven deformation of the metal bellows.

[0048] In terms of structural optimization, the silicone oil is doped with fibers or clay materials to improve its thermal conductivity and viscosity. A connecting lug 6 is installed on the outer end of the pressure cap 26, and this connecting lug 6 is fitted with a spherical bearing or ball bearing, which secures the other end of the leak-free viscous damper. When the damper is working, the expansion and contraction of the bellows causes the damping fluid 5 to flow within the damping core 2, thereby generating damping force. This invention is applicable to vibration reduction in buildings, bridges, and industrial equipment. It has a simple structure, requires no sliding seal, and eliminates oil seepage and leakage problems.

[0049] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative or explanatory of the principles of the invention and do not constitute a limitation thereof. Therefore, any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention should be included within the protection scope of the invention. Furthermore, the appended claims are intended to cover all variations and modifications falling within the scope and boundaries of the appended claims, or equivalent forms of such scope and boundaries.

Claims

1. A leak-free viscous damper, characterized in that... include: Sleeve (1) for mounting the damping core (2) and accommodating a set of expansion joints (4); The damping core (2) is installed on the top of the sleeve (1) and has several sliding holes for providing the extension and retraction displacement of the connecting rod (3) and a damping fluid communication gap for the flow of damping fluid (5). The expansion joint (4) has two sets, which are installed on both sides of the damping core (2). One set is installed inside the sleeve (1) and the other set is installed outside the sleeve (1). The end is connected to the expansion joint end cap, so that the expansion joint (4) and the expansion joint end cap form an inner cavity filled with damping fluid (5). Several connecting rods (3) are installed on the damping core (2) in a movable sliding manner, and their two ends are respectively connected and fixed to the expansion joint end cap at one end; the expansion joint (4) can extend and retract accordingly following the extension and retraction of the connecting rods (3); Damping fluid (5) is sealed and filled in the sealed inner cavity formed by the two sets of expansion joints (4), and the sealed inner cavity is interconnected through the damping fluid communication gap on the damping core (2); The damping fluid communication gap includes: Multiple guide holes (21) are opened on both ends of the damping core (2). The guide holes (21) are connected by a damping gap (22). The damping gap (22) can generate a portion of the damping force. A plurality of jet holes (23) are opened on the damping core (2) and connected to the two end faces; the jet holes (23) on the two opposite sides of the damping core (2) are connected to each other, the jet holes can generate part of the damping force, and the performance parameters of the leak-free viscous damper can be adjusted by adjusting the diameter of the jet holes. The guide hole (21) is an annular or linear slit with a width of 0.5~3mm, and the jet hole (23) is a small circular hole with a diameter of 0.5~5mm; The damping core (2) includes an inner core (24) and an outer core (25), which are nested together. A damping gap (22) is provided between the inner core (24) and the outer core (25), and the damping fluid (5) can flow in the damping gap (22). The pressure cap (26) fixes the inner core (24) and the outer core (25) from the upper and lower ends, and the pressure cap (26) is connected to the sleeve (1). The expansion joint is a metal bellows and also includes several armored rings (42). The armored rings (42) are installed around the metal bellows in sequence to improve the pressure bearing capacity of the metal bellows.

2. The leak-free viscous damper according to claim 1, characterized in that, The jet hole (23) is opened on the damping screw (27), and the two opposite damping screws (27) are connected by a channel, so that the jet holes (23) are interconnected.

3. The leak-free viscous damper according to claim 1, characterized in that, The length of the sleeve (1) is not less than the sum of the length of the metal bellows and the stroke of the damper; the damping fluid (5) filled in the damping core (2) and the metal bellows is silicone oil; The expansion joint end cap is a bellows end cap (41), and the bellows end cap (41) is provided with an oil injection hole.

4. The leak-free viscous damper according to claim 1, characterized in that, Limiters (31) are installed on each of the connecting rods (3). The limiters (31) are fitted on the outside of the connecting rods (3) and located between the damping core (2) and the telescopic end cap at one end. The distance between the limiters (31) and the telescopic end cap is the design stroke of the damper. The two limiters (31) on the same connecting rod (3) are located at both ends of the damping core (2) and cannot pass through the damping core (2).

5. The leak-free viscous damper according to claim 1, characterized in that, Limiting blocks are installed between the armor rings (42) to limit the spacing between the armor rings (42) and suppress uneven deformation of the metal bellows.

6. The leak-free viscous damper according to claim 3, characterized in that, Adding fibers or clay materials to silicone oil can improve its thermal conductivity and viscosity.

7. The leak-free viscous damper according to claim 1, characterized in that, The damper is fitted with connecting lugs (6) at both ends, and the connecting lugs (6) are fitted with spherical bearings or ball bearings.

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