Coil Spring Device

Abstract

This coil spring device includes a main body spring in which a wire extends vertically in a spiral shape around a coil axis, and an insulator made of rubber or elastomer that supports the lower end of the main body spring from below the main body spring, wherein a support groove which extends around the coil axis and into which the lower end of the main body spring is inserted is provided in the insulator, a support plate made of plastic or metal is fixed to the inner surface of the support groove, and the lower end of the main body spring is bonded to the support plate.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a coil spring device. This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-174243, filed on October 31, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional coil spring device that is attached to a suspension device and used includes a main spring in which wire extends vertically in a spiral shape around a coil axis, and a rubber or elastomer insulator that supports the lower end of the main spring from below the main spring, with the insulator having a support groove that extends around the coil axis and into which the lower end of the main spring is inserted, and the lower end of the main spring is bonded to the inner surface of the support groove. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-15249 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] To fix the lower end of the main spring to the insulator by adhesive, it is necessary to first surface treat the inner surface of the support groove, which is made of rubber or elastomer, with, for example, a chemical containing chlorine or an organic solvent, or to remove deposits such as wax components from the inner surface of the support groove. This requires additional manufacturing steps and may impose restrictions on, for example, manufacturing facilities.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a coil spring device in which the lower end of the main spring can be fixed to an insulator by adhesive without requiring pretreatment such as surface treatment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A coil spring device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a main spring in which wire extends vertically in a spiral shape around a coil axis, and a rubber or elastomer insulator that supports the lower end of the main spring from below the main spring, the insulator having a support groove that extends around the coil axis and into which the lower end of the main spring is inserted, a support plate made of plastic or metal material is fixed to the inner surface of the support groove, and the lower end of the main spring is adhered to the support plate.

[0007] The lower end of the main spring is bonded to a support plate made of plastic or metal, rather than to the inner surface of a support groove made of rubber or elastomer. Therefore, unlike when bonding the lower end of the main spring to the inner surface of a support groove, the lower end of the main spring can be reliably bonded to the support plate without the need for prior surface treatment using, for example, a chemical containing chlorine or an organic solvent, or the removal of deposits such as wax components. This allows the lower end of the main spring to be fixed to the insulator by bonding, without the need for pretreatment such as surface treatment.

[0008] The support plate may be configured to deform in accordance with elastic deformation of the insulator.

[0009] The support plate fixed to the inner surface of the support groove deforms in accordance with the elastic deformation of the insulator, thereby preventing the support plate from affecting the performance of the coil spring device.

[0010] The support plate may be vulcanization bonded to the inner surface of the support groove.

[0011] The support plate is vulcanization-bonded to the inner surface of the support groove. Therefore, when fixing the support plate to the inner surface of the support groove, it is possible to omit the steps of surface treating the inner surface of the support groove with, for example, a chemical containing chlorine or an organic solvent, or removing deposits such as wax components from the inner surface of the support groove. This prevents restrictions on manufacturing equipment and ensures a reduction in manufacturing man-hours.

[0012] The support plate may be formed in a semi-cylindrical shape that is open upward and curved so as to extend around the coil axis, and a lower end of the main body spring may be inserted inside the support plate.

[0013] The support plate is formed in a semi-cylindrical shape extending around the coil axis, and the lower end of the main spring is inserted inside the support plate, thereby ensuring a wide adhesive area between the support plate and the lower end of the main spring.

[0014] A spacer may be provided between the support plate and the lower end of the main spring to support the outer circumferential surface of the wire and to provide a gap between the outer circumferential surface of the wire and the support plate.

[0015] A spacer is provided between the support plate and the lower end of the main spring, which allows the thickness of the adhesive layer that bonds the support plate and the lower end of the main spring to be constant, thereby ensuring stable and strong bonding between the support plate and the lower end of the main spring. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to this invention, the lower end of the main spring can be fixed to the insulator by adhesive without performing pretreatment such as surface treatment. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a coil spring device shown as an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a top view showing a part of the coil spring device of FIG. [Figure 3]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 and showing a first modified example according to the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 and showing a first modified example according to the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 and showing a second modified example according to the present invention. [Figure 8] 9 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 (a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 9) and shown as a third modified example according to the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a bottom view of FIG. 8. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, one embodiment of a coil spring device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Coil spring device 1 includes a main spring 11 in which wire W extends vertically in a spiral shape around a coil axis O, and a rubber or elastomer insulator 12 that supports the lower end of main spring 11 from below. Coil spring device 1 is used by being attached to, for example, a suspension device that has a shock absorber inserted inside main spring 11 and a strut mount or the like attached to the upper end of the shock absorber.

[0019] The main spring 11 is an open-end coil spring in which the end portion w1 of the wire W is vertically spaced apart from the adjacent wire W on the inside of the end portion w1 in the direction of the coil axis O. The cross-sectional shape of the wire W is uniform over its entire length, including the end portion w1. In the illustrated example, the cross-sectional shape of the wire W is circular.

[0020] The main spring 11 may be a closed-end coil spring in which the end portion w1 of the wire W abuts against and overlaps with the adjacent wire W on the inside of the end portion w1 in the direction of the coil axis O. In this configuration, the end portion w1 of the wire W may be subjected to, for example, grinding to form a flat surface extending in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and facing outward in the up-down direction. The cross-sectional shape of the wire W may be, for example, rectangular.

[0021] The insulator 12 is formed of, for example, vulcanized rubber, a thermosetting elastomer, or a thermoplastic elastomer. As shown in Fig. 2, the insulator 12 has an arc shape extending around the coil axis O when viewed from the top and bottom. The insulator 12 extends over an angular range of 180° to 360° around the coil axis O.

[0022] A support groove 13 is provided on the upper surface of the insulator 12. The support groove 13 extends around the coil axis O and receives the lower end of the main spring 11. The support groove 13 extends over an angular range of 180° to 360° around the coil axis O.

[0023] 3 and 4, the inner surface of the support groove 13, when viewed from above and below in a cross section along a radial direction intersecting the coil axis O, has a concave curved shape that curves along the outer circumferential surface of the wire W. The support groove 13 is integrally open to one side in the circumferential direction around the coil axis O and upward. The support groove 13 may be configured to be open on both sides in the circumferential direction, or may be configured to be open on at least one side in the radial direction, for example.

[0024] In this embodiment, a support plate 14 made of plastic or metal material is fixed to the inner surface of the support groove 13, and the lower end of the main spring 11 is adhered to the support plate 14.

[0025] When the support plate 14 is made of plastic, the wettability defined in JIS K6768:1999 of the surface of the support plate 14 to which the lower end of the main spring 11 is bonded is higher than the wettability of the inner surface of the support groove 13. Examples of plastic include epoxy resin. The plastic may contain reinforcing fibers such as glass fiber and carbon fiber. When the support plate 14 is made of plastic, the support plate 14 may be formed by, for example, injection molding. When the support plate 14 is made of a metal material, the support plate 14 may be formed by, for example, press molding. When the support plate 14 is made of a metal material, at least the surface of the support plate 14 to which the lower end of the main spring 11 is bonded may be subjected to, for example, chromate treatment for rust prevention.

[0026] The support plate 14 is formed to have a thin wall, which allows the support plate 14 to elastically deform in response to the elastic deformation of the insulator 12 and ensures the rubber volume of the insulator 12. Note that the support plate 14 may also plastically deform in response to the elastic deformation of the insulator 12.

[0027] The support plate 14 is vulcanization bonded to the inner surface of the support groove 13. That is, with the support plate 14 set in the cavity as an insert, unvulcanized rubber is injected into the cavity and pressurized and heated. As a result, the insulator 12 is vulcanization molded and at the same time the support plate 14 is vulcanization bonded to the inner surface of the support groove 13. The support plate 14 may be adhered to the inner surface of the support groove 13 by other means than vulcanization adhesion, such as by an adhesive layer or by an anchor effect. Also, the support plate 14 does not necessarily have to be adhered to the inner surface of the support groove 13 as long as it is fixed integrally to the inner surface. The lower end of the main spring 11 is adhered to the support plate 14 via an adhesive layer 16. The support plate 14 and the adhesive layer 16 are laminated between the inner surface of the support groove 13 and the lower end of the main spring 11. Alternatively, a through hole may be formed in the support plate 14 that is integrally fixed to the inner surface of the support groove 13, and the adhesive layer 16 may be bonded to the inner surface of the support groove 13 through this through hole.

[0028] A spacer 15 is provided between the support plate 14 and the lower end of the main spring 11 to support the outer peripheral surface of the wire W and to provide a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the wire W and the support plate 14. The spacers 15 are provided on the support plate 14 and are formed integrally with the support plate 14. The spacers 15 are formed as ridges extending in the radial direction. The spacers 15 extend over the entire radial length of the support plate 14. A plurality of spacers 15 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction. The plurality of spacers 15 are provided over the entire circumferential area of ​​the support plate 14. The shape of the spacer 15 is not limited to the illustrated example and may be changed as appropriate, and the spacer 15 may not be provided at all.

[0029] The support plate 14 is formed in a semi-cylindrical shape (half-cylinder) that opens upward and curves so as to extend around the coil axis O. The lower end of the main spring 11 is inserted inside the support plate 14. In a cross-sectional view along the radial direction, the support plate 14 curves along the inner surface of the support groove 13 and the outer peripheral surface of the wire W. The support plate 14 is bonded over the entire inner surface of the support groove 13. The upper opening edge of the support plate 14 and the upper surface of the insulator 12 are flush with each other.

[0030] The lower end of the main spring 11 is adhered to the inner surface of the support plate 14 via an adhesive layer 16. A spacer 15 is provided on the inner surface of the support plate 14. As shown in FIG. 4, the top surface of the spacer 15 extends along the inner surface of the support groove 13 and the outer peripheral surface of the wire rod W in a cross-sectional view along the radial direction. The thickness of the adhesive layer 16 is uniform over the entire area.

[0031] As described above, in the coil spring device 1 according to this embodiment, the lower end of the main spring 11 is adhered to the support plate 14 made of plastic or metal material, rather than to the inner surface of the support groove 13. Therefore, unlike when adhering the lower end of the main spring 11 to the inner surface of the support groove 13, the lower end of the main spring 11 can be reliably adhered to the support plate 14 without having to perform surface treatment using, for example, a chemical containing chlorine or an organic solvent, or remove deposits such as wax components, in advance. This allows the lower end of the main spring 11 to be fixed to the insulator 12 by adhesive without requiring any pre-treatment such as surface treatment.

[0032] The support plate 14 fixed to the inner surface of the support groove 13 deforms in accordance with the elastic deformation of the insulator 12. Therefore, the support plate 14 can be prevented from affecting the performance of the coil spring device 1.

[0033] The support plate 14 is vulcanization bonded to the inner surface of the support groove 13. Therefore, when fixing the support plate 14 to the inner surface of the support groove 13, it is possible to omit the steps of previously surface treating the inner surface of the support groove 13 with, for example, a chemical containing chlorine or an organic solvent, or removing deposits such as wax components from the inner surface of the support groove 13. This prevents restrictions on manufacturing equipment, etc., and ensures a reduction in manufacturing man-hours.

[0034] The support plate 14 is formed in a semi-cylindrical shape extending around the coil axis O, and the lower end of the main body spring 11 is inserted inside the support plate 14. Therefore, a wide adhesive area can be secured between the support plate 14 and the lower end of the main body spring 11.

[0035] A spacer 15 is provided between the support plate 14 and the lower end of the main spring 11. This makes it possible to make the thickness of the adhesive layer 16 that bonds the support plate 14 and the lower end of the main spring 11 constant, thereby enabling the support plate 14 and the lower end of the main spring 11 to be stably and strongly bonded together.

[0036] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0037] The support plate 14 may be, for example, a configuration in which multiple plate bodies are arranged at intervals around the coil axis O, or a configuration in which plate bodies are arranged only on a portion of the inner surface of the support groove 13 in a cross-sectional view along the radial direction, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. In the latter configuration, the support plate 14 is embedded in the insulator 12 except for its inner surface so that the inner surface of the support plate 14 and the inner surface of the support groove 13 are continuous without any steps in a cross-sectional view along the radial direction, as shown in FIG. 5. Also, as shown in FIG. 6, in a cross-sectional view along the radial direction, a first protrusion 15a is formed on a portion of the inner surface of the support groove 13 where the support plate 14 is not provided, and a second protrusion 15b is formed on the inner surface of the support plate 14. The first protrusion 15a and the second protrusion 15b are continuous in the radial direction to form the spacer 15. In the illustrated example, the support plate 14 is provided in a radially intermediate portion of the inner surface of the support groove 13, the first protrusion 15a is provided at both radial ends of the support groove 13, and the second protrusion 15b is sandwiched in the radial direction between the two first protrusions 15a.

[0038] The spacer 15 may be formed integrally with the insulator 12. In this case, a through hole is formed in the support plate 14 through which the spacer 15 is inserted. The spacer 15 may not be provided.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 7, an inner flange portion 14a protruding radially inward may be formed on the inner peripheral edge portion located at the radially inner end of the upper end of the support plate 14, and an outer flange portion 14b protruding radially outward may be formed on the outer peripheral edge portion located at the radially outer end of the upper end of the support plate 14. The inner flange portion 14a and the outer flange portion 14b extend continuously over the entire circumferential length of the support plate 14. The lower surfaces of the inner flange portion 14a and the outer flange portion 14b are bonded to the upper surface of the insulator 12. The inner flange portion 14a protrudes radially inward from the upper surface of the insulator 12, and the outer flange portion 14b protrudes radially outward from the upper surface of the insulator 12. When the insulator 12 is vulcanized using the support plate 14 as an insert, the support plate 14 can be fixed in the cavity by vertically sandwiching the portions of the inner flange 14a and the outer flange 14b that protrude radially from the top surface of the insulator 12 between the mold surfaces of the molding die. At this time, the entire upper surfaces of the inner flange 14a and the outer flange 14b are in contact with the mold surface of the molding die. The entire lower surfaces of the inner flange 14a and the outer flange 14b are in contact with the mold surface of the molding die, limited to the portions that protrude radially from the top surface of the insulator 12.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 8 , the inner flange portion 14a and the outer flange portion 14b may not protrude radially from the upper surface of the insulator 12, and the lower surfaces of the inner flange portion 14a and the outer flange portion 14b may be bonded to the upper surface of the insulator 12 along the entire periphery. A recess 12a may be formed in the insulator 12 at a portion away from the support groove 13, penetrating the insulator 12 in the vertical direction and opening toward the lower surface of the inner flange portion 14a or the lower surface of the outer flange portion 14b. That is, the recess 12a opening toward the inner circumferential surface of the insulator 12 is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the insulator 12, and the recess 12a opening toward the outer circumferential surface of the insulator 12 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the insulator 12. The recess 12a provided on the inner circumferential surface of the insulator 12 opens toward the lower surface of the inner flange portion 14a, and the recess 12a provided on the outer circumferential surface of the insulator 12 opens toward the lower surface of the outer flange portion 14b. 8 and 9, the recesses 12a may open to the inner or outer peripheral surface of the insulator 12, or may be through holes that do not open to the inner or outer peripheral surface of the insulator 12. A plurality of recesses 12a are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction. The plurality of recesses 12a provided on the inner peripheral surface side of the insulator 12 and the plurality of recesses 12a provided on the outer peripheral surface side of the insulator 12 are provided at mutually different circumferential positions. When the insulator 12 is vulcanized using the support plate 14 as an insert, the upper surfaces of the inner flange portion 14a and the outer flange portion 14b are brought into contact with the mold surface of the molding die, and the lower surfaces are brought into contact with the upper end surfaces of the protrusions provided in the cavity and forming the recesses 12a. This allows the inner flange portion 14a and the outer flange portion 14b to be sandwiched vertically between the mold surface of the molding die and the upper end surfaces of the protrusions within the cavity, fixing the support plate 14 in the cavity.

[0041] In addition, it is possible to replace the components in the above-described embodiments with well-known components as appropriate, without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the above-described embodiments and variations may be combined as appropriate.

[0042] The aspects of the present invention are as follows, for example. <1> a main spring in which a wire extends spirally in the up-down direction around a coil axis; a rubber or elastomer insulator that supports the lower end of the main body spring from below the main body spring, The insulator is provided with a support groove that extends around the coil axis and into which a lower end of the main spring is inserted, A support plate made of plastic or metal material is fixed to the inner surface of the support groove, A coil spring device, wherein a lower end of the main spring is adhered to the support plate. <2> The support plate is configured to deform in accordance with elastic deformation of the insulator. <1> The coil spring device according to claim 1. <3> The support plate is vulcanized and bonded to the inner surface of the support groove. <1> or <2> The coil spring device according to claim 1. <4> The support plate is formed in a semi-cylindrical shape that is open upward and curved so as to extend around the coil axis, The lower end of the main body spring is inserted into the inside of the support plate. <1> from <3> 10. The coil spring device according to claim 9, wherein the coil spring is a coil spring having a diameter of 100 mm. <5> a spacer is provided between the support plate and the lower end of the main spring to support the outer circumferential surface of the wire rod and to provide a gap between the outer circumferential surface of the wire rod and the support plate; <1> from <4> 10. The coil spring device according to claim 9, wherein the coil spring is a coil spring having a diameter of 100 mm. [Industrial Applicability]

[0043] According to the present invention, it is possible to stably exhibit the heat conduction characteristics as designed and to suppress damage to the heat generating element. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1 Coil spring device 11 Body spring 12 Insulator 13 Support groove 14 Support plate 15 spacer O Coil shaft W wire rod

Claims

1. a main spring in which a wire extends spirally in the up-down direction around a coil axis; a rubber or elastomer insulator that supports the lower end of the main body spring from below the main body spring, The insulator is provided with a support groove that extends around the coil axis and into which a lower end of the main spring is inserted, A support plate made of plastic or metal material is fixed to the inner surface of the support groove, A lower end of the main body spring is bonded to the support plate, The support plate is vulcanization bonded to the inner surface of the support groove.

2. a main spring in which a wire extends spirally in the up-down direction around a coil axis; a rubber or elastomer insulator that supports the lower end of the main body spring from below the main body spring, The insulator is provided with a support groove that extends around the coil axis and into which a lower end of the main spring is inserted, A support plate made of plastic or metal material is fixed to the inner surface of the support groove, A lower end of the main body spring is bonded to the support plate, A coil spring device, wherein a spacer is provided between the support plate and the lower end of the main spring to support the outer surface of the wire and to create a gap between the outer surface of the wire and the support plate.

3. The coil spring device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the support plate is configured to deform in accordance with elastic deformation of the insulator.

4. The support plate is formed in a semi-cylindrical shape that is open upward and curved so as to extend around the coil axis, 3. The coil spring device according to claim 1, wherein a lower end of the main spring is inserted inside the support plate.

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