Adjustable Spring Mounting Assembly Axle Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multi-axle trailers often experience misalignment due to permanent unbalanced weight distribution, leading to uneven tire wear, increased risk of tire blowouts, and reduced towing efficiency and gas mileage.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable leaf spring mounting assembly with a bracket system featuring elongated openings and channels, along with eccentric spacers, allows for precise adjustment of mounting pins to align axles, including a method for measuring and securing proper axle alignment on a vehicle frame.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If fixed mounting positions are used for leaf springs, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but axle misalignment occurs due to permanent unbalanced weight distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting assembly transitions from a fixed structure to an adjustable one by incorporating elongated openings in the bracket and movable mounting pins with spacers. This allows the mounting position to be dynamically adjusted along the elongated opening to achieve proper axle alignment, while the bracket itself remains a simple U-shaped structure for easy manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting assembly is divided into separate functional components: a bracket for structural support, mounting pins for position adjustment, and spacers for securing the pins at specific positions within the elongated openings. This segmentation allows each component to be simple while the assembly provides adjustment capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If adjustable mounting positions are provided through elongated openings and spacers, then axle alignment can be corrected, but the mounting assembly becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, defines the elongated opening for position adjustment, and includes channels that guide the mounting pins. The mounting pin assembly (pin plus spacer) serves as a universal adjustable mounting mechanism that can be positioned anywhere along the elongated opening, providing both adjustability and structural integrity.
3Reliability
If misalignment between axles is eliminated through proper alignment, then tire wear becomes even and towing resistance is reduced, but the initial setup and adjustment process becomes more time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the positional parameter of the mounting pins along the elongated openings to achieve proper axle alignment. By providing continuous adjustment capability through the elongated openings rather than discrete fixed positions, the system allows for precise parameter tuning to eliminate misalignment, ensuring even tire wear and optimal towing efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable spring mounting assembly having a first lug with a first elongated opening with a first channel and a second lug with a second elongated opening and a second channel. A mounting pin extends through the first and second elongated openings. First and second spacers received in the first and second channels hold the mounting pin in one of at least two mounting positions.