Air Spring Bellows Coupling for Deflection and Wear Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Air springs used in vehicle suspension face reduced service life due to uneven distribution of load during compression and deflection movements, leading to potential canting, crushing, and undefined frictional contact between the bellows and the outer guide.
Innovation Solution
The air spring bellows are designed with a bearing element that is loosely mounted on the outer guide, allowing decoupling during deflection movements, which distributes the deformation across both bellows sections and reduces friction, while a centering element and venting elements ensure proper alignment and pressure compensation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the bellows is fastened to the outer guide to prevent canting and crushing, then the bellows is protected from undefined frictional contact, but the service life of the bellows is reduced because deflection movements are mainly absorbed by the upper section
Solution Approach 1:
The bellows is designed with a dynamic coupling mechanism to the outer guide that allows the coupling state to change based on movement type. During compression movements, the bellows is coupled to prevent canting and crushing. During deflection movements, the bellows can decouple to distribute deformation across both sections, extending service life. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between protection and durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling between the bellows and outer guide changes its mechanical parameters (from rigid to loose coupling) depending on the movement phase. This parameter change allows the system to optimize for both protection during compression and extended service life during deflection, resolving the contradiction through adaptive mechanical property modification.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the bellows is provided with a corrugated geometry over the entire length, then the bellows can accommodate deflection movements, but installation space requirements prevent this and create a separation area
Solution Approach 1:
The bellows is segmented into different functional sections: a first section with corrugated geometry for deflection accommodation and a second section that interfaces with the outer guide for compression support. This segmentation allows each section to perform its specialized function within limited installation space, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and space constraints.
3Duration of action of moving object
If the first bellows section is made longer to accommodate deflection movements, then the service life increases, but the overall length of the air spring increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic coupling mechanism allows the bellows to extend its effective deformation capacity without increasing physical length. During deflection movements, the decoupled state allows the bellows to utilize both sections for deformation absorption, achieving extended service life while maintaining a compact overall length suitable for installation constraints.
Data Source
AI summary
An air spring includes an air spring bellows extending along a longitudinal axis, an outer guide for the air spring bellows that extends at least partially around the air spring bellows and around the longitudinal axis, and a bellows extending at least partially around the air spring. In embodiments, the bellows includes a first bellows section and a second bellows section along the longitudinal axis, which extends at least partially around the outer guide. In embodiments, the bellows has, between the first bellows section and the second bellows section, a support configured for coupling to the outer guide, the support being mounted loosely on the outer guide in a first longitudinal axis direction and being decoupleable from the outer guide in a second longitudinal axis direction. The invention can provide, inter alia, an air spring with an increased lifespan.