Strut Damper Axis Alignment for ATVs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing all-terrain vehicle suspension systems face challenges in reducing the weight of strut dampers without compromising their ability to absorb road surface reaction forces, often requiring robust structures that increase vehicle weight.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a strut damper with a damper-side connection section positioned inner to the strut damper axis, a knuckle holder with a holder-side connection section, and a gap between the strut damper's lower end and the upper kingpin, allowing the strut damper axis to align with the road surface reaction force, reducing bending loads and enabling a smaller, lighter strut damper.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the shock absorber is enlarged in diameter to endure bending loads, then the strength and reliability are improved, but the weight of the strut damper increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the kingpin axis relative to the shock absorber axis, creating a specific spatial relationship where the kingpin axis is offset laterally and positioned above the shock absorber. This dimensional rearrangement changes how bending loads are distributed and transmitted, allowing the shock absorber to handle loads without requiring increased diameter, thus maintaining lightweight construction while ensuring structural strength.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the kingpin axis is positioned laterally offset from the shock absorber axis, then the suspension geometry and wheel alignment are improved, but the bending load on the shock absorber increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces the knuckle holder as an intermediary component between the shock absorber and the knuckle. The knuckle holder receives the bending loads from the laterally offset kingpin arrangement and transfers them to the shock absorber in a manner that minimizes direct bending moments on the shock absorber body. This intermediary structure allows lateral offset for proper wheel alignment while protecting the shock absorber from excessive bending loads.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle, such as an all terrain vehicle, has a structure with which an increase in the weight of a strut damper can be suppressed. A strut damper axis is disposed to be along an imaginary line formed by imaginarily interconnecting an intersection at which a vertical line passing through a grounding point of a wheel intersects an extension line of a lower arm and a connection point at which the strut damper is connected to a vehicle body. A reaction force from a road surface is input to the strut damper substantially along the strut damper axis. Since no bending force is exerted on the strut damper, the strut damper can be made smaller in size, and the strut damper can be made lighter in weight.