Auxiliary Spring Lubricant Coating for Vehicle Suspension Noise
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Solution Overview
Problem
Shock absorber arrangements in vehicle suspension systems experience annoying squeaking noises due to the escape of damper fluid and other factors, which existing solutions, such as silicone-based release agents, fail to adequately address while posing health and environmental hazards.
Innovation Solution
The outer and inner surfaces of the auxiliary spring in the shock absorber are partially or fully coated with a lubricant different from the damper fluid, utilizing volume-compressible materials like microcellular polyurethane elastomers and powdered inorganic materials to reduce noise emissions effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If silicone-based release agents are used to reduce noise emissions, then noise emissions are reduced, but health and environmental hazards increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces harmful silicone-based release agents with alternative materials that can be applied as coatings on the auxiliary spring. These alternative materials achieve the noise reduction function without the health hazards of silicone compounds, effectively substituting a harmful substance with a safer one while maintaining the desired acoustic performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces lubricants as intermediary substances between the auxiliary spring surfaces. These lubricants mediate the interaction between spring components, reducing static friction and the stick-slip effect that causes noise, while being free from the health hazards associated with silicone-based release agents.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the auxiliary spring surfaces are coated with lubricant to reduce noise, then noise emissions are reduced, but the complexity of the manufacturing process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lubricant coating is applied to the auxiliary spring surfaces during the manufacturing process as a preliminary step. This preliminary action ensures that the noise reduction function is built into the component itself, rather than requiring additional noise control measures to be added later. The coating process integrates smoothly with existing manufacturing workflows.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the surface properties of the auxiliary spring by changing the friction parameters through lubricant coating. This parameter change reduces the coefficient of friction between contacting surfaces, thereby reducing the stick-slip effect and associated noise emissions without fundamentally altering the spring's structural design or requiring complex additional components.
3Reliability
If volume-compressible materials are used for the auxiliary spring, then damping performance is improved, but the likelihood of noise generation increases due to surface contact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies lubricant coating specifically to the outer and inner surfaces of the auxiliary spring where contact occurs. This local quality change targets the specific contact zones that generate noise through the stick-slip effect, while maintaining the volume-compressible material properties of the spring bulk that provide damping performance. The solution addresses noise at the surface level without compromising the internal damping characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure by combining the volume-compressible auxiliary spring material with a lubricant coating layer. This composite approach maintains the elastic and damping properties of the core material while adding a surface layer that reduces friction and noise generation during contact operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution significantly reduces noise emissions by minimizing the stick-slip effect and static friction, effectively addressing the noise issue without health hazards, and can be applied to both new and existing systems with minimal effort.
Implementation Method 1
the outer surface and/or the inner surface of the auxiliary spring is at least partially coated with a lubricant that is different from the damper fluid
Implementation Method 2
significantly reduces noise emissions by minimizing the stick-slip effect and static friction
Implementation Method 3
volume-compressible materials are advantageously used, which bring about material damping by means of their geometry and/or volume compression
Implementation Method 4
bring about material damping by means of their geometry and/or volume compression
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a shock absorber arrangement (1) for a vehicle suspension, having a shock absorber (3), which has a damper cap (7) and a piston rod (5), and an additional spring arranged on the piston rod (5) opposite the shock absorber (3), which additional spring has a shell surface (13) facing the damper cap (7) and an inner surface (21) facing the piston rod (5), and is designed to dampen the movement of the shock absorber (3) in the direction of the piston rod (5) upon contact with the damper cap (7). According to the invention, the shell surface (13) and/or the inner surface (21) is coated at least partially with a lubricant (17).