Fabricated Axle Seat Assembly Vibration Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prior art suspension systems face challenges in securely attaching energy storing and/or damping components to fabricated axle bodies due to dimensional variances and reduced weight, which affects vibration minimization and component stability.
Innovation Solution
The axle seat assembly consists of a first and second piece with angled sections and engagement surfaces, secured together by fasteners, allowing for reversible and secure attachment to the axle body, accommodating various axle dimensions and shapes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If fabricated axle bodies are used with hollow construction and bent steel sheets, then weight is reduced and manufacturing cost is decreased, but dimensional tolerance variance increases and attachment stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The axle seat assembly is divided into multiple separate pieces (first piece with first wall and second wall, second piece with third wall) that can be independently manufactured and then assembled together. This segmentation allows each piece to be produced within acceptable tolerance ranges while the assembly as a whole achieves the required precision through coordinated fitting of multiple components.
Solution Approach 2:
The axle seat assembly acts as an intermediary component between the fabricated axle body and the energy storing/damping components. It provides a standardized interface with engagement surfaces that compensate for dimensional variances in the hollow fabricated axle body, ensuring stable attachment without requiring the axle body itself to have tight tolerances.
2Ease of manufacture
If fabricated axle bodies with bent steel sheets are used, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but attachment reliability and vibration minimization deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The axle seat assembly is pre-configured with specific engagement surfaces and geometric features during manufacturing that are designed to accommodate dimensional variances. These preliminary actions include creating complementary shaped engagement portions that will interlock properly during assembly, ensuring reliable attachment before the actual installation on the vehicle.
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement surfaces of the axle seat assembly are designed with specific geometric parameters and tolerances that are optimized for reliable attachment. By carefully controlling the parameters of the engagement surfaces (rather than requiring tight control of the entire axle body dimensions), the system achieves high attachment reliability while maintaining the cost advantages of fabricated construction.
3Ease of operation
If removable and reversible attachment method is used, then ease of assembly and disassembly is improved, but vibration minimization and component stability may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The axle seat assembly uses composite construction combining different attachment features - some portions are permanently secured to the axle body while other portions use removable fasteners for reversible attachment. This composite approach allows the permanently fixed portions to provide stable vibration-resistant mounting while the removable portions enable easy assembly and disassembly of suspension components.
Data Source
AI summary
Axle seat assemblies and methods of manufacturing thereof, are provided for attachment to an axle body (15). The axle seat assembly may be comprised of a first piece (42) and a second piece (50). The first piece (42) may have a first wall, a second wall and a first axle seat piece engagement portion providing a first engagement surface. The second piece (50) may have a third wall and a second axle seat piece engagement portion providing a second engagement surface. The first wall and the second wall of the first piece are oriented to engage a front surface of an axle body and the third wall of the second piece is oriented to engage a rear surface (30) of an axle body. The first and second engagement surfaces of the respective first and second pieces of the axle seat assembly are positioned and configured to engage one another to removably and reversibly secure with the use of a fastener the first piece to the second piece to form an axle seat assembly.