Composite Bumper with Snap Joints for Air Spring Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air springs require elastomeric bumpers that necessitate additional lubrication and specialized assembly equipment, increasing costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
The use of a composite bumper with cantilever snap joints and a rigid piston structure allows for a press-on assembly without the need for lubricants or extra equipment, forming a fluid-tight chamber that absorbs shock loads effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If elastomeric bumpers are used on projecting studs, then shock absorption is provided, but additional lubrication and specialized assembly equipment are required, increasing cost and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the elastomeric bumper component entirely and replaces it with a composite bumper made of rigid material with integrated shock-absorbing features. This extraction eliminates the need for lubrication and specialized assembly equipment while maintaining shock absorption functionality through the composite structure's inherent properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials in the bumper construction, combining rigid structural elements with shock-absorbing characteristics. This composite approach provides both the structural integrity needed for shock absorption and the simplified assembly properties required to eliminate complex installation equipment.
2Reliability
If elastomeric bumpers are mounted on studs, then bumper function is achieved, but lubrication and special assembly equipment are needed, increasing cost
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the elastomeric bumper component that caused manufacturing complexity and replaces it with a composite bumper design that achieves the same functional reliability through rigid material construction with integrated shock-absorbing features, thereby eliminating lubrication and special assembly equipment requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite bumper is designed as a cost-effective replacement that eliminates the need for expensive lubrication and specialized assembly equipment. The simplified construction using readily available composite materials reduces manufacturing costs while maintaining adequate service life for the bumper function.
3Ease of operation
If composite bumper with press-on assembly is used, then assembly is simplified and equipment is eliminated, but shock absorption performance must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The composite bumper utilizes engineered composite materials that provide both the structural rigidity for simplified press-on assembly and the shock absorption performance required for reliable operation. The composite structure inherently combines these seemingly contradictory properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite bumper is designed with segmented or modular features that enable simplified assembly while maintaining overall structural integrity for shock absorption. The segmentation allows for easier installation through press-on assembly while the integrated composite structure ensures adequate shock absorption performance.
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 eliminates the need for elastomeric bumpers and associated equipment, providing enhanced side load protection and simplified assembly while maintaining or improving shock absorption capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
a composite bumper and composite piston. The composite piston has a first end which includes a plurality of rigid portions and a plurality of adjacently positioned cantilever snap joints for receiving and securing the composite bumper
Implementation Method 2
The flexible bellow, the upper end cap member, and the composite piston together form a fluid tight chamber, and the composite bumper is contained within the fluid tight chamber
Implementation Method 3
Pneumatic springs, commonly referred to as air springs, have been used for vehicles and various machines and other equipment for a number of years to provide cushioning between movable parts, primarily to absorb shock loads imparted thereon. The air spring usually consists of a flexible rubber sleeve which extends between a pair of end members which contains a supply of compressed air
Data Source
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AI summary
An air spring includes a composite bumper (104), a composite piston (102), a flexible bellow (302) and an upper end cap member (304). The composite piston (102) has a first end which includes a plurality of rigid portions (106) and a plurality of adjacently positioned cantilever snap joints (108) for receiving and securing the composite bumper (104). The composite bumper (104) includes an inner wall having a surface shape for securely engaging the plurality of rigid portions (106) and the plurality of cantilever snap joints (108). The first end of the composite piston further includes a piston housing surface (112) upon which an outer surface of the composite bumper (104) nests against. The flexible bellow (302) is sealingly attached to the composite piston (102) and the upper end cap member (304). The flexible bellow (302), the upper end cap member (304), and the composite piston (102) together form a fluid tight chamber, and the composite bumper (104) is contained within the fluid tight chamber.