Cushioning Stopper Structure for Two-Stage Shock Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rubber stoppers struggle to achieve a two-stage characteristic of low rigidity at the initial stage and high rigidity at a certain stroke, especially when the counterpart structure lacks a housing and is attached to an inner diameter shaft.
Innovation Solution
A cushioning stopper design featuring an elastic body with a first elastic body and a second elastic body, where the second elastic body has a recess on its end face and is covered by an L-shaped elastic body restraining member, allowing for a two-stage characteristic by switching from low to high rigidity upon compression.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional rubber stopper is used without a housing structure, then it can be attached to inner diameter shafts, but it cannot achieve the desired two-stage characteristic of low initial rigidity and high secondary rigidity
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic body is segmented into a first elastic body and a second elastic body with different functions. The first elastic body provides initial cushioning with low rigidity, while the second elastic body with recess provides the high rigidity stage when compressed, achieving the two-stage characteristic without requiring a housing structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The second elastic body has a recess formed at its end face, creating a local structural feature that enables volumetric compression and high rigidity development. This local quality change allows the stopper to achieve two-stage characteristic performance while maintaining adaptability to different mounting structures.
2Force
If the elastic body is designed to expand radially outward upon compression, then shock absorption is improved, but the elastic body requires restraint by a housing which increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The restraining function traditionally provided by a separate housing structure is merged into the elastic body itself through the second elastic body with recess. This self-restraining design allows the elastic body to contain and control its own radial expansion, eliminating the need for an external housing and reducing device complexity while maintaining shock absorption capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic body structure is designed to be self-restraining through the second elastic body with recess. When compressed axially, the recess enables volumetric compression that generates radial expansion force, which is then contained by the same elastic body structure, creating a self-service system that does not require external housing for restraint.
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
The cushioning stopper effectively achieves a two-stage characteristic of low rigidity at the initial stage and high rigidity at a certain stroke, providing optimal shock absorption and generating a higher reaction force, while also allowing for arbitrary two-stage characteristic settings regardless of the counterpart structure.
Implementation Method 1
a first elastic body provided between two members that are relatively displaced in an axial direction, and compressed in the axial direction by the two members to expand radially outward
Implementation Method 2
the recess of the second elastic body is filled with the elastic body in accordance with the expansion
Data Source
AI summary
A cushioning stopper includes a ring shaped elastic body that is mountable in a mounting space, and an elastic body restraining member covering part of a periphery of the elastic body and preventing expansion of the elastic body. The elastic body has a first body between two axially displaceable members, and compressed in an axial direction by the two members to expand radially outward when the distance between the two members is reduced, and a second body projecting outward from a peripheral surface of the first body on one end in the axial direction, the elastic body restraining member has an L-shaped cross section covering an end face on the one end side of the elastic body and a peripheral surface of the second body, and the second body has a recess on an end face opposite to the one end side in the axial direction, which is recessed inwardly.