Vehicle Damper Limiting Assembly for Recoil Impulse Damping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional vehicle suspension dampers generate large impulse forces during jounce or recoil events, which can cause damage to components and transmit excessive forces to occupants, and their limiting systems are prone to obstruction and inconsistent damping.
Innovation Solution
A damper assembly featuring a tubular member with a primary piston and a secondary piston, along with a resilient member, that separates the inner volume into working and recoil chambers, creating a flow conduit to dissipate energy and reduce impulse forces through a recoil chamber and damping grooves, ensuring consistent and predictable damping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a traditional limiting system with flow orifices is used, then energy dissipation is provided, but the system is susceptible to obstruction by debris and generates inconsistent damping forces
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the flow orifices from the limiting system and replaces them with a solid surface contact mechanism. The primary piston contacts the secondary piston directly through their respective contact surfaces, eliminating the need for flow paths that could be blocked by debris. This extraction of the flow restriction element resolves the contradiction by maintaining energy dissipation through solid contact while eliminating the reliability issue of orifice obstruction.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the hydraulic flow-based limiting mechanism with a direct mechanical contact system. Instead of using fluid flow through orifices to provide damping, the system uses direct contact between the primary and secondary pistons, where the resilient member compresses between them. This substitution eliminates the dependency on fluid flow paths and orifices, thereby preventing debris obstruction while maintaining consistent damping forces.
2Loss of energy
If a spring-based limiting system is used, then energy is absorbed and stored, but large forces are transferred to occupants during recoil
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the damping function into two separate systems: a primary damper for continuous damping and a secondary limiting system for impulse force management. The secondary piston and resilient member form a dedicated limiting system that activates only during high-impulse events. This segmentation allows the spring-based energy absorption to occur in isolation, preventing force transfer to occupants while maintaining the primary damping function.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary piston acts as an intermediary between the primary piston and the end cap. During recoil events, the secondary piston engages with the primary piston and absorbs the impulse force through resilient member compression, preventing direct force transfer to the end cap and occupants. This intermediary mechanism allows energy absorption without transmitting large forces to the vehicle structure.
3Force
If the primary piston moves at high speed during jounce, then damping force is provided, but large impulse forces are imparted to the end cap and components
Solution Approach 1:
The invention implements beforehand cushioning by positioning the secondary piston and resilient member to engage before the primary piston reaches the end cap during jounce events. The resilient member compresses in advance, creating a cushioning effect that absorbs impulse forces and prevents direct impact between the primary piston and end cap. This prior cushioning protects components from damage while maintaining damping force during normal operation.
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 solution effectively reduces impulse forces transmitted to occupants from 35,000 pounds to 20,000 pounds, providing consistent and predictable supplemental damping forces while preventing debris obstruction and maintaining unobstructed fluid flow.
Implementation Method 1
The resilient member is disposed between the secondary piston and the cap and thereby positioned to bias the secondary piston into direct engagement with the shoulder
Implementation Method 2
Energy is dissipated as hydraulic fluid flows along a hydraulic circuit (e.g., between a first chamber within the housing to a second chamber within the housing)
Data Source
AI summary
The damper assembly includes a tubular member, a rod, a primary piston, a secondary piston, and a resilient member. The tubular member includes a sidewall and a cap positioned at an end of the sidewall. The sidewall and the cap define an inner volume. The sidewall includes a shoulder separating the tubular member into a first portion and a second portion. The resilient member is disposed between the secondary piston and the cap and thereby is positioned to bias the secondary piston into engagement with the shoulder.