Damper Valve Disc Spring Segmentation for Force Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing damper valves face challenges in precisely adjusting prestressing force with low scattering of opening and closing behavior, especially under high forces, due to fluctuations in spring constants during production, and require precise spring characteristics for path-controlled adjustments.
Innovation Solution
A damper valve design featuring a compression spring composed of multiple disc springs connected in series, with a radially non-positive connection and a valve guide, allowing for force-controlled adjustment without friction and minimizing tilting moments, using a plate spring assembly for a soft spring characteristic and a second closure device for easy assembly on a piston rod.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single compression spring is used with path-controlled adjustment by means of a clamping nut, then the structure is simple, but the scattering of opening and closing behavior increases due to fluctuations in spring constants during production
Solution Approach 1:
The compression spring is divided into multiple individual compression springs that are arranged in parallel. This segmentation allows each spring to contribute to the overall pretensioning force, reducing the impact of individual spring constant fluctuations and achieving more consistent opening and closing behavior across production batches.
2Ease of operation
If a clamping nut is used to adjust the pretensioning force, then the adjustment is path-controlled, but the spring characteristic must be known very precisely which is problematic in series production
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical adjustment system using a clamping nut is replaced with a force-controlled adjustment mechanism. Multiple compression springs are pre-assembled with a predetermined combined spring constant, allowing the pretensioning force to be identified through force control rather than requiring precise knowledge of individual spring characteristics and complex mechanical adjustment.
3Device complexity
If a clamping nut is used to fix the compression spring, then the structure is simple, but friction and influence by spring ends increase reducing process reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The clamping nut and its associated friction-prone mechanical connection are extracted from the system. Instead, a radially non-positive connection is used to fix the compression springs, which eliminates friction and the negative influence of spring ends, enabling automated assembly with high process reliability.
4Force
If high pretensioning forces are used, then the damper valve performance is improved, but the scattering of characteristic increases
Solution Approach 1:
The high pretensioning force is distributed across multiple compression springs working in parallel. This segmentation allows each individual spring to operate within its optimal force range, reducing the scattering effect that would occur with a single spring under high load, while still achieving the required total pretensioning force.
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 design achieves low scattering of the damper valve's characteristic, enabling precise and automated force control with minimal loss of preload force, ensuring high process reliability and stability in vibration dampers.
Implementation Method 1
a spring-elastic closure device which blocks a flow path through the base body in a state of rest and opens when a flow medium flows against it, the closure device having one or more valve disks and a compression spring connected in series with them
Implementation Method 2
opens when a flow medium flows against it
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a damper valve (10) for a vibration damper of a motor vehicle wheel suspension comprising a main body (11), a spring-elastic closure device (13), which in a state of rest blocks a flow path (7) through the main body (11) and opens when subjected to flow by a flow medium, wherein the closure device (13) comprises one or more valve discs (17) and a compression spring (22) connected in series thereto, a valve guide (14), on the outer circumference (15) of which the spring-elastic closure device (13) is axially guided, and a valve spring seat (16) for supporting the spring-elastic closure device (13), which seat is pushed axially onto the valve guide (14) and is secured to the valve guide by means of a radially non-positively acting connection (24). The compression spring (22) of the spring-elastic closure device (13) comprises a plurality of disc springs (23) connected in series. In such a way, especially in the case of large biasing forces, high characteristic stability of the damper valve (10) can be achieved. Any moments of tilt in the compression spring (22) are avoided. In combination with a detachable, radially non-positively acting connection (24), during assembly a reduced tolerance with respect to the characteristic of the opening and closing behaviour is obtained. The damper valve (10) can be set force-controlled virtually without friction and without being influenced by the spring ends or the like. This can be carried out in particular also automatically, resulting in high process reliability.