Vibration Damper Valve Assembly for Gradual Main Valve Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing valve arrangements in vibration dampers with pilot-operated valves suffer from abrupt opening of the main valve, leading to jerky movements and discomfort, particularly during transitions between compression and rebound movements, due to tilting and uneven support of the valve disk, resulting in oscillating pressure profiles and loss of comfort.
Innovation Solution
A valve arrangement with a flexible circular valve disk supported by a guide pin and a partial peripheral support disk, allowing the valve disk to deform and create a gap for fluid flow before the main valve fully opens, ensuring a gradual and controlled opening behavior by lifting off the valve seat along unsupported areas, thus preventing abrupt movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a pilot-operated valve is used to control damping fluid flow, then the damping force can be regulated, but the main valve opens abruptly causing jerky movements and discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The valve disk is segmented into a rigid outer peripheral region for sealing contact with the valve seat and a flexible inner region that can deform independently. This segmentation allows the inner region to gradually create flow gaps while the outer region maintains sealing, preventing abrupt valve opening.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the valve disk have different mechanical properties: the outer peripheral region is rigid for reliable sealing, while the inner region is flexible to enable gradual deformation and controlled flow initiation. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction between regulation capability and smooth operation.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the valve disk is fully supported to prevent tilting, then positioning stability is improved, but the valve disk cannot deform to create gradual flow gaps
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is segmented into a rigid support element that contacts only the outer peripheral region of the valve disk. This leaves the inner region unsupported and free to deform, enabling gradual flow gap creation while maintaining positioning stability through the supported outer region.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid support element acts as an intermediary that selectively supports the outer peripheral region while allowing the inner region to deform. This mediator enables both positioning stability and gradual opening behavior simultaneously.
3Ease of operation
If the valve disk is made flexible to enable gradual opening, then smooth transition is achieved, but the valve disk may tilt and assume undefined position
Solution Approach 1:
The valve disk is segmented into flexible and rigid regions, where only the inner region is made flexible for gradual opening. The outer peripheral region remains rigid and is supported by the rigid support element, preventing tilting and maintaining stable orientation.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve disk has localized flexibility in the inner region while maintaining rigidity at the outer periphery. This local quality distribution enables smooth transition where needed while preventing instability in critical sealing regions.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the support disk contacts the valve disk over the entire surface, then the valve disk is stable, but the valve disk cannot deform to lift off gradually
Solution Approach 1:
The contact area between support disk and valve disk is segmented to exclude the central region. The rigid support element contacts only the outer peripheral region, leaving the inner region free to deform and create flow gaps, thereby enabling gradual flow initiation while maintaining support stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The central contact area is extracted from the support structure, creating an unsupported zone in the middle of the valve disk. This extraction allows the inner region to deform freely for gradual flow creation while the outer region remains supported for stability.
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 prevents jerky opening of the main valve, eliminates oscillating pressure profiles, and enhances comfort by maintaining a consistent damping force across varying piston rod speeds, ensuring smooth transitions between compression and rebound movements.
Implementation Method 1
a flexible circular valve disk which can be brought into detachable contact with one contact surface side on the valve seat... allowing the valve disk to deform and create a gap for fluid flow
Implementation Method 2
the valve arrangement has an electromagnet with an armature for acting on a pilot valve
Implementation Method 3
the valve disk is arranged by means of a guide pin on the valve piston so that it can be moved axially relative to the valve piston and is radially guided
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
A valve arrangement (1) is provided for a vibration damper, comprising a valve housing (14) having an annular valve seat (16a) and designed to receive damping fluid, and a valve piston (13) which is arranged to be axially displaceable in an interior (39) of the valve housing (14) relative to the valve seat (16), and the valve piston (13) has a main valve (11) which has a flexible circular valve disc (12a) which can be detachably brought into contact with the valve seat (16) with a contact surface (74), and the valve disc (12a) is arranged to be axially movable and radially guided on the valve piston (13) relative to it by means of a guide pin (37), and the valve arrangement (1) has an electromagnet (4) with an armature (17) for actuating a pilot valve (B).wherein a flexible support disc (12b) is arranged on the bearing surface side (75) of the valve disc (12a) facing away from the contact surface side (74) of the valve disc (12a), on which the valve disc (12a) rests along a partial circumferential area extending in the circumferential direction of the valve disc (12a).