Integrated Disc Spring Stopper for Precise Stroke Limiting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional disc spring devices face challenges in accurately determining the stroke and stabilizing the relative positions of disc springs during assembly, leading to potential excessive deformation and damage when disc springs with lower axial spring constants are included.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a stopper portion with the body plate portion in disc springs, where the stopper portion protrudes from the disc spring and is positioned inside the axial end edges, allows for easy assembly and accurate determination of the stroke, suppressing axial deformation by abutting adjacent disc springs or support members, thereby enhancing the spring constant and rigidity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If separate stoppers are disposed between disc springs during assembly, then the disc spring device can be assembled, but it takes time to dispose the stoppers and the relative positions of disc springs are difficult to stabilize
Solution Approach 1:
The stopper portion is integrated with the body plate portion to form a single unified component. This merging eliminates the need to separately dispose stoppers between disc springs during assembly, significantly reducing assembly time and stabilizing the relative positions of disc springs automatically through the integral structure.
2Reliability
If separate stoppers are used between disc springs, then the device can function, but the relative positions of disc springs and stoppers are difficult to stabilize
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the stopper portion with the body plate portion, the invention creates a unified structure where the stopper's position is inherently fixed relative to the disc spring. This eliminates the complexity of separately positioning and stabilizing stoppers, while ensuring reliable position stability through the integral design.
3Reliability
If the stroke of disc spring is not determined, then the disc spring device can operate, but disc springs with lower axial spring constant may be deformed excessively and easily damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The stopper portion protruding from the body plate portion preliminarily defines the maximum stroke limit of the disc spring before excessive deformation can occur. This preliminary structural provision ensures that when axial compression load is applied, the stopper abuts adjacent disc springs or support members to prevent any disc spring from being deformed beyond its safe limit, thereby determining the stroke with precision and protecting durability.
4Ease of operation
If body plate portion and stopper portion are integrally formed, then assembly is easy and stroke is accurately determined, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The integral formation of the stopper portion with the body plate portion, while appearing to increase structural complexity, actually simplifies the overall system by eliminating separate stopper components and their assembly steps. The unified structure reduces the number of parts and assembly operations, making the device easier to assemble and maintain despite the more complex geometry of the integrated component.
Data Source
AI summary
A disc spring which is used by arranging a plurality of the disk springs in an axial direction along a central axis includes an annular body plate portion that has an inner peripheral surface and an other peripheral surface which gradually extend toward one side in the axial direction from an outside toward an inside in a radial direction, and a stopper portion that protrudes from the body plate portion in a direction intersecting the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the body plate portion, in which in a case where an axial compression load is applied to a spring member in which a plurality of the disc springs are arranged in the axial direction, the stopper portion abuts another disk spring adjacent in the axial direction or a support member supporting an axial end portion of the spring member, the body plate portion and the stopper portion are integrally formed, and both axial end edges of the stopper portion are positioned inside both axial end edges of the body plate portion in the axial direction.