Double-Walled Cylinder Locking for Adjustable Fluid Damping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing continuously variable locking systems for cylinder-piston arrangements are complex, inflexible, and laborious to maintain, with multipart closing mechanisms and elastomer duckbill valves that are difficult to adapt and service.
Innovation Solution
A locking system with a double-walled cylinder featuring an inner and outer sleeve, a tubular compensating body with seals, and an adjustable closing part that separates two fluid chambers, allowing for precise control of fluid flow and damping, with a control mechanism that can be easily adjusted via mechanical, hydraulic, or electronic means, and a form- and force-locking connection for simplified assembly and maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a multipart closing mechanism with elastomer duckbill valves is used in the piston, then the locking system can achieve variable damping and locking functions, but the device complexity increases and maintenance becomes laborious
Solution Approach 1:
The closing mechanism is extracted from the piston and relocated to the base end of the cylinder. This removes the complex multipart closing mechanism with elastomer duckbill valves from the piston, simplifying its structure while maintaining the locking function through the relocated closing part that controls fluid flow between chambers.
Solution Approach 2:
The cylinder is segmented into a double-walled structure with inner and outer sleeves, creating separate fluid chambers. This segmentation allows the closing part to control fluid flow between distinct chambers, achieving variable damping and locking functions without requiring complex mechanisms within the piston itself.
2Ease of operation
If the closing mechanism is integrated into the piston, then the locking system can control fluid flow, but the ease of manufacture decreases and adaptation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The closing mechanism is extracted from the piston and positioned at the base end of the cylinder. This extraction simplifies piston manufacturing while maintaining fluid flow control capabilities through the relocated closing part that regulates flow between the inner and outer fluid chambers.
Solution Approach 2:
The closing part at the base end serves multiple functions: it controls fluid flow between chambers, enables variable damping adjustment, and provides locking capability. This multi-functional design simplifies the overall structure by consolidating control functions in one location rather than requiring separate mechanisms in the piston.
3Reliability
If elastomer duckbill valves are arranged in the piston, then the locking system can achieve one-way flow control, but the ease of repair decreases and service outlay increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flow control function previously requiring elastomer duckbill valves within the piston is replaced by the closing part positioned at the base end of the cylinder. This extraction eliminates the need for complex elastomer valve components, simplifying maintenance and repair while maintaining reliable flow control through the closing part's position-dependent flow restriction.
4Reliability
If the locking system uses a complex multipart closing mechanism, then the locking function is achieved, but the adaptability to changed requirements decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The closing part is designed to be adjustable along the base end of the cylinder, allowing dynamic modification of the flow opening between fluid chambers. This adjustability enables the system to adapt to different damping requirements and operating conditions, providing versatility while maintaining reliable locking function through the same closing mechanism.
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 system achieves a robust, simple, and highly reliable operation with precise control over piston rod movement, enabling easy adaptation to changing requirements and facilitating maintenance, while ensuring uniform fluid flow and adjustable damping.
Implementation Method 1
a piston which is arranged displaceably in the inner sleeve and has at least one annular piston seal on its outer surface in the circumferential direction
Implementation Method 2
the narrower the opening is set, the higher the damping of the mobility of the piston rod
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an continuously variable locking system for a cylinder-piston arrangement having a cylinder, which has a cap and a base, a piston, which is arranged displaceably in the cylinder and has at least one annular piston seal arranged on the outer surface in the circumferential direction, on which piston a piston rod is arranged, which can be pushed at least partially out axially at the cap end of the cylinder, a closing part, which is continuously variable between an open and a closed position, and a fluid disposed in the cylinder. The object of the invention is to develop the locking system such that the system is characterized by a robust and simple construction, is particularly simple to maintain and adapt, while at the same time being highly reliable and precise in operation. To this end the invention proposes that: the cylinder is designed with a double wall having an inner sleeve and an outer sleeve, the piston is disposed in the inner sleeve, a tubular compensating body having seals running respectively in the circumferential direction on its outer and inner surface is displaceably arranged in an annular space between inner sleeve and outer sleeve, the closing part is arranged at the base end of the cylinder and the base end of the inner sleeve can be closed by means of the closing part.