Elastomeric Bushing With Embedded Metallic Wire Ropes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional elastomeric vehicle suspension bushings face challenges with low thermal conductivity, leading to heat buildup and reduced service life, and inadequate damping capacity, which can result in noise, vibration, and material fatigue, especially under harsh conditions.
Innovation Solution
Embedding metallic wire ropes or a metallic mesh between the inner and outer metal tubes of the bushing during the molding process enhances thermal conductivity and damping capacity by utilizing the higher thermal conductivity of metals and inter-wire friction, allowing for effective heat dissipation and improved vibration damping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional elastomeric materials are used in bushings, then the bushing provides vibration isolation and damping, but the thermal conductivity is low leading to heat buildup and reduced service life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by embedding metallic wire ropes or metallic mesh within the elastomeric material of the bushing. This creates a composite structure that combines the vibration damping properties of elastomer with the high thermal conductivity of metal, enabling effective heat dissipation while maintaining reliability and service life under harsh conditions.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If conventional elastomeric materials are used, then the bushing structure is simple, but the damping capacity is inadequate leading to noise and vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials by integrating metallic wire ropes or mesh into the elastomeric bushing structure. This composite approach enhances damping capacity to reduce noise and vibration while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing through embedding during the molding process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by strategically positioning metallic wire ropes or mesh within specific regions of the elastomeric bushing. The metallic elements are embedded in the elastomeric material to create localized zones of enhanced damping and thermal conductivity where most needed, rather than uniformly throughout the entire bushing.
3Stability of the object's composition
If elastomeric material hardens due to heat, then the bushing provides structural stability, but the material cracks and disintegrates reducing performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining elastomeric material with embedded metallic wire ropes or mesh. The metal components act as a thermal conduction network that prevents heat buildup in the elastomer, thereby preventing thermal hardening, cracking, and disintegration while maintaining structural stability and reliability.
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 enhanced thermal conductivity and damping capacity extend the service life of the bushing, reduce heat buildup, and maintain vehicle ride quality and handling characteristics by effectively dissipating heat and managing vibrations.
Implementation Method 1
metallic materials have much higher thermal conductivity compared to conventional elastomeric materials, the embedded wires enable a more effective heat dissipation through the metal tubes which is generated inside the elastomeric bushing material upon its dynamic deformation
Implementation Method 2
Embedding a metallic wire, metallic wire ropes or a metallic mesh into an elastomeric bushing also allows utilizing the well-known benefits of inter-wire friction which helps to improve the bushing vibration damping properties
Implementation Method 3
the relationship between the force or moment applied to the outer or inner sleeve or the tube of the bushing and the relative displacements or rotations is nonlinear, namely, the one that has pronounced elastic hysteresis. Correspondingly, elastomeric bushings transfer the deformation strain energy into heat during their loading and unloading, thus providing damping to the joint
Data Source
AI summary
An elastomeric bushing for vehicle suspension includes inner and outer metal tubes, an elastomeric material between the tubes, and one or more bundles of woven wires (ropes or cables) in entangled or mesh form wherein at least a portion of the wires contact at least one of the tubes. The bushing has enhanced thermal conductivity via metal-to-metal contact and improved damping capacity to reduce heat buildup inside the material upon cyclic loading and unloading. The metallic wire rope, metallic wire ropes or wire mesh are embedded in the elastomeric material during injection molding where the ends of the wire ropes are attached to the opposing side walls of the inner and outer metal tubes or are spaced apart from the opposing side walls for tunability and to thereby enable a more effective dissipation of the heat generated inside the elastomeric bushing during its usage into the kinematically connected suspension members.