Flexible Suspension Joint With Threaded Elastomer Insert
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current suspension link joints experience wear and debris accumulation, leading to performance degradation, noise, and potential failure due to excessive stress on flexible materials when attempting to prevent movement between articulating parts.
Innovation Solution
A flexible joint design featuring a housing with an internal sleeve and elastomer, where the elastomer is fused to the inner sleeve but not permanently attached to the housing, allowing for controlled movement and debris resistance through a threaded connection and screw drive mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the articulating parts of the joint are flexibly fused to prevent movement, then wear and debris accumulation are reduced, but excessive stress is placed on the flexible materials and the joint's rotation absorption capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The joint is divided into separate articulating parts (inner sleeve, outer housing) that can move relative to each other, controlled by the elastomer. This segmentation allows movement to occur at controlled interfaces rather than requiring complete rigid fusion, reducing stress on flexible materials while maintaining wear resistance through proper lubrication and sealing.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastomer acts as an intermediary element between the inner sleeve and outer housing, providing controlled articulation and stress distribution. It mediates the interaction between moving parts, allowing relative movement while distributing stresses evenly, preventing both excessive wear and material failure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If movement between articulating parts is allowed, then the joint can accommodate orientation changes, but wear and debris accumulation increase over time
Solution Approach 1:
The elastomer functions as a flexible element that accommodates orientation changes through elastic deformation. This flexible shell approach allows the joint to adapt to varying orientations while maintaining sealed contact between surfaces, enabling movement without the excessive wear that would occur in rigid mechanical joints.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastomer's physical parameters (elasticity, damping characteristics) are optimized to allow controlled movement within specific ranges while maintaining contact pressure sufficient to prevent excessive wear. The material properties are selected to balance articulation capability with wear resistance.
3Volume of stationary object
If debris is allowed to enter the joint, then space for debris accumulation increases, but the wear rate increases due to abrasive action
Solution Approach 1:
The design extracts the harmful function of debris accumulation by implementing sealing elements that prevent debris from entering the joint cavity. The elastomer and associated sealing features actively exclude contaminants, removing the source of abrasive wear rather than providing space for debris storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The joint creates a protected internal environment through sealing, isolating the articulating surfaces from external contaminants. This inert environment approach maintains clean contact surfaces between moving parts, preventing abrasive wear from external debris sources.
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 effectively reduces wear and debris accumulation while maintaining the elastomer's integrity, allowing normal position and orientation changes of the suspension link without damaging the joint, thus improving vehicle performance and longevity.
Implementation Method 1
an elastomer, where the elastomer is fused to at least a portion of the external surface of the inner sleeve
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible joint for attachment to a suspension link. The flexible joint includes a housing, where the housing includes an external surface and an internal surface. The flexible joint also includes a joint insert. The joint insert includes a first section and a second section attached to the first section at an attachment point. The joint insert also includes an inner sleeve, where the inner sleeve includes a first portion in the first section of the joint insert and a second portion in the second section of the joint insert. The inner sleeve also includes a channel, where the channel is configured to receive at least a portion of an external device and an external surface. The joint insert further includes an elastomer, where the elastomer is fused to at least a portion of the external surface of the inner sleeve, a portion of the elastomer is in contact with the internal surface of the housing, and the elastomer is not permanently attached to the internal surface.