Front Fork Support Portion for Deceleration Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing front fork designs for saddle-type vehicles, such as motorcycles, fail to maintain optimal traveling performance during normal conditions while increasing rigidity only during deceleration, which can lead to compromised handling and stability.
Innovation Solution
A front fork configuration with a shock absorber body featuring a support portion that increases contact surface pressure with the fixing member during deceleration, enhancing the bending rigidity of the fork without affecting its rigidity during non-deceleration phases, by strategically placing the support portion where contact pressure is highest during braking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If reinforcing portions are provided on the outer tube to increase bending rigidity, then the front fork rigidity is improved, but the traveling performance deteriorates due to excessive rigidity during non-deceleration phases
Solution Approach 1:
The support portion is provided only at specific locations on the outer tube where contact surface pressure increases during deceleration, rather than uniformly reinforcing the entire tube. This localized reinforcement increases rigidity only where needed during braking while maintaining flexibility and traveling performance during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The front fork structure dynamically adapts its rigidity characteristics through the support portion design. During deceleration, the support portion engages with the fixing member to increase contact surface pressure and rigidity. During non-deceleration phases, the structure maintains its original flexible characteristics for optimal traveling performance.
2Reliability
If the contact surface area between fixing member and outer tube is increased, then the fixing reliability is improved, but the contact surface pressure decreases, reducing the effectiveness of rigidity enhancement during deceleration
Solution Approach 1:
The support portion concentrates reinforcement at specific locations on the outer tube rather than distributing it uniformly. This localized approach maintains high contact surface pressure at critical points during deceleration while ensuring reliable fixing through strategic positioning of the support portion.
Data Source
AI summary
A front fork includes a shock absorber body, a fixing member, and a support portion. A length of a contact surface of the support portion in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical body in a circumferential direction of the first cylindrical body is smaller than a peripheral length of the outer peripheral surface. The support portion is provided at a portion where a contact surface pressure between the fixing member and the support portion increases when the vehicle decelerates.