Spiral Damping Passage in Gas Spring End Closures for Ride Comfort
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas spring and gas damper assemblies in vehicle suspension systems face challenges in achieving optimal ride comfort and damping performance, particularly in balancing spring rate and damping efficiency, which affects the transmission of road inputs to the vehicle's sprung mass.
Innovation Solution
The development of flexible spring members with elongated damping passages and end closure assemblies that form a fluid-tight joint, combined with end members and cover plates, to create a gas spring and gas damper assembly that allows for controlled gas flow and damping across different frequencies, enhancing damping performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional damping passages are used in gas spring assemblies, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the damping performance is insufficient and cannot effectively dissipate kinetic energy across targeted frequency ranges
Solution Approach 1:
The damping passage is divided into multiple distinct sections: a first section with a first cross-sectional area and a second section with a second cross-sectional area. This segmentation allows each section to contribute differently to the overall damping characteristics, enabling effective energy dissipation across a broader frequency range while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the damping passage are given different cross-sectional areas to optimize local damping characteristics. The first section has a larger cross-sectional area for handling high-frequency inputs, while the second section has a smaller cross-sectional area for low-frequency damping, creating locally optimized damping performance throughout the passage.
2Strength
If spring elements with higher spring rates are used, then structural support is improved, but ride comfort deteriorates due to greater transmission of road inputs into the sprung mass
Solution Approach 1:
The damping passage cross-sectional area is changed along its length, creating sections with different areas. This parameter change allows the damping system to provide different levels of resistance at different stages of compression, effectively reducing road input transmission while maintaining structural support capabilities.
3Ease of manufacture
If a single cross-sectional area damping passage is used, then manufacturing is simplified, but damping effectiveness across different frequencies is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The damping passage is segmented into sections with different cross-sectional areas that can be manufactured as separate components or as distinct features within a single component. This segmentation provides frequency-specific damping while remaining compatible with standard manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The damping passage incorporates local variations in cross-sectional area to optimize damping for different frequency ranges. These local quality changes can be achieved through various manufacturing methods including machining, molding, or additive manufacturing, balancing manufacturing ease with performance requirements.
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
This configuration improves ride comfort by effectively dissipating kinetic energy across targeted frequency ranges, providing improved damping and reducing the transmission of road inputs, thereby enhancing the overall suspension system's performance.
Implementation Method 1
the gas damper portion permits gas flow between two or more volumes of pressurized gas through one or more passages or ports. Generally, there is some resistance to the movement of pressurized gas through these passages or ports, and this resistance acts to dissipate energy associated with the gas spring portion and thereby provide some measure of damping.
Implementation Method 2
this resistance acts to dissipate energy associated with the gas spring portion and thereby provide some measure of damping
Data Source
AI summary
Flexible spring member and end closure assemblies include a flexible spring member-defining a spring chamber. An end closure body includes an outer peripheral surface portion and an elongated damping passage extending axially into end closure wall in a spiral arrangement about longitudinal axis. End closure body is positioned along an end of flexible spring member with flexible wall permanently attached along outer peripheral surface portion such that a substantially fluid-tight joint is formed between flexible spring member and end closure body. Gas spring and gas damper assemblies as well as methods of assembly are also included.