Gas Spring Membrane Venting for Overtravel Pressure Relief
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional industrial gas springs can experience overtravel, leading to undesirable gas overpressure and potential damage to forming equipment or workpieces due to the piston rod's rapid return from an overtravel retracted position.
Innovation Solution
An overtravel pressure relief assembly is integrated into the gas spring, featuring a membrane and plunger mechanism that vents pressurized gas when the piston rod overtravels, reducing the return force and preventing complete retraction to the extended position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the piston rod is allowed to overtravel beyond the designed retracted position, then the gas pressure in the chamber increases, but this causes damage to forming equipment and workpieces due to excessive return force
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane is pre-positioned in the pressure relief assembly to be breached when the piston rod overtravels beyond the designed retracted position. This preliminary arrangement ensures that before overtravel damage can occur, the membrane will fail and trigger the pressure relief mechanism, venting excess gas and reducing the harmful return force to safe levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the harmful effect of overtravel (excessive gas pressure and return force) into a beneficial safety mechanism. When the piston rod overtravels, the membrane breach intentionally allows gas escape, transforming the dangerous overpressure condition into a controlled pressure relief event that protects the equipment while utilizing the overtravel motion itself to activate the protection.
2Reliability
If a pressure relief assembly with membrane and plunger is added to the gas spring, then overtravel damage is prevented, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure relief assembly with membrane and plunger serves multiple functions within a single integrated component: it acts as a pressure threshold detector, a safety trigger mechanism, and a gas venting system all in one. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate overtravel protection devices, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity while achieving reliable protection.
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 mitigates damage by reducing the return force and preventing complete retraction, thereby protecting equipment and workpieces from overpressure issues.
Implementation Method 1
the gas pressure in the chamber may be on the order of 50% to 100% higher than its pressure in the normally fully extended position of the piston rod
Data Source
AI summary
An industrial gas spring with a pressure chamber in a casing with an end wall, a piston rod received at least in part in the casing for reciprocation between extended and retracted positions and a pressure relief assembly carried by the end wall. The pressure relief assembly may have a membrane communicating with the pressure chamber and a plunger configured to breach the membrane when engaged and moved by the piston rod when it overtravels its design intended retracted position.