Gas Spring Protection Structure for Overstroke Leakage Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas springs in sheet metal forming processes are prone to unnecessary triggering of overstroke protection, leading to damage and reduced working life due to uncontrolled leakage, especially when the gas spring is made pressureless during servicing.
Innovation Solution
A gas spring design featuring a protection mechanism that distributes axial force radially over the width of the gap between the cylinder wall and guide, delaying the activation of overstroke protection and preventing unnecessary triggering by transmitting force to both the guide and cylinder wall, and includes a flange for secure mounting and material distribution to facilitate controlled leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the guide is pushed into the tube or plug is pushed out, then overstroke protection is activated, but this causes uncontrolled leakage and reduced working life
Solution Approach 1:
The protection element serves as a mediator that controls and regulates the activation of overstroke protection. By distributing axial forces to both the guide and cylinder wall, it ensures that the protection mechanism is only activated under genuine overstroke conditions, preventing uncontrolled gas leakage and avoiding damage that would reduce the working life of the gas spring.
2Productivity
If full control over the pressing cycle is required, then optimization of sheet forming is achieved, but the system becomes more sensitive to stroke length variations
Solution Approach 1:
The protection element provides beforehand cushioning by absorbing and distributing axial forces during normal pressing operations. This cushioning effect stabilizes the system against minor stroke length variations, allowing full control over the pressing cycle for optimization of sheet forming while maintaining reliability and preventing false activation of protection mechanisms.
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 reduces the risk of unnecessary overstroke protection activation, extends the working life of gas springs by preventing uncontrolled leakage and ensuring the guide returns to its starting position after axial force removal, thus maintaining the gas spring's functionality during and after servicing.
Implementation Method 1
a first part of the force is transmitted to the guide and a second part of the force to the cylinder wall
Data Source
AI summary
A gas spring consisting of a gas cylinder (2), a piston rod (3) which is movable in the axial direction in the gas cylinder (2), a guide (4), wherein an axially outwardly open gap (6) exists between the guide (4) and the gas cylinder. A protection (10) is arranged so that it extends radially over the width of the gap (6). The protection (10) is fixed in the guide (4) or in the cylinder wall (5). The protection is configured so that, when an axial force (F) is applied to the protection, a first part of the force (F) is transmitted to the guide (4) and a second part of the force to the cylinder wall (5), and thus the protection (10) relieves the load on the guide (4).