Gas Spring End Member Assembly for Fluid-Tight Stud Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas spring and damper assemblies in vehicular and other applications face limitations in broader adoption due to potential inefficiencies and challenges in securing end member assemblies, which can affect the overall performance and reliability of suspension systems.
Innovation Solution
The development of an end member assembly with a specific design featuring first and second end members with flange wall portions and attachment studs/studs, allowing for secure assembly and retention through stud heads engaging flange surfaces, thereby forming a substantially fluid-tight connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional end member assemblies are used in gas spring and damper assemblies, then the assembly process is simpler, but the structural integrity and fluid-tightness are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The end member assembly is divided into multiple components: a first end member, a second end member, and multiple attachment studs. Each component can be manufactured independently and then assembled together, allowing for optimized manufacturing of each part while achieving the desired structural integrity and fluid-tightness through their combined configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment studs are positioned to extend through both end members, with stud heads engaging flange surfaces of both components. This nested arrangement where one component penetrates another creates a deeply integrated connection that ensures both structural strength and fluid-tight sealing between the end members.
2Reliability
If attachment studs with stud heads are used to secure end members, then the retention and fluid-tightness are improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment studs are designed with pre-formed stud heads that are created during the stamping or forming process. This preliminary formation of the stud heads eliminates the need for separate machining or deformation operations, allowing the studs to be manufactured as integral components with the desired geometry already in place.
Solution Approach 2:
The study replaces traditional mechanical fastening methods with a stamped or formed stud head design that achieves retention through geometric interlocking and friction. This substitution of mechanical systems with formed geometric features simplifies the manufacturing process while maintaining effective retention and fluid-tightness.
Data Source
AI summary
End member assemblies include a first end member and a second end member. The first end member includes a first end member wall with a first side wall portion and a first flange wall portion. The first flange wall portion includes a plurality of attachment passages extending therethrough. The second end member includes a second end member wall with a second side wall portion and a second flange wall portion. The second end member includes attachment studs disposed along the second flange wall portion. The first and second end members are positioned axially coextensive with one another with the attachment studs extending through corresponding attachment passages. A stud head is unitarily formed along the attachment studs with the stud head abuttingly engaging the first flange wall portion thereby retaining the first and second end members in an assembled condition.