Helical TPE Bushing for Broad-Range Motor Vibration Damping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional anti-vibration brackets for electric motors are heavy, complex, and costly to manufacture, and existing solutions for damping vibrations in electric vehicles are not effective due to differences in vibration ranges compared to combustion engines.
Innovation Solution
A bushing for anti-vibration brackets made from thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) with a helically extending structure and multiple blades, which connects to an inner sleeve and outer sleeve, allowing for efficient vibration absorption and reduced weight through 3D printing or injection molding processes, eliminating the need for vulcanization and bonding agents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional anti-vibration brackets are used, then vibration damping is provided, but the brackets are heavy and complicated to manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from traditional rubber or thermoset elastomers to thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), which has different mechanical and processing properties. This material parameter change enables both weight reduction and simplified manufacturing while maintaining vibration damping functionality through the same elastomeric mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite construction by combining TPE material with a modular design consisting of an outer structure and an inner sleeve. This composite approach allows optimization of each component for its specific function while achieving overall weight reduction and manufacturing simplification
2Reliability
If conventional anti-vibration brackets are used, then vibration damping is provided, but the manufacturing process is complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical manufacturing process involving vulcanization (chemical curing) with a thermoplastic processing system. The TPE material can be molded using standard thermoplastic injection molding techniques, eliminating the need for complex vulcanization equipment, molds, and chemical agents, thereby significantly simplifying the manufacturing process
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates the vulcanization step from the manufacturing process. By using TPE instead of thermoset materials, the complex chemical curing process, vulcanization cores, and bonding agents are completely removed, leaving only straightforward thermoplastic molding operations
3Reliability
If thermoset elastomers are used for bushings, then vibration damping is achieved, but vulcanization and bonding agents are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes the chemical vulcanization system with a physical thermoplastic molding system. TPE materials are processed through melting and molding rather than chemical crosslinking, eliminating the need for vulcanization agents, bonding agents, and associated equipment, thereby reducing device and process complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The TPE material provides self-sufficient processing characteristics where the material itself can be molded and formed without requiring external vulcanization agents or bonding chemicals. The material's thermoplastic nature allows it to be processed, formed, and set through simple heating and cooling cycles, making the system self-service and eliminating auxiliary chemical systems
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 TPE bushing provides effective vibration damping across a broad frequency range, reducing weight and manufacturing complexity while improving NVH properties and allowing for more compact designs with enhanced durability and reduced material usage.
Implementation Method 1
Elastomeric material(s) allow for a reversible displacement and reversible stretching of structural components of the bushing. A displacement of a structural part causes a dampened force in the opposite direction of the displacement, thereby effectively absorbing vibrational energy caused by a vibration exerting component held by the bushing.
Implementation Method 2
Thermoplastic elastomers, which are sometimes referred to as thermoplastic rubbers, are a class of copolymers or a physical mix of certain polymers that consist of materials with both thermoplastic and elastomeric properties.
Implementation Method 3
the ability to stretch to moderate elongations and return to its near original shape creating a longer life and better physical range than other materials.
Data Source
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AI summary
Described is a bushing (6) for an anti-vibration bracket, the bushing (6) comprising an outer structure (20, 24) and an inner sleeve (16), wherein the outer structure (20, 24) comprises a connecting structure (21) connected to the inner sleeve (16) and wherein the outer structure (20, 24) is designed to connect to an opening of the anti-vibration bracket, wherein the inner sleeve (16) comprises a through hole (30) adapted to connect to an at least partially tube-shaped member (18), wherein the connecting structure (20) is made out of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE).