Hydraulic Support Spring With Nested Damping Disks

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing hydraulic springs with damping mechanisms either provide insufficient damping at low frequencies or have a large overall height, making them unsuitable for various load and frequency ranges.

Innovation Solution

A compact rubber-elastic spring design featuring a hollow cone shape with a separating element composed of multiple disks and a connecting channel, allowing for adjustable damping by adding or rotating disks, and a layered rubber-metal construction for enhanced load-bearing capacity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a hydraulic spring with damping mechanisms is used, then damping effect is improved, but overall height increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedamping effectVSAvoidoverall height
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The separating element with damping channels is nested within the hollow cone spring element, utilizing the internal cavity space. The compensation chamber is formed between the separating element and the connection piece, effectively nesting functional components within the existing structural volume rather than adding external components, thus achieving adequate damping at different frequencies without significantly increasing overall height

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The connecting channels in the separating element are designed to extend in the plane of the disk rather than vertically, changing the dimensionality of the damping path from vertical to radial/in-plane. This allows the damping channels to achieve sufficient length for effective damping while keeping the vertical height compact

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Device complexity

If throttle bores are used in the separating element, then device complexity is reduced, but damping effectiveness decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructure complexityVSAvoiddamping effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The separating element is divided into multiple disks arranged one above the other, each with connecting channels. This segmentation allows the damping function to be distributed across multiple elements, achieving adequate damping effectiveness through the cumulative effect of multiple channels while maintaining relatively simple individual disk structures that are easy to manufacture

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Strength

If the rubber-elastic spring element is designed as a hollow cone, then load-bearing capacity is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveload-bearing capacityVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The hollow cone spring element serves multiple functions: it provides the primary spring function for load-bearing, contains the separating element with damping channels within its cavity, and forms part of the hydraulic chamber structure. This multi-functionality allows the hollow cone design to achieve improved load-bearing capacity while the same structure accommodates the damping mechanism, reducing the need for additional separate components

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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 design achieves sufficient and adjustable damping across different frequencies and loads while maintaining a compact size, suitable for applications like rail vehicle chassis and machine bearings.

Implementation Method 1

a ring-shaped rubber-elastic spring element (2), which is connected via an upper and a lower, also ring-shaped connection piece (3, 4) to the sprung body on the one hand and to the unsprung mass on the other

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Implementation Method 2

a hydraulic chamber consisting of a working chamber (5) and a compensation chamber (6), in which the volume of the working chamber (5), which is filled with a damping medium, changes during deflection

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectViscous damping: Viscous Damping

Data Source

PatentEP2473757B1Hydraulic support
Publication Date: 2018.02.28 CONTITECH LUFTEDERSYSTEME GMBH
  • EP2473757B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2473757B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to an rubbery-elastic spring having hydraulic damping, comprising an annular rubbery-elastic spring element, a hydraulic chamber made of a working chamber and a compensation chamber, and a separator element having a connecting channel between the working chamber and the compensation chamber, wherein the separator element is implemented as a disc and is disposed within the vertical heights of the spring element and a connecting piece.