Lanced Spring Retainer Plate for Torsional Vibration Damper
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spring retainer designs for vibration dampers suffer from slippage and twisting issues due to rounded portions, leading to damaging bending stresses, and require additional components that increase cost, complexity, and fabrication time.
Innovation Solution
A spring retainer plate with lanced spring stops formed integrally from the same material, extending from the plate and aligned with holes, providing flat contact surfaces to engage springs and reduce stress, while maintaining alignment and preventing slippage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate component is used to form a spring stop, then the spring retention is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The spring stop is merged with the retainer plate by forming it as an integral lanced feature from the same material. This eliminates the need for separate components while maintaining the spring retention function, directly resolving the contradiction between reliability and device complexity
2Reliability
If a separate component is used to form a spring stop, then the spring retention is improved, but the manufacturing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The lanced spring stop is formed as an integral feature of the retainer plate through a single manufacturing process. This eliminates the need for separate fabrication and assembly steps for the spring stop component, reducing manufacturing time while maintaining spring retention functionality
3Ease of manufacture
If a rounded portion is used for spring engagement, then the manufacturing is simpler, but the spring slippage and twisting occur causing damaging stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The lanced spring stop creates a localized flat surface geometry at the spring engagement point, while the rest of the retainer plate maintains its original manufacturing simplicity. This local geometric change prevents spring slippage and twisting without complicating the overall manufacturing process
Data Source
AI summary
A torsional vibration damper, including: an axis of rotation; a drive plate; an output flange; and a spring retainer plate including a first side facing in a first axial direction, a second side facing in a second axial direction, and a plurality of spring stops formed of a same material forming the spring retainer plate. Each spring stop: extends from the first side at least partially in the first axial direction; and includes first and second circumferentially separated end surfaces separated, in the first axial direction, from the first side by first and second gaps, and a plurality of springs. Each spring includes a first circumferential end engaged with a respective first end surface and a second circumferential end engaged with a respective second end surface. The spring retainer plate partially surrounds the plurality of springs and retains the plurality of springs in a radially outward direction.