Membrane Spring Shock Absorber With Adjustable Stiffness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional damping devices have fixed elastic constants, leading to oversizing issues when vibration magnitudes vary, and they fail to adapt to sporadic vibration peaks, resulting in inadequate responses.
Innovation Solution
A damping device with an adjustable elastic constant, comprising a membrane spring and an adjustment system, allowing dynamic adjustment of the elastic constant 'K' through movable fixing elements within channels, enabling adaptation to varying vibration magnitudes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If damping devices use fixed elastic constants, then they provide stable mechanical behavior, but they cannot adapt to varying vibration magnitudes and become oversized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the elastic constant adjustable rather than fixed. The membrane spring incorporates an adjustment system with movable fixing elements that can change the effective length of elastic arms, allowing the device to dynamically adapt its mechanical properties to match varying vibration conditions, thereby avoiding oversizing while maintaining stability when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements parameter changes by enabling modification of the elastic constant K through the adjustment system. By changing the position of fixing elements along the elastic arms, the effective length varies, which directly changes the elastic parameter of the membrane spring. This allows the same device to operate efficiently across different vibration magnitudes without requiring multiple differently-sized devices.
2Reliability
If damping devices have high elastic constants to handle vibration peaks, then they can absorb sporadic vibration peaks, but they provide inadequate response during low vibration load periods
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment system enables the damping device to dynamically switch between high and low elastic constant configurations. During sporadic vibration peaks, the fixing elements can be positioned to provide high stiffness for effective absorption, while during low vibration periods, the same system allows reduced stiffness for adequate response, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
By allowing the elastic constant parameter to be changed based on operating conditions, the patent ensures that the damping device provides appropriate response across different vibration scenarios. The adjustable parameter enables the system to optimize its performance for both high-magnitude peak vibrations and low-magnitude continuous vibrations using the same physical device.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple damping devices with different elastic constants are manufactured for specific applications, then each device is optimized for its application, but device complexity and manufacturing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a single damping device structure that can perform multiple functions across different applications. The membrane spring with its adjustment system serves as a universal component that can be configured for various elastic constant requirements, eliminating the need to manufacture and maintain multiple specialized devices for different vibration conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
By incorporating the adjustment system into a standardized membrane spring design, the patent enables one device type to adapt to different application requirements dynamically. This reduces the variety of device models needed while maintaining application-specific optimization through configurable elastic constants rather than through manufacturing different device types.
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 damping device provides a high performance-to-dimension ratio with adjustable elastic constant 'K', effectively attenuating a wide range of vibrations, reducing space requirements, and allowing automated adjustment based on vibration measurements.
Implementation Method 1
membrane spring... which comprises at least two flexing arms and is capable of absorbing the energy produced by a vibration generation or transmission source
Implementation Method 2
damping devices... in order to eliminate them or at least minimize them
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2
AI summary
The present invention relates to a damping device with adjustable elastic constant comprising a membrane spring and an adjustment system for adjusting the elastic constant of the membrane spring. The membrane spring comprises at least one circular flexing crown with at least two annular flexing arms, one continuous circular crown that is adjacent to and concentric with the circular flexing crown and one channel associated with each annular flexing arm. Each channel is adjacent to and concentric with the annular flexing arm along at least part of its length. The adjustment system further comprises a fixing element that is inserted in each of the channels and is configured to move along the respective channel, thereby modifying a portion of the length of the annular flexing arm adjacent to the channel that flexes modifying the elastic constant of the damping device.