Nonlinear Cylindrical Spring Wire Profiling for Precise Actuator Travel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing nonlinear cylindrical springs face challenges in accurately mapping the travel path of an actuator loaded with spring force and integrating these springs into compact cylindrical cavities, particularly in achieving precise spatial integration and control of fuel mass flow or pressure.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a shaping device, either a drum roller or roller press, is used to shape the spring wire with a varying diameter over its length, allowing for precise reproduction of the actuator's travel path by creating a continuously tapering annular gap or pressing gap, enabling the production of springs with specific diameter profiles that can be wound or coiled for precise actuator control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a nonlinear cylindrical spring is produced by winding or coiling a spring wire with varying wire diameters, then the spring can achieve a progressive spring rate for supporting the brake pedal, but it becomes difficult to spatially integrate the spring into a compact cylindrical cavity
Solution Approach 1:
The spring wire is designed with locally varying diameters along its length, creating sections with different stiffness properties. This allows the spring to achieve a progressive spring rate while maintaining a compact overall cylindrical shape that can be integrated into limited spaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring is designed with a cylindrical geometry and curved wire path, allowing it to pack efficiently into a compact cylindrical cavity while maintaining the necessary mechanical properties for brake pedal support.
2Reliability
If the spring wire cross-sectional area varies over its length to achieve nonlinearity, then the spring characteristic curve becomes nonlinear, but it becomes difficult to achieve exactly one travel path for positioning actuators
Solution Approach 1:
The wire diameter is systematically varied along the length of the spring to create specific sections with different stiffness characteristics. This controlled parameter change enables the spring to follow a precise travel path while maintaining the desired nonlinear force-displacement characteristic.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring wire is divided into multiple sections with different diameters, each section contributing to specific portions of the travel path. This segmentation allows independent optimization of different travel segments to achieve high precision in actuator positioning throughout the entire range of motion.
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 method allows for accurate mapping of the actuator's travel path and precise control of fuel mass flow or pressure, enabling reliable operation over a wide range of loads and integrating nonlinear springs into compact spaces for precise actuator guidance and control.
Implementation Method 1
a shaping device designed as a drum roller is provided to shape the blank and, between the outer lateral surface of an inner rotor driven in rotation about a central longitudinal axis and the inner lateral surface of a drum concentric with the rotor, has an annular gap which tapers continuously from an input side to an output side
Implementation Method 2
the shaping device is operated in a vertical alignment of its central longitudinal axis with an upper input side and bottom output side, wherein the blank is moved into the annular gap assisted by gravity
Implementation Method 3
a shaping device designed as a roller press is provided for shaping the blank, which roller press has a rigid lower support jaw and a pressing jaw arranged above it, forming a pressing gap, which can be moved back and forth in a direction y relative to the support jaw
Data Source
AI summary
A method for producing a nonlinear cylindrical spring produced by winding or coiling a spring wire having wire diameters varying over its length, and formed from a blank with a constant diameter. A drum roller shapes the blank and, between the outer lateral surface of an inner rotor driven in rotation about a central longitudinal axis and the inner lateral surface of a drum concentric with the rotor, has an annular gap which tapers continuously from an input side to an output side, the clear opening width of which, viewed in the radial direction, is greater than the diameter of the blank on the input side and equal to or smaller than the minimum wire diameter of the spring wire on the output side, and the blank is shaped by moving it into the annular gap from the input side to the output side.