Pivot Joint Sealing Body Deflects Excess Grease
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pivot joints in vehicle steering and suspension systems face challenges with precise lubrication control, leading to potential overfilling or underfilling, which increases manufacturing and maintenance costs and reduces reliability and durability.
Innovation Solution
A pivot joint assembly featuring a semi-rigid polymeric sealing body with a tapered portion acting as a check valve, allowing excess grease to escape while preventing contaminants from entering, and a biasing element for improved sealing, enabling grease injection until it visibly escapes, thus eliminating the need for precise lubricant control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If precise lubrication control is implemented to avoid overfilling or underfilling, then reliability and durability are improved, but manufacturing and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing body automatically regulates lubricant quantity by deflecting under pressure to allow excess grease to escape, then returning to its original position to maintain the seal. This self-regulating mechanism eliminates the need for external control systems or precise manual filling, reducing manufacturing and maintenance costs while ensuring proper lubrication for improved reliability and durability
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing body changes its physical state based on pressure parameters - remaining rigid under normal operating pressure to maintain sealing, but deflecting when pressure exceeds a threshold during over-greasing. This parameter-based response allows the system to tolerate uncontrolled grease injection while still preventing contamination and ensuring adequate lubrication
2Reliability
If precise lubrication control is implemented to avoid overfilling or underfilling, then reliability and durability are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing body performs the control function autonomously through its pressure-responsive deflection and recovery, eliminating the need for external sensors, actuators, or control systems. This self-service approach maintains high reliability and durability while keeping the device simple in structure
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing body simultaneously performs multiple functions: sealing against contaminants, allowing controlled escape of excess lubricant, and maintaining the lubrication environment. This multi-functionality in a single component reduces overall device complexity while ensuring reliable operation
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
This solution reduces manufacturing and maintenance costs while enhancing the reliability and durability of the pivot joint assembly by allowing uncontrolled grease injection and ensuring effective sealing against contaminants.
Implementation Method 1
a portion which extends at an acute angle relative to the central axis to contact the stud such that the portion is deflectable to allow lubricant to escape the inner bore during greasing
Implementation Method 2
the pivot joint assembly further includes a biasing element which is disposed in the inner bore of the housing and biases the sealing body against the inner wall of the housing to improve the static sealing condition between the sealing body and the housing
Data Source
AI summary
The pivot joint assembly includes a housing with an inner wall that surrounds an inner bore which extends along a central axis. A stud is partially received in the inner bore, projects out of one axial end of the housing and is rotatable relative to the housing about the central axis. A sealing body, which is made of a single piece of a semi-rigid material, is in a static sealing condition with the housing and is in a dynamic sealing condition with the stud. The sealing body includes a portion which extends at an acute angle relative to the central axis to contact the stud such that the portion is deflectable to allow lubricant to escape the inner bore during greasing.