Plastic Air Spring Connection Assembly for Tool-Free Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connection arrangements between air springs and air spring supports require significant tooling for disassembly and are not optimized for use with plastic components, which limits flexibility and increases manufacturing complexity and weight.
Innovation Solution
A connection arrangement where the rolling piston is supported directly on both the centering cone and the air spring support, made of plastic, allowing for tool-free disassembly and increased contact area for force transmission, enabling the use of plastic components and reducing manufacturing effort and weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a screw connection is used to connect the air spring to the air spring support, then the connection strength is improved, but the ease of assembly and disassembly deteriorates due to requiring tools and significant tooling for disassembly
Solution Approach 1:
The connection is segmented into two functional parts: a centering cone that provides precise alignment and a support plate that provides load-bearing surface. This segmentation allows the rolling piston to be supported both directly on the centering cone and directly on the air spring support, creating a tool-free connection that maintains strength while enabling easy assembly and disassembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameter from metal to plastic for the rolling piston, and changes the connection mechanism from threaded (screw) to direct contact (flat support on centering cone and support plate). This parameter change enables tool-free disassembly while maintaining adequate connection strength through increased contact area and distributed force transmission.
2Strength
If metal components are used for the rolling piston and centering cone, then the strength and durability are improved, but the weight increases and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses plastic (thermoplastic) material for the rolling piston and centering cone instead of metal, creating lighter components that are easier and less expensive to manufacture through injection molding. The plastic components maintain sufficient strength for the application while significantly reducing weight and manufacturing complexity compared to metal alternatives.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs plastic material (specifically thermoplastic) as a composite alternative to traditional metal components. This material choice provides an optimal balance between strength, weight, and manufacturability, allowing the rolling piston and centering cone to be produced as single-piece injection-molded components rather than requiring complex metal fabrication and assembly.
3Area of stationary object
If direct flat support of the rolling piston on both the centering cone and air spring support is implemented, then the contact area for force transmission is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements worsen due to tolerance constraints with metallic components
Solution Approach 1:
Changing the material from metal to plastic provides inherent compliance and tolerance compensation. The plastic rolling piston and centering cone can deform slightly to accommodate manufacturing variations, allowing direct flat support on both components without requiring disproportionately high machining precision that would be necessary with rigid metallic components.
Solution Approach 2:
The plastic material acts as a flexible element that can accommodate minor misalignments and tolerance variations in the centering cone and support plate. This flexibility allows the rolling piston to make proper contact with both surfaces even when manufacturing tolerances are not extremely tight, unlike rigid metal components that would require precise machining to achieve proper flat contact.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5a~5b
AI summary
The invention relates to a connection assembly (15) between a pneumatic spring (4) and a pneumatic spring support (3), said connection assembly (15) being removable without tools. A rolling piston (6) of the pneumatic spring (4) has a recess (19) on the rolling piston base side (9) facing the pneumatic spring support (3). A centering cone (16) which matches the base-side recess (19) of the rolling piston (6) is secured to the pneumatic spring support (3), said centering cone being completely covered by the rolling piston (6). The centering cone (16) and the rolling piston (6) have a common central axis (11) which is simultaneously also the central axis (11) of the pneumatic spring (4). The invention is characterized in that the rolling piston (6) and the centering cone (16) are made of plastic, and the rolling piston (6) is supported both directly against the centering cone (16) as well as directly against the pneumatic spring support (3) in the direction of the central axis (11) so as to lie against the surfaces thereof.