Quadrangular Suspension Arms with Rubber-Metal Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle suspension systems, particularly in high-comfort vehicles like ambulances, face reliability issues due to high mechanical stresses in the mechanism for changing the direction of rotation, limiting their application and performance, especially over rough terrain.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle suspension system featuring a quadrangular frame with pairs of transverse and longitudinal arms, each rotatably attached to the frame via rubber-metal joints, and equipped with connecting rods, dampers, and linear actuators, allowing for adjustable clearance and tilt, and using split arms made as parallelograms to reduce mechanical stress and enhance reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a mechanism for changing the direction of rotation is used in the suspension, then the suspension can adapt to roadway conditions and maintain steering control, but the mechanical stresses in the mechanism increase, reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical mechanism for changing rotation direction with a system using rubber-metal joints that allow passive adaptation through elastic deformation. The rubber-metal joints enable the arms to change orientation in response to roadway conditions without complex mechanical components, thereby maintaining adaptability while eliminating high mechanical stresses.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and properties of the connection joints from rigid mechanical connections to flexible rubber-metal joints with specific elastomeric properties. This parameter change allows the suspension to adapt to road conditions through material deformation rather than mechanical movement, reducing stress on structural components.
2Strength
If the arms are made as solid structures, then the suspension provides structural strength, but the mechanical stresses concentrate in specific parts, reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides each arm into multiple segments: solid structural portions for strength and rubber-metal joint portions for flexibility. This segmentation allows the arm to maintain overall structural integrity while distributing stresses across multiple connection points rather than concentrating them in single mechanical joints.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite construction combining solid structural materials (metal) with elastomeric materials (rubber) in the rubber-metal joints. This composite approach provides both the strength needed for structural support and the flexibility needed to reduce stress concentration, as the elastomeric portions can deform to absorb mechanical stresses.
3Device complexity
If the contact surfaces of the arms are oriented perpendicular to the axis of rotation, then the mechanical coupling is simplified, but the weight distribution among wheels becomes uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different orientations to the contact surfaces of different arms based on their specific functional requirements. The longitudinal arms have contact surfaces oriented in one direction while transverse arms have contact surfaces oriented perpendicularly, allowing each arm to optimally distribute loads to its connected wheels while maintaining simple mechanical coupling through the rubber-metal joints.
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 suspension system adapts to varying wheel track widths, reduces mechanical stress, and increases reliability by evenly distributing weight among all wheels, maintaining operational capacity over rough terrain and enabling comfortable maneuvering.
Implementation Method 1
each arm is rotatably attached by its central zone to the central portion of the corresponding side of a quadrangular frame through rubber-metal joint
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to suspension design. A suspension for a means of transportation contains a quadrangular frame, to which a pair of levers is attached. The suspension comprises pairs of identical transverse and longitudinal levers. The ends of the longitudinal levers are intended for connection to the hubs of corresponding wheels. Each lever is attached in its middle region to the middle region of the corresponding side of the quadrangular frame by means of a rubber-metal pivot so as to be capable of pivoting rotation. The contact surfaces of the levers are cylindrical and are intended to allow the mechanical connection of the levers to one another, being oriented as follows: the contact surfaces of the left and right longitudinal levers face upwards, and the contact surfaces of the front and rear levers face downwards. The contact surfaces of each lever are tangential to a plane that passes through the axis of rotation of the lever and are situated on one side of said axis. Each side of the quadrangular frame is supported by its corresponding lever on the hubs of two wheels. The invention provides a reduction in the level of mechanical stresses in the suspension assemblies as the means of transportation turns, and further provides an increase in the reliability of the suspension.