Resilient Mount Stiffening Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing load-bearing suspension mounts, such as elastomeric mounts with embedded flat rings, are prone to premature failure due to the elastomeric material's bulging and necking under compressive and tensile loads, requiring frequent and costly replacements, and lack maintenance-free robustness for articulated truck suspensions.
Innovation Solution
A resilient mount design featuring a combination of stiffening elements with varying out-of-plane dimensions and orientations, embedded within a resilient material, which enhances load-carrying capacity and flexibility by limiting deformation and allowing relative movement between mounting surfaces, while maintaining structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If parallel flat rings are embedded in elastomeric material to increase stiffness and load carrying capability, then the mount can adequately carry compressive and tensile loads, but the elastomeric material is prone to premature failure due to bulging in compression and necking in tension
Solution Approach 1:
The mount is segmented into multiple functional layers: rigid end members for load application, elastomeric material for flexibility, and embedded reinforcement structures (flat rings and convex shapes) for structural support. This segmentation allows each layer to perform its specific function optimally while working together to resolve the contradiction between strength and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The mount uses a composite structure combining rigid materials (end members, flat rings, convex shapes) with elastomeric material. This composite approach allows the rigid components to provide structural integrity and load-bearing capacity while the elastomeric material provides flexibility and shock absorption, preventing premature failure from bulging and necking.
2Adaptability or versatility
If elastomeric material is used to allow relative movement between mounting surfaces, then the mount provides flexibility for translation and tilting, but the mount lacks sufficient stiffness to transmit large compressive and tensile loads
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the mount have different mechanical properties: the elastomeric material in the bulk provides flexibility and shock absorption, while the embedded flat rings and convex shapes provide localized stiffness and structural support. This local differentiation allows the mount to simultaneously accommodate relative movement and transmit large loads effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite structure combines the flexibility of elastomeric material with the stiffness of embedded rigid reinforcement elements. The elastomeric material allows translation and tilting movements, while the embedded flat rings and convex shapes provide the necessary stiffness to transmit large compressive and tensile loads between the rigid end members.
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 resilient mount effectively transmits large compressive and tensile loads while accommodating translation and tilting of mounting surfaces, reducing the need for frequent replacements and enhancing maintenance-free operation, thus providing improved durability and cost-effectiveness for load-bearing applications.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient material located between and coupled to adjacent stiffening elements... allowing the two vehicle components to translate and tilt relative to one another
Data Source
AI summary
A resilient mount including a first mounting member and a second mounting member is provided. The mount includes a first plurality of stiffening elements located between the first and second mounting members. At least a first stiffening element of the first plurality of stiffening elements is non-parallel to a second stiffening element of the first plurality of stiffening elements. Each of the first plurality of stiffening elements has a material thickness and an out-of-plane dimension that is greater than the material thickness. Each stiffening element of the first plurality of stiffening elements is substantially rigid so as to substantially limit the deformation of the stiffening element under load. The mount may also include a resilient material located between and coupled to adjacent stiffening elements of the first plurality of stiffening elements.