Damping Rubber Spring with Thickness Gradient for Fatigue Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current damping rubber springs for automobile suspensions have a short service life due to fatigue failure, typically lasting less than 5,000 km, primarily caused by cracks in the rubber layers, which affects the vehicle's stability, comfort, and overall performance.
Innovation Solution
A damping rubber spring design featuring alternately laminated rubber and metal layers with specific thickness and cross-sectional area gradients, along with axial holes and transitional chamfers, to enhance fatigue resistance and bonding strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If uniform thickness rubber layers are used in the damping rubber spring, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the service life is short due to fatigue failure and cracking at the outer edges
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the thickness of rubber layers at different positions. The first and last rubber layers have greater thickness than the intermediate layers, creating a thickness gradient that distributes stress more evenly. This local variation in thickness prevents stress concentration at the outer edges of uniform-thickness layers, thereby reducing fatigue failure and cracking while extending service life.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the thickness parameter of rubber layers to optimize performance. By setting the first and last rubber layers with greater thickness (e.g., 1.5-2 times the thickness of intermediate layers), the design modifies the physical parameters of the rubber spring to better withstand cyclic loading and reduce fatigue failure, directly addressing the short service life problem.
2Ease of operation
If the rubber spring absorbs more vibration energy, then the driving smoothness improves, but the dynamic load on the vehicle body increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials by combining rubber layers with different thicknesses in a laminated structure. The varying thickness rubber layers create a composite system that optimizes both vibration absorption and load distribution. The thicker outer layers provide enhanced damping capacity for smoother driving, while the graduated thickness reduction toward intermediate layers helps manage and distribute dynamic loads more effectively across the spring structure.
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 proposed design significantly extends the service life of the rubber spring by 400% to over 25,000 km, improving driving smoothness, reducing dynamic load, and enhancing passenger comfort.
Implementation Method 1
the rubber acts as a buffer and a connection... absorb and eliminate vibration
Implementation Method 2
the metal acts as a frame and a support
Data Source
AI summary
A damping rubber spring for an automobile suspension, including: n rubber layers (2), n being a natural number not less than 3; n+1 metal partition layers (1) including an upper partition layer (4) and a lower partition layer (5), the n rubber layers (2) and the n+1 metal partition layers (1) being laminated alternately with each other, and the upper partition layer (4) being disposed in parallel with the lower partition layer (5), wherein an m-th rubber layer (2) starting from the upper partition layer (4) has a thickness or cross section area that is the same as that of an m-th rubber layer (2) starting from the lower partition layer (5).