Compact Shock Absorber Valve Structure for Higher Damping Force
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shock absorbers face a challenge in increasing damping force while maintaining a compact size, as increasing damping force typically requires a larger size.
Innovation Solution
A shock absorber design featuring a piston valve, upper guide member, hollow cylindrical expansion member, and elastic member, which adjusts fluid flow paths to enhance damping force through a combination of fluid and elastic resistance, allowing for variable damping characteristics without a significant increase in size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If the damping force is increased by using only fluid pressure, then the damping force increases, but the size of the shock absorber needs to be increased
Solution Approach 1:
The shock absorber divides the damping function into multiple segments: the piston valve provides primary damping through fluid pressure, while the expansion member with expansion holes provides additional damping through fluid flow control. This segmentation allows achieving higher damping force without proportionally increasing the overall size, as each segment contributes to the total damping effect independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The expansion member is nested within the cylinder, and the expansion holes are formed within the wall thickness of the expansion member. The piston valve is nested within the cylinder as well. This nested configuration allows multiple damping mechanisms to coexist in a compact arrangement, increasing damping force without significantly increasing the external dimensions of the shock absorber.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the damping force is set high to improve driving stability, then driving stability improves, but ride quality deteriorates due to inability to absorb vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The shock absorber provides different damping characteristics for compression and extension strokes through the differential valve configuration. During compression, the expansion member restricts fluid flow to provide high damping for stability. During extension, the valve configuration changes to allow greater fluid flow, providing softer damping that absorbs vibrations from road unevenness, thus maintaining both stability and ride quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve system changes the effective flow path parameters dynamically based on the stroke direction. The expansion member's position relative to the piston valve creates different flow restrictions during compression versus extension, effectively changing the damping parameter to match the required function: high damping for stability during compression, lower damping for vibration absorption during extension.
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 design effectively increases damping force and improves durability while maintaining a simple configuration, enhancing vehicle stability and ride quality.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic member interposed between the upper guide member and the body valve
Implementation Method 2
the piston valve generates a damping force by using a resistive force of a fluid while reciprocating in directions of compression and extension processes. In addition, the fluid generates a damping force while passing through the body valve during the compression and extension processes of the piston valve
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a shock absorber including a piston valve configured to be in a tube, a body valve installed at a lower side of the tube, a piston rod configured to having one end protruding while penetrating the piston valve, an upper guide member interposed between the piston valve and the body valve and having a plurality of upper guide flow paths formed outside a periphery of the upper guide member, and a plurality of upper guide holes formed inside the periphery of the upper guide member, and a hollow cylindrical expansion member having expansion through-holes through which the fluid having passed through the plurality of upper guide flow paths and the plurality of upper guide holes passes, the hollow cylindrical expansion member being configured to block the upper guide flow paths when the hollow cylindrical expansion member adjoins the upper guide member.