Vehicle Shock Absorber Spring Element with Groove and Supporting Ring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spring elements for vehicle shock absorbers face challenges in achieving a soft start of force absorption and maintaining a consistent rigidity profile, with limitations in manufacturing and performance under high loads, particularly due to the geometric constraints and material deformation characteristics.
Innovation Solution
A spring element design featuring a base body with a groove and a supporting ring, where cutouts between the supporting ring and the base body allow for initial material deflection in the radial direction, smoothing the rigidity profile during compression and enhancing progressive behavior, while the supporting ring increases rigidity and service life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If peripheral bending lips are used to achieve soft run-up, then the soft start of force absorption is improved, but the manufacturing complexity and rejection rate increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the problematic bending lip geometry from the spring element design and replaces it with a simpler core structure. The soft run-up effect is achieved not through complex peripheral bending lips but through the fundamental geometric configuration of the hollow body itself, specifically through controlled material distribution in the wall thickness regions.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of adding complex bending lips to achieve soft run-up, the invention inverts the approach by using the basic hollow body geometry with strategically varied wall thicknesses to achieve the same effect. The soft run-up emerges from the inherent elasticity and geometry of the simplified structure rather than from added complexity.
2Ease of operation
If bending lips are used for soft run-up, then the force absorption characteristic is improved, but the rejection rate under high loads increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by varying the wall thickness at specific locations of the hollow body. Thinner walls in certain regions provide the soft run-up characteristic during initial compression, while thicker walls in other regions ensure structural integrity and reliability under high loads. This localized differentiation of material distribution resolves the contradiction between soft start and high-load performance.
3Ease of operation
If bending lips are used to achieve soft run-up, then the force absorption characteristic is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the costly bending lip feature from the design while retaining the essential soft run-up function through simpler geometric means. The hollow body with varied wall thicknesses can be manufactured more economically using standard foam molding or injection molding techniques, eliminating the need for complex post-processing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adopts a simpler, more economical structure that achieves the same functional effect at lower manufacturing cost. The basic hollow body geometry with controlled wall thicknesses is more suitable for cost-effective manufacturing processes compared to the complex bending lip design.
4Force
If the spring element is compressed, then the force absorption increases, but the rigidity profile becomes non-monotonous
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses local quality through spatially varying wall thicknesses to control the deformation behavior at different compression stages. The thinner wall regions deform first providing initial softness, while thicker regions remain elastic longer, creating a more monotonous and predictable rigidity profile as compression progresses.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention addresses the rigidity profile issue by moving from a uniform one-dimensional spring structure to a two-dimensional hollow body with controlled wall thickness distribution. This dimensional change allows for more sophisticated control over the force-deflection characteristic through geometric design rather than relying on material properties alone.
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 improves the compression behavior and run-up behavior of the spring element by smoothing the rigidity profile, ensuring a more consistent and progressive force-deflection characteristic curve, and extending the service life by limiting transverse extension and protecting the material.
Implementation Method 1
a base body (3) which extends along a longitudinal axis (L) and can be elastically deformed between an uncompressed basic state and a state in which it is compressed in the direction of the longitudinal axis
Implementation Method 2
the material of the base body can be deflected, on the one hand, in the direction of the longitudinal axis but, on the other hand, also outward in the radial direction
Implementation Method 3
the rigidity of the material also continuously increases
Data Source
AI summary
A spring element includes a longitudinal axis, a main body that extends along the longitudinal axis and which can be elastically deformed between an uncompressed base state and a state in which the main body is compressed in the direction of the longitudinal axis, a groove extending peripherally on the outside of the main body, and a supporting ring arranged in the groove. A plurality of cut-outs is formed between the supporting ring and the main body in the groove in the base state of the main body. A vehicle shock absorber and a vehicle can use the spring element.