Shock Absorber Spring Pre-Load Adjustment Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shock absorber systems lack an efficient method for adjusting spring pre-load, particularly in inaccessible vehicle locations, where traditional tools are cumbersome and require disassembly.
Innovation Solution
A wrench-nut combination with axial wrench retainer lugs and dovetail slot engagement allows for positive retention and ratcheting during rotation, enabling adjustment of spring pre-load without disassembly, using a standard square drive socket wrench arm for extended reach.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional tools are used to adjust spring pre-load in shock absorbers, then the adjustment can be performed, but the process requires disassembly and is cumbersome in inaccessible vehicle locations
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment mechanism is nested within the shock absorber assembly itself. The wrench retainer lugs are integrated into the shock absorber body, and the socket wrench arm nests within the adjustment mechanism, eliminating the need for external tools and disassembly while maintaining adjustability
Solution Approach 2:
The shock absorber adjustment mechanism is designed to be self-servicing through the integrated wrench retainer lugs and socket interface. The system allows operators to perform adjustments using standard square drive socket wrenches that interface directly with the built-in retainers, eliminating the need for specialized tools or disassembly procedures
2Ease of operation
If a standard square drive socket wrench arm is used with extended reach, then accessibility to hard-to-reach locations is improved, but the wrench may not be positively retained during rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The wrench retainer lugs are designed with asymmetric geometry featuring dovetail slots that mate with corresponding protrusions on the socket wrench arm. This asymmetric configuration provides positive mechanical retention in the rotational direction while allowing insertion and removal, ensuring the wrench remains securely engaged during adjustment operations
Solution Approach 2:
The socket wrench arm serves as an intermediary between the operator's manual force and the adjustment mechanism. The standardized square drive interface acts as a mediator that accommodates various wrench sizes while the dovetail slot engagement ensures positive retention, bridging the gap between accessibility requirements and reliable force transmission
3Reliability
If axial wrench retainer lugs with dovetail slot engagement are implemented, then positive retention and ratcheting during rotation is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of designing a complex locking mechanism to retain the wrench, the invention inverts the approach by using the standard socket wrench interface itself as the retention mechanism. The dovetail slots are formed in the retainer lugs that mate with the socket wrench, allowing the common tool to provide its own retention through the asymmetric geometry rather than requiring an additional complex locking system
4Ease of operation
If adjustment mechanism allows ratcheting during wrench repositioning, then ease of operation in inaccessible locations is improved, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer lugs are designed with dynamic characteristics that allow the socket wrench to rack or ratchet during repositioning operations. The dovetail slot geometry permits controlled movement in one direction while maintaining retention, enabling the operator to easily reposition the wrench around the shock absorber body without requiring complex cam or spring-based ratcheting mechanisms
Data Source
AI summary
A wrench and nut combination, including: a wrench lug including: a wrench lug feature that substantially mates with a nut feature of a nut of a shock absorber during a first rotation of said nut, relative to external body threads on a body of the shock absorber, in a first direction, wherein the wrench lug feature and the nut feature release during a second rotation of said nut, relative to the external body threads, in a second direction, wherein at least one of the first rotation and the second rotation causes an adjustment to a compressive coil spring pre-load of a set of coil springs disposed in the shock absorber.