Shock Absorber Valve Disk Segmentation for Damping Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shock absorbers face challenges in reducing the damping coefficient in the medium-high speed range due to limitations in enlarging the valve body diameter and pressure-receiving area without compromising piston strength or increasing the cylinder diameter.
Innovation Solution
The shock absorber design features a piston with alternating expansion-side and contraction-side passages, arc-shaped outer seat portions, and straight inner seat portions that connect middle seat portions to form a ring shape, allowing for a wider flow passage area and easier valve body operation, while maintaining piston strength without enlarging the cylinder diameter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If fan-shaped seats are used to increase valve body diameter for easier bending, then valve body bending is facilitated, but pressure-receiving area cannot be enlarged
Solution Approach 1:
The seat is divided into multiple fan-shaped segments arranged circumferentially. Each fan-shaped seat portion can be independently designed to optimize both the valve body bending characteristics and the pressure-receiving area. The segmentation allows the pressure-receiving area to be distributed across multiple seats while maintaining manageable valve body dimensions for each individual seat.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single large annular seat to multiple fan-shaped seats arranged in a circumferential pattern. This dimensional reorganization allows the pressure-receiving area to be extended in the circumferential direction rather than requiring a larger radial dimension, thereby enabling both adequate pressure-receiving area and manageable valve body diameter.
2Area of stationary object
If annular seat structure is used to enlarge pressure-receiving area, then pressure reception is improved, but inlet port arrangement becomes difficult without increasing cylinder diameter
Solution Approach 1:
The single annular seat is segmented into multiple fan-shaped seats arranged circumferentially. This segmentation creates distributed inlet and outlet ports that can be arranged in a compact pattern within the existing cylinder diameter. Each fan-shaped seat unit has its own inlet and outlet ports, allowing complex flow paths to be achieved without increasing the overall cylinder size.
Solution Approach 2:
The fan-shaped seat arrangement allows for dynamic optimization of port positions and sizes. The circumferential arrangement of multiple seats enables flexible configuration of inlet and outlet ports to achieve desired flow characteristics while maintaining a compact overall structure that fits within the original cylinder diameter constraints.
3Productivity
If valve body diameter is increased to reduce damping coefficient in medium-high speed range, then damping control is improved, but piston strength is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The valve body is divided into multiple smaller valve elements corresponding to each fan-shaped seat, rather than using a single large valve body. This segmentation allows each individual valve element to maintain adequate strength while collectively providing the large total opening area needed to reduce the damping coefficient in the medium-high speed range. The distributed arrangement of multiple small valves achieves the flow capacity of a large valve without the structural weaknesses.
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
This configuration effectively reduces the damping coefficient in the medium-high speed range, improving ride quality by facilitating valve body opening and maintaining structural integrity.
Implementation Method 1
a damping force caused by a pressure difference between the two chambers
Implementation Method 2
the valve body resists against a flow of the hydraulic fluid passing between the chambers through the passage
Implementation Method 3
two chambers partitioned by the piston and filled with a hydraulic fluid
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A shock absorber (S) includes an expansion-side passage (2A) and a contraction-side passage (2B) provided in a valve disk (1) to allow two chambers (L1 and L2) to communicate with each other and arranged alternately side by side along a circumferential direction, seats (3A and 3B) provided to surround an outlet port (12) of the expansion-side passage (2A) or an outlet port (15) of the contraction-side passage (2B), and valve bodies (4A and 4B). The seats (3A and 3B) has an arc-shaped outer seat portion (30), middle seat portions (31) extending from respective both ends in a circumferential direction of the outer seat portion (30) toward a center axis (X) side of the piston (1), and an inner seat portion (32) extending from center axis (X) side ends of the middle seat portions (31) oppositely to the outer seat portion side in a circumferential direction to connect the neighboring middle seat portions (31). The inner seat portion (32) is placed on a straight line (Y) that connects the center axis (X) side ends of the middle seat portions (31).