Spherical Holed Rubber Hinge Structure for Smooth Variable Stiffness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spherical hinge type rubber elastic elements with a holed structure suffer from stress concentration, bending deformation, and sudden changes in stiffness, which compromise their ability to provide variable stiffness and effective vibration damping, especially under varying load conditions.
Innovation Solution
A holed spherical hinge type rubber elastic element design featuring two symmetrically arranged axial hole structures with outer and inner arc-shaped surfaces and obtuse-angled side surfaces, where the side surfaces are connected with chamfers to facilitate gradual contact and maximize the contact area, preventing bending deformation and ensuring smooth stiffness increase.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional fan-shaped holed structure with circular arcs is used, then the product achieves variable stiffness, but the rubber undergoes bending deformation and stress concentration under radial compression
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional circular arc transitions with spherical surface transitions in the holed structure. The hole structure includes a first spherical surface and a second spherical surface that are smoothly connected, eliminating the bending deformation and stress concentration that occurs with circular arc designs under radial compression.
2Force
If the distance between inner and outer circular arcs is designed for variable stiffness, then the product limits displacement under maximum load, but the stiffness changes suddenly rather than smoothly
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical surfaces provide smooth transitions between different stiffness states. As the rubber deforms under load, the spherical geometry ensures continuous contact and gradual stiffness increase, eliminating the sudden stiffness changes that occur with circular arc designs.
3Force
If the rubber surfaces of inner and outer arcs are designed to contact suddenly under deformation, then high stiffness is achieved under maximum load, but vibration damping and flexible connection effects are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical surfaces ensure continuous and smooth contact between the rubber and the hole structure during deformation. This gradual contact maintains continuous stiffness variation, which preserves the vibration damping and flexible connection effects that are lost in designs with sudden contact.
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 eliminates stress concentration, prevents rubber fractures, and achieves a smooth increase in stiffness, enhancing the dynamic performance and comfort of vehicles by maintaining variable stiffness without sudden changes, thereby improving vibration damping and extending the product's fatigue life.
Implementation Method 1
Spherical hinge products can achieve effects such as vibration damping, traction, flexible connection according to their different installation positions and design functions in the loading operation process of a vehicle
Data Source
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AI summary
A holed and spherical hinge type rubber elastic element comprises a spindle (1), rubber (2) sleeved outside the spindle (1), and a jacket (3) sleeved outside the rubber (2). Two hole structures are disposed symmetrically on the rubber (2) by using the circle center as an axis. The hole structures penetrate through the axial direction of the rubber (2). Each hole structure comprises an outer cambered surface (1 b) close to the side the of the jacket (3), an inner cambered surface (2b) close to the side of the spindle (1), and two side surfaces (3b) connected to the outer cambered surface (1b) and the inner cambered surface (2b). The inner cambered surface (2b) has a radian in the same direction of the jacket (3), and the included angle between a normal of the inner cambered surface (2b) and each side surface (3b) is an obtuse angle. The novel rubber holed structure can smoothly increase the variable stiffness, can prevent the rubber at the holed position being bent and deformed, and can prevent generation of crackles of the rubber.