Spring Seat Partition for Ice and Mud Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spring seats in vehicle suspension systems are prone to accumulating ice, snow, and mud, which can cause unbalanced stress and weight, leading to potential safety and reliability issues when frozen rainwater accumulates in recessed areas.
Innovation Solution
A spring seat design featuring an upright partition portion integrated with the support portion, which covers the side surface of the spring and has a height equal to or greater than the recessed portion, divides the space to break down large foreign matter sizes into smaller pieces and includes a guide surface for upward or lateral discharge of foreign materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If rainwater accumulates in the recess of the rubber seat portion and freezes into ice, then the spring seat can receive the coil spring, but foreign matters (ice, snow, mud) cling to the spring and spring seat causing unexpended stress
Solution Approach 1:
The spring seat is divided into a resinous seat portion and a rubber seat portion with distinct functions. The rubber seat portion includes a recess for receiving the end turn, while the upright partition portion extends to cover the side surface of the spring, creating segmented functional zones that prevent foreign matter accumulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The upright partition portion converts the potential harm of foreign matter accumulation into a beneficial discharge mechanism. The guide surface on the partition portion directs ice, snow, and mud away from the spring and spring seat, transforming the harmful accumulation into a controlled discharge process that prevents unexpended stress.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the spring seat structure is designed to get rid of blocks of ice, then foreign matters can be discharged, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The upright partition portion is formed integrally with the support portion, merging the supporting function and the foreign matter discharge function into a single integrated structure. This eliminates the need for separate components while achieving both spring support and foreign matter discharge capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The upright partition portion serves multiple functions: it covers the side surface of the spring to prevent foreign matter clinging, provides a guide surface for discharging accumulated foreign matters, and maintains structural support. This multi-functionality reduces overall device complexity while achieving multiple objectives.
Data Source
AI summary
A spring seat is interposed between a spring and a suspension arm supporting the spring. The spring seat includes a support portion for supporting the spring, and an upright partition portion disposed on one side of the spring seat in a lateral direction of the spring seat. The upright partition portion is formed integrally with the support portion for covering a side surface of the spring. The suspension arm includes a recessed portion supporting the spring, and the partition portion has a height equal to or greater than a height of the recessed portion. The partition portion includes a guide surface for upward or laterally guiding foreign matters coming from an outside of the spring seat in the lateral direction of the spring seat.