Steerable Suspension Actuator with Variable Piston Area
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Solution Overview
Problem
Additional axles in vehicles, such as cement trucks and tractor/trailer rigs, reduce maneuverability and turning radius, especially when backing up, due to weight restrictions and existing steerable suspension systems' limitations.
Innovation Solution
A steerable suspension system with a pressure-operated actuator that varies its effective piston area in response to steering knuckle rotation, allowing for stabilization and centering of the tie rod, enabling improved maneuverability without reducing turning radius.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If additional axles are included in vehicles to carry weights greater than 20,000 lbs, then the vehicle can carry heavier loads, but the turning radius is reduced and maneuverability is impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The suspension system allows the axle to dynamically change its orientation relative to the vehicle frame. The axle can be steered independently to change its tracking angle, enabling the vehicle to maintain a larger effective turning radius even with additional axles. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by making the axle configuration adaptable rather than fixed.
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle's steering system is segmented into independent controllable units. Each axle or steering assembly can be controlled separately, allowing differential steering angles between axles. This segmentation enables complex maneuvering patterns that maintain maneuverability while supporting heavy loads across multiple axles.
2Quantity of substance
If a steerable suspension system is used to maintain turning radius with additional axles, then the vehicle can carry heavy loads without reducing turning radius, but the system becomes problematic when backing up the vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that detect the steering position and vehicle motion state. When backing up is detected, the control system automatically adjusts the axle steering angles to appropriate values, providing feedback-driven assistance that simplifies reverse maneuvering despite the complexity of the steerable suspension system.
Solution Approach 2:
The steerable suspension system includes self-centering mechanisms that automatically return axles to neutral or predetermined positions after steering inputs. During backing operations, the system can autonomously manage axle orientations to facilitate safe reverse movement, reducing the operator's burden despite the system's inherent complexity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the effective piston area of the actuator is increased to apply greater stabilizing force, then the steering knuckle stabilization is improved, but the actuator cannot vary the force dynamically in response to steering angle
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator's effective piston area is made variable through mechanical design elements such as eccentrics or adjustable linkages. As the steering knuckle rotates, the effective piston area changes dynamically, automatically adjusting the stabilizing force to match the steering angle. This resolves the contradiction by making the actuator's force output adaptive rather than fixed.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator system transitions from a static, fixed-force design to a dynamic system where the piston area varies with steering position. This dynamic characteristic enables the actuator to provide optimal stabilization force at each steering angle, improving both stability and adaptability simultaneously.
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 system maintains vehicle maneuverability while carrying heavy loads by stabilizing the steering knuckle and centering the tie rod, preventing unwanted rotation during backing, thus enhancing operational safety and ease of handling.
Implementation Method 1
A pressure operated actuator is interconnected between a tie rod arm and an axle
Implementation Method 2
An actuator has an effective piston area that varies in response to rotation of a steering knuckle
Data Source
AI summary
A steerable suspension system may include a steering knuckle and an actuator, the actuator having an effective piston area which varies in response to rotation of the steering knuckle. A method of stabilizing a steerable suspension system may include applying a first level of pressure, thereby applying a stabilizing force to a steering knuckle and permitting rotation of the steering knuckle, and applying a second level of pressure, thereby preventing rotation of the steering knuckle. Another steerable suspension system may include an axle, a tie rod arm, and a pressure operated actuator interconnected between the tie rod arm and the axle.