Strut Bearing Injection Molded Guide Ring Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing strut bearings are complex to assemble and produce, with multiple components leading to increased material and production costs, and are prone to positioning errors during assembly.
Innovation Solution
A strut bearing design featuring a cap and guide ring connected via a snap-on connection with a plain bearing injection molded onto the guide ring, forming a two-component part that reduces components and simplifies assembly, and includes an undercut to prevent rotational motion between the guide ring and plain bearing, with a labyrinth seal for contamination prevention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the plain bearing and guide ring are produced as separate components, then assembly flexibility is maintained, but the number of components increases leading to higher material and production costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the plain bearing and guide ring into a single integrated component produced via injection molding. This merging eliminates the need for separate production and assembly of these two parts, directly reducing the total component count and associated material and production costs while maintaining functional requirements
2Manufacturing precision
If the plain bearing and guide ring are assembled separately, then manufacturing flexibility is preserved, but positioning errors occur during assembly
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the plain bearing and guide ring into one molded component, the patent eliminates positioning errors that would otherwise occur during separate assembly. The single-piece construction ensures precise relative positioning is built-in during manufacturing rather than requiring separate alignment and assembly operations
Solution Approach 2:
The injection molding process creates the plain bearing and guide ring with their precise relative positions established in advance during a single manufacturing operation. This preliminary formation of the correct geometric relationship prevents positioning errors before assembly even begins
3Productivity
If the guide ring and plain bearing are separate components, then individual replacement is possible, but assembly time and labor increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the plain bearing and guide ring into one component to eliminate the assembly step, directly increasing assembly speed and productivity. While this reduces the ability to replace individual components, the overall system complexity is reduced and the integrated component can be replaced as a single unit, balancing repair considerations against manufacturing efficiency
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 design reduces material and production costs, simplifies assembly, minimizes positioning errors, and eliminates the need for additional lubrication, while maintaining stability and reducing friction through the use of glass fiber-reinforced plastic and non-reinforced plastics.
Implementation Method 1
the guide ring and the plain bearing, which are connected to each other with an adhesive bond
Implementation Method 2
reduces friction through the use of glass fiber-reinforced plastic and non-reinforced plastics
Implementation Method 3
with a labyrinth seal for contamination prevention
Data Source
AI summary
A strut bearing including a cap (2) and a guide ring (3) rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation (D) relative to the cap (2) and including at least one seal, wherein a plain bearing (4) is disposed between the cap (2) and the guide ring (3), and the plain bearing (4) is injection molded onto the guide ring (3).