Strut Assembly Coil Spring Housing Nesting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing strut assemblies for heavy-duty vehicles are insufficient to carry loads when the air spring loses pressure or the hydraulic damper fails, as the coil spring is not adequately sized to handle such conditions.
Innovation Solution
The strut assembly features a coil spring with an inner diameter larger than the housing, allowing it to be positioned within the coil spring, enabling a heavier coil spring to be used that can accommodate the full load of the vehicle, even if the air spring and damper malfunction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the coil spring is positioned inside the housing, then the strut assembly structure is compact, but the coil spring cannot be sized large enough to carry heavy-duty vehicle loads when the air spring fails
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is positioned inside the coil spring, creating a nested configuration where the smaller housing-containing-rod assembly is enclosed within the larger coil spring. This nesting allows the coil spring to be sized for heavy-duty load capacity while maintaining a compact overall structure, as the housing occupies the internal space of the coil spring.
2Strength
If the coil spring is sized to carry the full vehicle load, then the strut assembly can support heavy-duty vehicles when air spring or damper fails, but the coil spring becomes excessively large when positioned outside the housing
Solution Approach 1:
By nesting the housing within the coil spring, the patent enables the coil spring to achieve the necessary size for full load-carrying capacity without excessive external dimensions. The housing fills the internal volume of the coil spring, allowing the coil spring to be as large as needed for strength while maintaining a compact overall footprint.
3Reliability
If the coil spring is made heavier to accommodate full vehicle loads, then the strut assembly can sustain loads during air spring or damper failure, but the overall weight of the strut assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The nested configuration allows the heavier coil spring to be positioned inside the housing rather than outside, which distributes the weight more efficiently and utilizes the internal volume of the housing. This nesting enables the use of a heavier, more reliable coil spring without proportionally increasing the overall strut assembly weight, as the housing provides structural containment.
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 ensures that the strut assembly can sustain the entire load of a heavy-duty vehicle by using a larger coil spring that can support the weight independently in case of air spring or damper failure, enhancing load-carrying capacity and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
The flexible membrane is configured for receiving a pressurized gas to form an air spring. The air spring biases the mounting plate away from the housing along the longitudinal axis.
Implementation Method 2
The coil spring biases the mounting plate away from the housing along the longitudinal axis.
Data Source
AI summary
A strut assembly includes a damper having a housing and a rod moveable relative to the housing along a longitudinal axis. The strut assembly includes a flexible membrane configured to receive a pressurized gas to form an air spring. A coil spring defines an inner diameter with the housing disposed within the inner diameter to permit relative movement between the coil spring and the housing. The coil spring is at least partially disposed outside the flexible membrane relative to the longitudinal axis.