Strut Mount Cap With Pressure-Relief Valve for Water Tightness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing strut mount caps face challenges in ensuring easy assembly and maintaining water tightness while preventing rust due to high internal pressures and temperature variations, leading to potential detachment and reduced effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A strut mount cap featuring a cap body, annular water stop lip, press-fit tube, and check valve that allows easy assembly and maintains water tightness by adjusting to internal pressure changes, using a press-fit tube with a check valve to seal or open the hole based on pressure conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cap is press-fitted into a hole to prevent water entry, then water tightness is improved, but the cap may detach due to vibration and pressure changes
Solution Approach 1:
The cap is made of elastic material that can deform flexibly. The elastic body deforms elastically under internal pressure to open the hole and returns to its original shape to close the hole when pressure decreases, maintaining both water tightness and allowing pressure release.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap transitions from a static press-fit structure to a dynamic system where the elastic body can change its state based on internal pressure conditions, opening and closing the hole as needed while maintaining secure retention through elastic deformation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the hole is sealed to prevent water entry, then rust prevention is improved, but internal pressure buildup may cause damage
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic body acts as a pressure-sensitive feedback mechanism that automatically opens the hole when internal pressure reaches a certain level, releasing pressure, and automatically closes when pressure decreases, maintaining a balance between sealing and pressure relief.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap changes its sealing parameter dynamically based on internal pressure conditions. When pressure is low, the hole is sealed; when pressure increases, the hole opens. This parameter change allows the system to adapt to varying pressure conditions while preventing rust.
3Stress or pressure
If a check valve is added to control pressure, then pressure management is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic body serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the check valve function for pressure control, maintains the press-fit connection to the hole, and provides the sealing function. This multi-functionality reduces overall device complexity despite adding pressure control capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The check valve function is merged with the cap structure itself rather than being a separate component. The elastic body that forms the cap also acts as the pressure-sensitive valve mechanism, combining sealing and pressure control functions in a single integrated structure.
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 cap ensures easy assembly, maintains effective water tightness by preventing detachment, and enhances rust prevention by adapting to pressure fluctuations, ensuring consistent sealing performance.
Implementation Method 1
holding a cap to a hole by a frictional force due to elastic deformation of the cap press-fit member
Implementation Method 2
an annular water stop lip provided on an outer periphery of the cap body, and in elastic contact with the upper surface of the strut mount to prevent water from entering the hole
Data Source
AI summary
A strut mount cap is provided on an upper surface of a strut mount, and is configured to close a hole housing a fastening component for the strut mount and a shock absorber. The strut mount cap includes a cap body configured to close the hole, an annular water stop lip provided on an outer periphery of the cap body and in elastic contact with the upper surface of the strut mount to prevent water from entering the hole, a press-fit tube provided on a back side of the cap body and held on an inner peripheral surface of the hole by being press-fitted into the hole, and a check valve configured to open the hole when an internal pressure in the hole is equal to or higher than a preset pressure, and close the hole when the internal pressure is lower than the preset pressure.