Surface Spring Element With Supporting Wings to Reduce Wear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surface spring elements have a small effective support surface and significant relative movements between the support and the surface, leading to wear and suboptimal spring properties, which are not economically viable and do not effectively reduce noise or improve material stress distribution.
Innovation Solution
A surface spring element with a central bearing surface and laterally extending side surfaces that form supporting wings, creating a new kinematic relationship to minimize relative movement and optimize spring properties, produced as a one-piece injection molded part with stiffeners and ventilation recesses for enhanced stability and material efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional individual spring element with small bearing surface is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the relative movement between support and bearing surface is significant causing wear and suboptimal spring properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into a single surface spring element component. The element integrates the bearing surface, spring arms, and support structure into one unified plastic injection-molded part, eliminating the need for separate components and reducing relative movement between parts while maintaining manufacturability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extends the bearing surface laterally in horizontal directions to create supporting wings, transforming a small-point contact into a large-area distributed contact. This dimensional expansion of the bearing surface reduces relative movement and wear while improving spring properties
2Reliability
If the bearing surface is enlarged to reduce relative movement, then wear is reduced and spring properties improve, but the manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The enlarged bearing surface with supporting wings is integrated into a single plastic injection-molded component. This merging of the extended bearing structure into one manufacturable part avoids the need for additional components or assembly steps, maintaining manufacturing economy while achieving the enlarged bearing surface
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses plastic material with specific elastic properties to create the spring element. By selecting appropriate material parameters and designing the geometry (supporting wings, bearing surfaces), the element achieves both the enlarged bearing surface and the required spring characteristics in a single manufacturing process
3Ease of operation
If multiple separate components are used to create spring elements, then assembly flexibility is provided, but noise development increases and installation becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The surface spring element is produced as a single plastic injection-molded part, merging what would traditionally be multiple separate components. This eliminates interfaces between parts, preventing noise from relative movement and simplifying installation to a single component placement
Solution Approach 2:
While the main element is integrated, the patent allows for multiple surface spring elements to be distributed on a base structure. This segmentation at the system level provides assembly flexibility while each individual element remains noise-free due to its integrated construction
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 solution provides a large-area springing effect with uniform material stress, reducing relative movement and noise, while allowing for progressive spring core line and improved ventilation, resulting in extended service life and simplified installation.
Implementation Method 1
an upward counterforce is generated interactively in the lateral bearing surfaces, so that a new kinematic relationship is created as a major advantage, in which a free deformation the first bearing surface of the surface spring element downwards, the two side wings are raised upwards around virtual pivot axes
Implementation Method 2
this is produced in one piece as a one-component or multi-component injection molded part
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The surface spring element (1) has a leg part for mounting on a base with lateral support arms curved upwards in the opposite directions. A middle support surface (5) has two opposite lying lateral surfaces (6) laterally extending downwards with lower edges (7), at which support flanges (8) are formed, which swing back upwards and outwards in lateral direction and run into lateral support surfaces (4,9). A vertical load of the middle support surface generates a counter force aligned upwards in the lateral support surfaces interactive downwards.