Vehicle Suspension Strut With Compression-Only Damping Valve
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing suspension struts for vehicles face challenges in achieving faster reaction times during extension, as they often retain damping forces that hinder quick movement, and existing designs do not effectively manage damping forces differently between compression and extension phases.
Innovation Solution
A suspension strut design featuring a damper assembly with a side wall damper aperture and a valve mechanism that remains closed during extension, allowing fluid flow only during compression, combined with a floating piston and multiple chambers to manage pressure and volume effectively, reducing damping forces during extension and enhancing load-carrying capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a damper assembly provides damping force during both compression and extension, then the suspension strut maintains stability, but the extension reaction time becomes slower
Solution Approach 1:
The damper valve dynamically changes its state based on the operational phase: closed during compression to provide damping, and open during extension to reduce damping resistance. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to optimize performance for each phase independently, achieving fast extension response while maintaining compression stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The damping function is segmented into two distinct operational modes: compression damping (valve closed) and extension damping (valve open). By separating the damping behavior for compression and extension phases, the system can provide strong damping when needed (compression) while minimizing damping resistance during extension for faster response.
2Force
If the damper valve aperture is small, then damping force during compression is effective, but the valve requires larger differential pressure to open during extension
Solution Approach 1:
The valve aperture is positioned on the side wall of the damper assembly rather than on the end face. This spatial repositioning allows the full axial area of the damper assembly to be utilized for generating damping force during compression, while the side-wall location provides adequate perimeter area for the aperture to open with minimal differential pressure during extension.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the damper assembly are assigned different functions: the axial face area is dedicated to maximizing damping force generation, while the side wall area is utilized for the valve aperture to minimize opening pressure. This local differentiation optimizes both compression damping effectiveness and extension response characteristics.
3Productivity
If the first chamber volume is small, then the strut responds quickly to compression, but the piston is prone to bottoming out
Solution Approach 1:
The first cavity is pre-configured within the piston structure to provide additional volume to the first chamber. This preliminary volume expansion prevents the piston from bottoming out during compression while maintaining sufficiently small overall chamber volume to preserve quick compression response characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The first cavity is nested within the piston body, creating an internal volume that contributes to the first chamber's total volume. This nested configuration increases the effective volume without significantly increasing the external dimensions, thereby preventing piston bottoming out while maintaining compact size and fast response.
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 design enables faster extension reactions by minimizing damping forces during extension while maintaining effective damping during compression, reducing the risk of piston bottoming out and allowing for increased load capacity without increased maximum operating pressure.
Implementation Method 1
a bias device, wherein the bias device biases the plate towards the valve aperture and axial face to close the valve aperture
Implementation Method 2
fluid flowing through the damper assembly during relative compression between the first point and the second point causes the plate to move away from the valve aperture and axial face to open the damper valve
Implementation Method 3
a damper assembly adapted to provide a damping force as fluid flows through the damper assembly during relative compression between the first point and the second point
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A suspension strut (10) for a vehicle comprises :a first connector (12) for connecting to a first point on the vehicle; a second connector (14) for connecting to a second point on the vehicle; and a damper assembly (30) adapted to provide a damping force as fluid flows through the damper assembly (30) during relative compression between the first point and the second point, wherein the damper assembly (30) comprises a side wall (310) and a damper aperture (312) in the side wall (310), wherein the damper aperture (312) is open throughout operation of the strut (10) to allow fluid to flow through the damper assembly (30).