Bolt-On Torsional Vibration Damper for Replaceable Elastomer Rings
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current torsional vibration dampers are complex, expensive, and difficult to manufacture and assemble, particularly when it comes to replacing elastomeric materials, and they do not easily allow for disassembly and reassembly.
Innovation Solution
A torsional vibration damper design featuring a hub connected to an inertia member through fasteners and elastomeric members, where the hub is coupled to the inertia member for rotation via compressed elastomeric members, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly, and enabling replacement of elastomeric rings while mounted on a shaft, with a dual common vertex construction to maintain uniform shear strain and a 'bolt-on' construction for simplified assembly and maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional torsional vibration dampers are designed with integrated elastomeric members, then vibration attenuation performance is maintained, but assembly complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The damper is divided into separate components: a hub assembly with fastener holes and an inertia member with elastomeric members. The elastomeric members are pre-installed on the inertia member, allowing the hub and inertia member to be assembled separately and then connected through the fasteners. This segmentation enables independent manufacturing and simplifies assembly while maintaining vibration attenuation performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastomeric members are extracted from the integrated design and pre-installed on the inertia member as a separate component. This allows the elastomeric members to be independently manufactured and replaced without requiring disassembly of the entire damper assembly, reducing assembly complexity while preserving the vibration damping function.
2Strength
If elastomeric members are integrated into the hub structure, then structural integrity is improved, but ease of maintenance and replacement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The damper assembly is segmented into a hub portion and an inertia member portion connected by fasteners. The elastomeric members are attached to the inertia member, allowing them to be replaced by removing only the fasteners without damaging the hub structure. This maintains structural integrity while enabling easy maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastomeric members are designed as replaceable components that can be discarded when worn and recovered/reinstalled after replacement. The fastener connection system allows the elastomeric members to be easily removed and reinstalled on the inertia member, facilitating maintenance without compromising the overall structural integrity of the damper.
3Strength
If multiple fasteners are used to connect hub and inertia member, then connection strength is improved, but manufacturing cost and assembly time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The connection system is segmented into multiple identical fastener units that can be independently installed. Each fastener provides equal connection strength, and the standardized design allows for parallel assembly operations, reducing overall assembly time while maintaining strong connections between the hub and inertia member.
Solution Approach 2:
The fasteners are designed as universal, standardized components that perform multiple functions: providing structural connection strength, enabling easy assembly and disassembly, and allowing for tool-based tightening. This multi-functionality reduces the need for specialized components, lowering manufacturing costs while maintaining assembly 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
The design simplifies assembly and maintenance, reduces parasitic inertia, and allows for easy replacement of elastomeric materials, enhancing the damper's effectiveness and cost-effectiveness while maintaining vibration attenuation performance.
Implementation Method 1
an elastomer, which provides a spring damper system for the torsional vibration damper
Implementation Method 2
by viscous damping due to the elastomeric material and the inertial system
Implementation Method 3
a dual common vertex construction to maintain uniform shear strain
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Torsional vibration dampers are disclosed that have a hub having a plate extending radially outward about a shaft-receiving member, a first portion of an inertia member defining a back face and a bore therethrough and having an annular flange concentric about the axis of rotation, a first elastomeric member and a second elastomeric member positioned against opposite sides of the plate, and a second portion of the inertia member fastened to the first portion of the inertia member by one or more fasteners, thereby placing the first and second elastomeric members in compression. The shaft-receiving member of the hub is positioned in the bore with the plate of the hub spaced a distance from an interior surface of the annular flange, and the plate of the hub and the interior surfaces of each of the first and second portions of the inertia member facing the plate define dual common vertices.