GB2290595A - Shock absorbing device - Google Patents

Shock absorbing device Download PDF

Info

Publication number
GB2290595A
GB2290595A GB9412750A GB9412750A GB2290595A GB 2290595 A GB2290595 A GB 2290595A GB 9412750 A GB9412750 A GB 9412750A GB 9412750 A GB9412750 A GB 9412750A GB 2290595 A GB2290595 A GB 2290595A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
shock absorbing
cylinder
housing
bearing means
present
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB9412750A
Other versions
GB9412750D0 (en
Inventor
Martin John Michael Murphy
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
METAL COMPOSITE TECHNOLOGY PLC
Original Assignee
METAL COMPOSITE TECHNOLOGY PLC
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by METAL COMPOSITE TECHNOLOGY PLC filed Critical METAL COMPOSITE TECHNOLOGY PLC
Priority to GB9412750A priority Critical patent/GB2290595A/en
Publication of GB9412750D0 publication Critical patent/GB9412750D0/en
Publication of GB2290595A publication Critical patent/GB2290595A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16F—SPRINGS; SHOCK-ABSORBERS; MEANS FOR DAMPING VIBRATION
    • F16F9/00—Springs, vibration-dampers, shock-absorbers, or similarly-constructed movement-dampers using a fluid or the equivalent as damping medium
    • F16F9/10—Springs, vibration-dampers, shock-absorbers, or similarly-constructed movement-dampers using a fluid or the equivalent as damping medium using liquid only; using a fluid of which the nature is immaterial
    • F16F9/14—Devices with one or more members, e.g. pistons, vanes, moving to and fro in chambers and using throttling effect
    • F16F9/16—Devices with one or more members, e.g. pistons, vanes, moving to and fro in chambers and using throttling effect involving only straight-line movement of the effective parts
    • F16F9/18—Devices with one or more members, e.g. pistons, vanes, moving to and fro in chambers and using throttling effect involving only straight-line movement of the effective parts with a closed cylinder and a piston separating two or more working spaces therein
    • F16F9/19—Devices with one or more members, e.g. pistons, vanes, moving to and fro in chambers and using throttling effect involving only straight-line movement of the effective parts with a closed cylinder and a piston separating two or more working spaces therein with a single cylinder and of single-tube type
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60G—VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS
    • B60G13/00—Resilient suspensions characterised by arrangement, location or type of vibration dampers
    • B60G13/001—Arrangements for attachment of dampers
    • B60G13/005—Arrangements for attachment of dampers characterised by the mounting on the axle or suspension arm of the damper unit
    • B60G13/008—Arrangements for attachment of dampers characterised by the mounting on the axle or suspension arm of the damper unit involving use of an auxiliary cylinder
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60G—VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS
    • B60G15/00—Resilient suspensions characterised by arrangement, location or type of combined spring and vibration damper, e.g. telescopic type
    • B60G15/02—Resilient suspensions characterised by arrangement, location or type of combined spring and vibration damper, e.g. telescopic type having mechanical spring
    • B60G15/06—Resilient suspensions characterised by arrangement, location or type of combined spring and vibration damper, e.g. telescopic type having mechanical spring and fluid damper
    • B60G15/067—Resilient suspensions characterised by arrangement, location or type of combined spring and vibration damper, e.g. telescopic type having mechanical spring and fluid damper characterised by the mounting on the vehicle body or chassis of the spring and damper unit
    • B60G15/068—Resilient suspensions characterised by arrangement, location or type of combined spring and vibration damper, e.g. telescopic type having mechanical spring and fluid damper characterised by the mounting on the vehicle body or chassis of the spring and damper unit specially adapted for MacPherson strut-type suspension
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60G—VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS
    • B60G3/00—Resilient suspensions for a single wheel
    • B60G3/01—Resilient suspensions for a single wheel the wheel being mounted for sliding movement, e.g. in or on a vertical guide
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16C—SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
    • F16C29/00—Bearings for parts moving only linearly
    • F16C29/04—Ball or roller bearings
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16F—SPRINGS; SHOCK-ABSORBERS; MEANS FOR DAMPING VIBRATION
    • F16F9/00—Springs, vibration-dampers, shock-absorbers, or similarly-constructed movement-dampers using a fluid or the equivalent as damping medium
    • F16F9/32—Details
    • F16F9/3207—Constructional features
    • F16F9/3214—Constructional features of pistons
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60G—VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS
    • B60G2204/00—Indexing codes related to suspensions per se or to auxiliary parts
    • B60G2204/40—Auxiliary suspension parts; Adjustment of suspensions
    • B60G2204/418—Bearings, e.g. ball or roller bearings
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60G—VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS
    • B60G2204/00—Indexing codes related to suspensions per se or to auxiliary parts
    • B60G2204/40—Auxiliary suspension parts; Adjustment of suspensions
    • B60G2204/423—Rails, tubes, or the like, for guiding the movement of suspension elements
    • B60G2204/4232—Sliding mounts
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16C—SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
    • F16C2326/00—Articles relating to transporting
    • F16C2326/01—Parts of vehicles in general
    • F16C2326/05—Vehicle suspensions, e.g. bearings, pivots or connecting rods used therein

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Vehicle Body Suspensions (AREA)

Abstract

A shock absorber comprises two relatively movable parts 1, 5 and includes a cage 11A, 11B carrying ball bearings in a gap 10 between the two parts, to reduce friction when the shock absorber is subjected to side loads. <IMAGE>

Description

SHOCK ABSORBING DEVICE The invention relates to a shock absorbing device. Such devices are used for a variety of purposes, but especially in the automotive industry to absorb shock as the vehicle travels over irregularities in the road surface.
One known shock absorbing device is called a MacPherson strut and comprises a cylinder containing a shock absorbing medium, the cylinder being disposed in a housing therefor, a piston in the cylinder being connected to an end wall of the housing. The cylinder will move longitudinally within the housing to absorb under shock loads and the piston and the medium move to absorb the forces. Bearings or bushes are present in the annulus between the outer wall of the cylinder and the opposite inner face of the housing fixed to the inner surface of the housing.
It has now been discovered that the bearing means in use generates high frictional forces as the cylinder moves in the housing, especially when the device is subjected to side loads. It is one object of this invention to provide a device in which the friction generated is reduced.
According to the invention in one aspect there is provided a shock absorbing device comprising two relatively movable parts, one of which contains a shock absorbing medium, bearing means being present in a gap between and in contact with opposite surfaces of the parts, the bearing means being movable in the direction of relative movement whereby one part may move relative to the other in a substantially friction-free manner.
The device may be constructed so that the part containing the shock absorbing medium is present within the other part which then constitutes a housing therefor.
Altematively the device may be constnrcted so that the other part is located within the first. In yet another variation the device includes both options. Typically the shock absorbing medium is a fluid, usually an oil.
In one specific aspect, the invention provides a shock absorbing device comprising a cylinder containing a shock absorbing medium, the cylinder being present in a cylindrical housing, an annulus being present in between, and mobile bearing means being present in the annulus in contact with the outside of the cylinder and the inside of the housing and arranged such that the cylinder may move relative to the housing in a substantially friction-free manner.
The bearing means may take a variety of forms. The means may be arranged to move linearly or preferably both linearly and in a rotary manner. The bearing means may comprise a linear bearing having a snake like race or track. Preferably the bearing means comprises ball bearings mounted in a cage and preferably arranged in a spiral. In use, the cage can rotate relative to the other parts or the other parts can rotate relative to a stationary cage. It is a preferred feature of the invention that the balls are preloaded, i.e. under slight pressure between the parts. The balls may be made of metal, ceramic or the like; the cage may be made of a metal such as aluminium.
In a further preferred feature of the invention the housing part is made of a thin steel tube, a lightweight material such as a metal matrix composite, preferably reinforced by fibres such as boron or carbon or both.
A shock absorbing device of the invention is of value in a wide variety of uses including for suspension systems of road vehicles, especially in racing cars, motor cycles; and the like.
In order that the invention may be well understood it will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a vertical section through a shock absorbing device of the invention; Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the bearing component in the device of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectional view through part of the wall of the start tube of Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a sectional view through another device of the invention.
The device comprises an outer cylinder or start tube 1 having a lower end wall 2 to which is secured the lower end of a shaft 3. The strut housing and the cylinder are made of steel or the like, and have smooth opposite faces. The upper end of that shaft forms a piston 4 which is housed in a cylinder 5 which is filled with shock absorbing oil in known fashion. The piston plate 6 may be apertured. The oil may be connected to a reservoir, not shown. As shown in Figure 3, the strut tube 1 preferably comprises an inner steel tube 1A, an inner layer of particulate metal matrix composite 1 B and an outer layer of bonded high boron and carbon fibre mix 1C. Such a strut tube has strength and stiffness but is of low weight.
An annulus 10 is present between the outside of the cylinder 5 and the inside of the strut tube 1. According to the invention the annulus contains as a bearing two sleeves 11 A, 11 B, separated by a spacer 12. The sleeves 11 A and 11B are the same and one is shown in Figure 2. Each sleeve is a ball cage and comprises a wall 13 formed of an aluminium or the like and having holes 14 each containing ball bearings 15, the parts being dimensioned such that the ball bearings contact the outside of the cylinder 5 and the inside of the strut tube 1. The wall bounding the holes 14 are swaged about the ball 15 to retain the ball but permit it to rotate in the holes so that they do not fall out but can still rotate freely. The holes 14 are arranged in a spiral.The spacer 12 is preferably formed of a low friction material such as NYLON. Because of the presence of the balls the cylinder and the strut 1 can undergo relative free movement with little or no friction. Because of the dimensioning of the parts, there is preloading between the bearing and the tube, whereby when the cylinder moves longitudinally in the strut; the cage will move also linearly and rotationally. In evaluations it has been possible to show that the frictional hysteresis without a side load is 220N, and when a side load of 65kg is applied the value is 213N. These values are from 25% to 48% below the levels experienced in known damper assembly systems.
The same reference numerals are used in relation to the embodiment of Figure 4 where the ball cage 11 is present within an annulus 10 inside the tube 1 and about the piston shaft 4. The bearing will allow the piston for to move relative to the body 1 in a relatively friction free manner.
The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown. Only one ball race cage can be present, in which case the spacer is omitted. The strut tube may be of known structure. The shock absorbing device may be of any shape and not just that shown.

Claims (8)

1. A shock absorbing device comprising two relatively movable parts, one of which contains a shock absorbing medium, bearing means being present in a gap between and in contact with opposite surfaces of the parts, the bearing means being movable in the direction of relative movement whereby one part may move relative to the other in a substantially friction-free manner.
2. A device according to Claim 1, wherein the part containing the shock absorbing medium is present within the other part which then constitutes a housing therefor.
3. A shock absorbing device according to Claim 1 or 2 comprising a cylinder containing a shock absorbing medium, the cylinder being present in a cylindrical housing, an annulus being present in between, and mobile bearing means being present in the annulus in contact with the outside of the cylinder and the inside of the housing and arranged such that the cylinder may move relative to the housing in a substantially friction-free manner.
4. A device according to any preceding Claim, wherein the bearing means is arranged for linear and/or rotational movement.
5. A device according to Claim 4, wherein the bearing means is a cage carrying ball bearings.
6. A device according to claim 5, wherein the bearings are preloaded between the cylinder and the housing.
7. A device according to Claim 3, wherein the housing comprises layers comprising a thin steel tube, a metal matrix composite and reinforcing fibres.
8. A device according to any preceding Claim, substantially as described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 or 4.
GB9412750A 1994-06-24 1994-06-24 Shock absorbing device Withdrawn GB2290595A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9412750A GB2290595A (en) 1994-06-24 1994-06-24 Shock absorbing device

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9412750A GB2290595A (en) 1994-06-24 1994-06-24 Shock absorbing device

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB9412750D0 GB9412750D0 (en) 1994-08-17
GB2290595A true GB2290595A (en) 1996-01-03

Family

ID=10757291

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB9412750A Withdrawn GB2290595A (en) 1994-06-24 1994-06-24 Shock absorbing device

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2290595A (en)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102005012072A1 (en) * 2005-03-16 2006-09-28 Volkswagen Ag Piston guide for use in e.g. pneumatic spring damper, has guiding rollers, which move piston into container such that piston slides and rolls at inner wall of container, where rollers are axially guided along grooves/ridges in wall
EP2463545A1 (en) * 2009-08-05 2012-06-13 Kayaba Industry Co., Ltd. Suspension device
US11105389B2 (en) 2019-02-15 2021-08-31 Goodrich Corporation Composite shock strut cylinder with integral metallic lower bearing carrier and sleeve

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN108626243B (en) * 2017-03-22 2021-06-11 舍弗勒技术股份两合公司 Linear guide system, linear guide device, control device and control method thereof

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB425923A (en) * 1932-11-09 1935-03-25 Georges Broulhiet Improvements in front wheel arrangements for vehicles
GB479533A (en) * 1936-08-24 1938-02-08 Ribbesford Company Ltd Improvements in or relating to rectilinear motion bearings
GB519997A (en) * 1937-10-08 1940-04-11 Stephen Leonard Chauncey Colem Improvements in or relating to fluid pressure spring devices
GB1226138A (en) * 1967-09-09 1971-03-24
GB1318262A (en) * 1969-09-10 1973-05-23 Bilstein August Kg Hydraulically damped vehicle suspension unit
US4306638A (en) * 1978-07-14 1981-12-22 General Motors Corporation Shock absorber for automotive suspension

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB425923A (en) * 1932-11-09 1935-03-25 Georges Broulhiet Improvements in front wheel arrangements for vehicles
GB479533A (en) * 1936-08-24 1938-02-08 Ribbesford Company Ltd Improvements in or relating to rectilinear motion bearings
GB519997A (en) * 1937-10-08 1940-04-11 Stephen Leonard Chauncey Colem Improvements in or relating to fluid pressure spring devices
GB1226138A (en) * 1967-09-09 1971-03-24
GB1318262A (en) * 1969-09-10 1973-05-23 Bilstein August Kg Hydraulically damped vehicle suspension unit
US4306638A (en) * 1978-07-14 1981-12-22 General Motors Corporation Shock absorber for automotive suspension

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102005012072A1 (en) * 2005-03-16 2006-09-28 Volkswagen Ag Piston guide for use in e.g. pneumatic spring damper, has guiding rollers, which move piston into container such that piston slides and rolls at inner wall of container, where rollers are axially guided along grooves/ridges in wall
EP2463545A1 (en) * 2009-08-05 2012-06-13 Kayaba Industry Co., Ltd. Suspension device
EP2463545A4 (en) * 2009-08-05 2013-09-04 Kayaba Industry Co Ltd Suspension device
US11105389B2 (en) 2019-02-15 2021-08-31 Goodrich Corporation Composite shock strut cylinder with integral metallic lower bearing carrier and sleeve

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB9412750D0 (en) 1994-08-17

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
WAP Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1)