Title:

Spring Device

Background of the Invention;

The invention relates to a spring device.

The invention relates in particular to a soft spring device, i.e. a spring device having a very flat force deflection curve. A rather weak force which is applied to the spring device extends it already by a relatively large deflection.

Normally it is not a great problem to softly dissipate small masses. However, the soft dissipation of greater masses is troublesome, so that compromises have to be found, due to which the desired soft dissipation of greater masses cannot be achieved any more. The problem arises that the coupling of greater masses to soft spring devices leads, even in the case of small accelerations, to critically long linear deflections causing critical accelerations during the negative deflection. To eluci¬ date this by an example it can be stated that it is

desired in the car construction art to mount the engine of a car in principle as soft as possible. In case mount¬ ings having the desired soft spring characteristics are used this results in so great oscillating amplitudes of the motor block even if the street is not very rough, that serious problems arise with respect to the power transmission from the engine to the wheels driven. In addition the driving comfort is negatively influenced. Under certain circumstances this affects also the stability of the car while driving. Due to said behaviour the engines of cars have been mounted harder so far as it has been desired for the driving comfort. The same holds true for numerous other problems in the art of mountings with re¬ spect to the supporting mounting as well as with the suspension mounting. Such problems arise for instance when mounting fixed oscillating engines, when mounting measuring devices and measuring tables and when mounting complete industrial buildings.

Summary of the Invention:

Having regard to the prior art mentioned above, it is an object of the present invention to develop a spring device which is able to softly dissipate also greater masses, in particular strong acting forces whereby the total extension of the spring, i.e. the total linear deflection, is sub¬ stantially shorter than the linear deflection required for the effective soft dissipation of the acting forces or the mass to be dissipated, respectively.

The above object is solved according to the present inven¬ tion by a spring device having an abrupt steep rise within the linear range of its force deflection curve

wherein F is the force and s is the linear deflection, i.e. the linear extension, of the spring.

In particular, the object of the present invention is achieved by the fact that the linear range of the force deflection curve, which is the effective range thereof, is divided into two subranges which are set-off in a parallel manner with respect to each other. Consequently the energy, which is introduced into the spring device or the spring device system, respectively, by the acce¬ lerated mass to be spring mounted (or accelerated load to be spring mounted) , is dissipated softly or at least substantially in a linear fashion at the beginning and during the end phase of the spring deflection. However, the substantial part and very often the main part of the energy introduced into the system is rigidly dissipated in the middle range of the spring deflection or the middle range of the linear deflection, respectively. It depends on the particular situation and the requirements of each case how said three ranges are quantitatively arranged or distributed, respectively. Preferably about 30 to 70, and in particular 40 to 60% of the total energy, which is introduced into the spring device during one load is dissipated rigidly to not more than 20%, preferably 1 to 10%, of the total linear deflection required. However, about 1 to 10% of the total energy introduced into the

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spring system is dissipated during the initial phase of the spring deflection, i.e. at the beginning of the linear deflection, within the linear range of the force deflection curve .

In the case of an only weakly damping spring the force deflection curve is symmetric within the negative deflection range to the force deflection curve of the spring during the initial load. This is also valid for a pressure spring within the range of the extension of the spring body and for a tension spring within the range of the contraction of the spring exceeding the origin.

This form of the force deflection curve of the spring device according to the present invention is based on the finding that the energy of an accelerated mass coupled thereto, said energy being transferred rigidly or even in an unsprung manner via an intermediate spring to a reference system connected with the bearing of the spring, does practically not negatively influence the reference system as long as the mass of the load to be dissipated in the case of a given acceleration or amplitude is rela¬ tively small compared to the mass of the reference system. Said influence affects the reference system only then when the mass of the load to be dissipated increases so that a soft dissipation of the accelerated mass coupled would be only necessary within this range if the reference system shall not be substantially disturbed.

The above said shall now be elucidated by an example. For this example it is assumed that a car has a weight of for instance 1500 kg and is equipped with an engine the weight of which is only 25 kg. With respect to the driving be¬ haviour and the oscillating behaviour of the car such a small engine could be oscillated in practically any

desired manner without substantially influencing the driving comfort of the car. In this example resonance effects are of course neglected. If the car is, however, equipped with an engine weighing for instance 100 kg and representing therefore a relatively large mass compared to the car which itself is also spring mounted, then the oscillations performed by such an engine influence the driving comfort and the driving stabilities of such a car quite intensively. In case it would be desired to provide for a linear and soft or even very soft dissipation of such a heavy engine in the desired manner over the complete working range the engine would perform linear deflections or would oscillate with an amplitude, respectively, which would be very similar to a trampoline. This is not accept¬ able for the car production industry. The present invention remedies this deficiency. In the case of oscillations having small amplitudes a great to very great part of the energy introduced by the load into the spring is dissipated after a short initial spring range as rigidly as possible and in the desired manner. The amount of said rigidly dissipated energy depends in each case on the inert mass of the re¬ ference system coupled to the bearing of the spring. Said mass will be excited by the rigidly dissipated part of the energy to a degree which is neglectable small under the circumstances given. Only thereafter that part of the energy introduced by the load into the spring is softly dissipated by the spring which would not simply accelerate the inert mass of the reference system. The result of said hard dissipation (i.e. the dissipation having a short linear deflection within that range in which the energy transferred via the rigid spring force deflection curve to the inert mass of the reference system is not sufficient to accelerate said inert mass in a disturbing manner) is a substantial reduction of the linear deflection of the normally softly dissipating suspension spring. The reduction

of the linear deflection which can be achieved compared to a linear force deflection curve depend of course on the circumstances of each case, but amounts in general to 50 to 80%.

It is obvious for an expert that the explanations given above are not only valid for the case that the spring device is loaded, but also for the negative deflection range extending above the origin of the spring, provided that the spring device or the spring system, respectively, is designed correspondingly.

The above described process for dissipating relatively heavy masses or the manufacturing of a spring device having the force deflection curve described above can be achieved in rather different manners whereby the ex¬ pert will take into account the conditions and require¬ ments of any particular case.

The simplest manner for providing for a spring system having an abrupt steep rise in the force deflection curve is a combination of a soft suspension spring and a control spring, the latter being a kinking spring and being parallel arranged to the suspension spring so that a coupling (normally a mechanical engagement) takes place only after an uncoupled prerun of the suspension spring has taken place which is dependent on the particular case in re. Thereby the kinking point of the kinking spring, i.e. the linear deflection of the control spring, at which point it practically loses its spring elasticity, is smaller or shorter, respectively, than the linear de¬ flection which represents the upper limit of the linear section of the force deflection curve. In the case described above all linear deflections refer to the same system and the same origin of the system. Thereby the symiretry-of-:thefo:_ce-<iϊef_ection curve of the spring can be

extended over the origin of the system to the negative deflection range. This is preferably realized by providing for a second backward control spring which can be coupled after a corresponding prerun, said second control spring being symmetrical to the above described first control spring and having spring characteristics which are identical with those of the first control spring.

The spring devices having a kinking force deflection curve which are used as control springs in the spring system of the present invention are known as such. Such spring devices may be and are preferably bistable springs, i.e. springs having two stable final positions such as oversnapping leaf springs or spring-lever-mechanisms, overextendable spiral tension springs or rubber springs having a wall- kinking effect, such as cellular or foamed material or buffers having hollow cavities. Said spring devices lose their elasticity almost completely after a critical load or a critical linear deflection, respectively, has been surpassed since the elastically dissipating walls are kinked in.

According to a further embodiment of the present invention the spring device of the present invention consists pre¬ ferably of rubber springs only. The suspension spring is preferably a rubber buffer having bores and cavities therein, whereas the suspension spring.is a kinking mounting having hollow chambers. According to the present invention a rubber buffer having bores and cavities therein is a usual solid-rubber buffer having channels and/or hollow chambers or being inter¬ spersed therewith which\ do not exhibit wall kinking effects even though they can be strongly deformed and even completely pressed together. A kinking mounting having hollow chambers is for instance a section of a rubber hose which, when being loaded in the axial direction and ex-

hibiting a steep range of the force deflection curve is compressable in the beginning by pressing the cylinder jacket until the cylinder walls caused by small variations of the tension lines within the material kink away side- wardly, outwardly or inwardly whereby practically no restoring force is acting against the load. The spring device of the present invention is preferably a pressure spring or a load spring but can be also a tension spring system.

The spring device according to the present invention is preferably used for the construction of engine mountings for cars.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention is explained more fully below with reference to embodiments of the invention referring to the drawings. Said drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 shows a diagram of the force deflection curve of the spring device or spring system, respectively, according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 shows a diagram of a typical force de¬ flection curve for the control spring;

Fig. 3 shows a diagram elucidating schematically the function of a first embodiment of the spring device of the present invention; and

Fig. 4 shows also a diagram elucidating the function schematically of a second

embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 1 shows the diagram of a force deflection curve in which the force F is reported as a function of the linear deflection s of the spring. The typical form of a force deflection curve 1 of the spring device according to the present invention is shown by a full line. After an initial soft linear section 2 the force deflection curve shows a rise which is more or less steep or abrupt. Then after a short linear deflection the force deflection curve verges into the following section 4 which represents the real linear working range of the spring. Thereby at least the sections 2 and 4,which are substantially offset in a parallel manner with respect to each other,represent sections of the same linear force deflection curve of the soft suspension spring of the spring device according to the present invention. When practically realizing the spring device said sections 2 and 4 will not be exactly parallel to each other, which is due to the fact that the control spring, which,.in addition to the linear range of the suspension spring, substantially determines the form of the steep rise range 3 of the force deflection curve 1 , possesses also after the kink in the deflection curve still a certain residual elasticity which is added to the elasticity, i.e. the spring constant,^ of the linear range of the suspension spring. This is referred to in the present description as a steep rise 3 within the linear range 2,4 of the force deflection curve.

The shape of the force deflection curve after the final point 5 of the linear range 4 is not essential for the present invention. Such curve can be the common pro¬ gressive curve as it is shown by the full line within the range 6. Such a curve is observed if the material of rubber buffers is pressed. However, such curve can only be limited by a stop as shown by the dotted line

within the range 6' of the force deflection curve 1.

Fig. 1 shows furthermore the soft and over a wide range linear section in the force deflection curve 7 of the suspension spring of the spring system of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows the typical form of the force deflection curve 8 of a cavity cavity-kinking mounting out of rubber. After a relatively steep and almost linear initial range 9 of the force deflection curve 8 it happens at the kinking point 10, which normally is well defined, that the wall of the cavity or the walls of the cavity are kinked in so that the spring loses practically all its elasticity in the following section 11 up to the point starting from which a material pressing of the elastomer takes place after the collapsed cavities within the spring body have been almost completely pressed together. This results in a section 11 showing a progressive force deflection curve.

From the functional diagrams shown in Figs. 1 and 2 it can be taken without any difficulty that the force deflection curve 1 of the spring device according to the present in¬ vention corresponds to an additive superimposition of the force deflection curve 7 of the soft suspension spring and the force deflection curve 8 of the control spring.

Figs. 3 and 4 show also functional diagrams of two embodi¬ ments of the spring device of the present invention having the force deflection curve 1 as shwon in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a stationary reference system 13, for instance a frame part of a car, on which a soft suspension spring 15 is supported via a bow 14. The suspension spring 15 has a

spiral spring of metal which is designed to carry a pressure load. At the head of the suspension spring 15 a mass M to be dissipated is suspended via rods 16 under the mounting 17.

The pressure spring system 14,15,16 is coaxially surrounded by a control spring 18 which is a tension spring (i.e. a spiral spring of steel) and which is fixed also to the reference system 13. At the lower end point of the control spring 18, which is a tension spring, there is fixed a bow 19 showing an inwardly projecting flange-like stop device 20 onto which a stop disc 21 can abut if the sus¬ pension spring 15 is compressed, said stop disc being fixed to the suspending rod 16 of the suspension spring 15.

In case the mass M is accelerated downwards in the direction of the flash F the energy introduced into the spring 15,18 is introduced in the beginning softly and in a linear fashion into the suspension spring 15. This action cor¬ responds to section 2 of the force deflection curve 1 shown in Fig. 1. As soon as the disc 21 is lying on the stop device 20 the energy introduced into the spring system 15,18 is now additionally dissipated by the rigid tension spring 18 so that the force deflection curve of the total system 15,18 shows the steep rise 3 as depicted in the force deflection curve 1 of Fig. 1. The tension spring 18 is designed in such a way that it loses already after a short extension, i.e. after a relatively short deflection, its spring tension due to overelongation so that in case of a further downward movement of the mass M the dissipation of this action takes place again almost exclusively via the linear working range of the suspension spring 15. As compared to the spring constant resulting from the suspension spring 15 the remaining spring constant of the overelongated spill spring 18, which is added to the spring constant of the pressure spring 15, can be practically

neglected. This working range corresponds to the section 4 of the force deflection curve 1 shown in Fig. 2. It can be taken furthermore from Fig. 1 that without the additional tension spring 18 the continuous soft dissipation on the force deflection curve 7 corresponding to the suspension spring 15 would require an almost twice as wide linear deflection of the spring as it would be required by the action of the control spring 18 and by the thereby caused steep rise 3 in the force deflection curve 1 whereby the extremely soft dissipation within the working range 4 of the force deflection curve 1 which corresponds substantially to a parallel set of the force deflection curve 7 has not to be accepted.

A second embodiment of a spring device having the force deflection curve of Fig. 1 and also the mirror symmetrical section of the negative deflection range not shown in Fig. 1 (i.e. the range through the origin to the side of negative linear deflections) is shown in Fig. 4. The suspension spring 15 is a rubber buffer having bores and cavities therein whereas the control spring 18 is a cavity-kinking mounting out of rubber. In addition to said first control spring there is provided a second control spring 18' which is identical with the first control spring as to its form and characteristics. Said three elements of the spring as depicted in Fig. 4 are connected in the manner shown to a reference system 13,13' which is for instance a frame clamp of a car. A coupling plate 22 is connected with the head of a suspension spring 15. Said coupling plate 22 ex¬ tends freely into an interspace which is left free between the control springs 18,18' which a coaxially facing each other and which are spaced from each other. The single parts 15,22-18,18' of this spring system are designed and aligned in such a manner that the coupling plate 22 extends exactly in the middle of the axial front distance of the

two control springs 18,18'. An oscillating mass M is supported on the suspension spring 15.

If the mass M is accelerated in the direction of the flash F the dissipation takes place very softly and in a linear fashion exclusively via the suspension spring 15 and so long until the coupling plate 22 or the coupling sheet, respectively, leans on the upper border of the lower control spring 18. Then the latter applies a force against the mass to be dissipated, said force increases rigidly when the de¬ flection is directed further down. Said force of the spring is a result of the compression of the rubber walls of the cavity-kinking mounting made out of rubber. However, the walls of the control spring 18 kink outwardly already after a short deflection so that practically no elastic active spring energy from the control spring 18 is acting against the spring action. The remaining dissipation of the initial oscillation process of the mass M takes place then only via the soft linear section of the force deflection curve of the suspension spring 15, said section representing the actual working range. After all the energy of the oscillating mass M has been introduced into the spring system the suspension spring system is returned which is followed by the control spring 18 via the coupling 22, whereby the dynamic energy reduced by the amount which is absorbed in the spring is again applied to the mass M. With respect to the represen¬ tation given in Fig. 4 the mass then oscillates with this energy into the direction of and extending above the origin of the system as shown in Fig. 4, based on the neutral position of the system as shown in Fig. 4. This means that the mass oscillates into the direction of a negative de¬ flection range and in the same manner as it is described for the initial oscillation process, since the complete spring system is designed in a substantially symmetric manner. It is a question of the damping of the spring system how often such a back and forth oscillation process

takes place and how great the amplitudes are. This of no particular importance for the present invention. For the present invention it is essential only to solve the object to achieve a soft dissipation of a relative great mass M with respect to the inert mass of the reference system 13 whereby the deflections are shortened. Said object is solved in the manner described above by the abrupt steep rise 3 in the force deflection curve 1 of the spring system. Said abrupt steep rise 3 in the force deflection curve is achieved in the embodiments described herein by additional control spring 18 or 18 and 18", respectively, which are kinking springs of in principal any desired kind.

For an expert it is clear that he needs not to rely on the embodiments as shown in the Figs. 3 and 4 in order to realize the typical force deflection curve 1 which is essential for the present invention. An expert can realize the force deflection curve of the kind shown in Fig. 1 which has an abrupt steep rise 3 in the linear working range 2,4 also and without any difficulties by applying electronic control means in an electromagnetic spring systems and also with a valve control system, for instance pneumatic valve control systems, and pneumatic spring systems.