DefinePK

Abstract

Silent blocks are one of the most common and characteristic mates in transport technology, and, in particular, in the design of shock absorbers for car suspensions. The defect such as a “silent block rupture” is characteristed for the rear shock absorbers in operation, Moreover, the silent block often fails much earlier than the shock absorber itself. The shock absorbers restoration by replacement with new silent blocks of standard design does not solve the problem of unsatisfactory durability. The authors consider that the reserve for increasing the durability of shock absorbers is to improve the restoration of silent blocks due to original technical solutions for repair kits. Original technical solution for the silent block repair kits is using a bearing with a movable conical spring insert in it. The design parameters of such an innovative repair kit were previously theoretically substantiated in the authors' works. The silent block repair kit consists of a modified standard silent block and additional elements - a steel sleeve and a conical spring insert. It is presented the developed technological process of manufacturing a repair kit. The validity of the theoretical prerequisites for the development of a repair kit for the silent block of the shock absorber of a vehicle containing a bearing with a tapered spring insert is confirmed by the results of experimental studies using high-precision measuring and control tools, as well as observations under operational conditions. The scientifically substantiated technical and technological development presented in this research is essential for increasing the efficiency of road transport operation by substantiating the principle and developing a technology for restoring the health of vehicle suspension joints using repair kits with movable spring inserts. Summarizing the research results and observations, we can conclude that the developed innovative silent block repair kit has the following important practical advantages; 1. The durability of the node is increased in 1.5 - 2 times due to the presence of such phenomena that are absent in the known designs of bearings, such as the “ratchet effect”, “the effect of oil and thread” and “the effect of wearlessness”; 2. The costs are reduced for the manufacture and assembly of the repair kit by reducing the requirements for the accuracy of the working surfaces of the parts.