US20220339986A1

US20220339986A1 - Modular bump buffer for vehicle

Info

Publication number: US20220339986A1
Application number: US17/316,629
Authority: US
Inventors: Jeffrey C. Chen
Original assignee: Elite Buffer LLC
Current assignee: Elite Buffer LLC
Priority date: 2021-04-26
Filing date: 2021-05-10
Publication date: 2022-10-27
Also published as: US12384211B2; US20230241936A1; US20240001724A1

Abstract

A modular suspension buffer for vehicle has customizable hardness and height to provide various combinations of initial contact softness and non-linearly increasing resistance during compression so as to improve driving stability, loading capacity, off road performance, and/or ride comfort while extending the operational lifespan of the vehicle suspension system.

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims priority to and the benefit of provisional patent application No. 63/179,706 filed in the United States Patent Office on Apr. 26, 2021, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth below in its entirety and for all applicable purposes.

FIELD

The disclosure relates, in some aspects, to bump buffers. More specifically, this invention relates to modular bump buffers for various vehicles.

INTRODUCTION

Suspension buffers can be used to protect vehicle suspension and frame. Suspension buffers can be used in connection with the shocks and/or springs of a vehicle suspension to provide extra loading capacity and limit suspension travel to prevent a vehicle from bottoming out and to prevent the over-compression of springs. The material used for constructing the suspension buffers can affect the shock absorption characteristic and support provided to the suspension. For example, a suspension buffer made of soft material can soften a hard impact but provide less loading capacity and support to the suspension. On the other hand, a suspension buffer made of hard material can provide greater loading capacity but is less capable of softening a harsh impact when the suspension is bottoming out.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of some aspects of the disclosure to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated features of the disclosure, and is intended neither to identify key or critical elements of all aspects of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present various concepts of some aspects of the disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
Aspects of the present disclosure provide a modular suspension buffer that can be used in a vehicle suspension system. The modular suspension buffer has customizable hardness and height to provide various combinations of initial contact softness and progressively increasing resistance during compression so as to improve driving stability, loading capacity, off-road performance, and/or ride comfort while extending the operational lifespan of the vehicle suspension system.
One aspect of the disclosure provides a modular suspension buffer for a vehicle. The modular suspension buffer can include a first elastic element having a first end and a second end positioned along a height direction of the modular suspension buffer. The modular suspension buffer can further include a second elastic element having a third end and a fourth end positioned along the height direction. The third end of the second elastic element is configured to interlock with the second end of the first elastic element.
One aspect of the disclosure provides a suspension buffer for a vehicle. The suspension buffer can include a first elastic portion having a first predetermined hardness. The suspension buffer can further include a second elastic portion having a second predetermined hardness that is different from the first predetermined hardness. The suspension buffer has a non-linear spring rate based on the first predetermined hardness and the second predetermined hardness.
These and other aspects of the disclosure will become more fully understood upon a review of the detailed description, which follows. Other aspects, features, and implementations of the disclosure will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, upon reviewing the following description of specific implementations of the disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying figures. While features of the disclosure may be discussed relative to certain implementations and figures below, all implementations of the disclosure can include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, while one or more implementations may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also be used in accordance with the various implementations of the disclosure discussed herein. In a similar fashion, while certain implementations may be discussed below as device, system, or method implementations, it should be understood that such implementations can be implemented in various devices, systems, and methods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more particular description is included below with reference to specific aspects illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only certain aspects of the disclosure and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the disclosure is described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 conceptually illustrates a first modular suspension buffer according to some aspects of the disclosure.

FIGS. 2 and 3 conceptually illustrate a first elastic element of the first modular suspension buffer according to one aspect of the disclosure.

FIGS. 4 and 5 conceptually illustrate a second elastic element of the first modular suspension buffer according to one aspect of the disclosure.

FIGS. 6 and 7 conceptually illustrate a third elastic element of the first modular suspension buffer according to one aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary implementation of the third elastic element according to one aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary implementation of the second elastic element according to one aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary implementation of the first elastic element according to one aspect of the disclosure.

FIGS. 11-19 conceptually illustrate a second modular suspension buffer for use with a coil spring according to some aspects of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof. In addition to the illustrative aspects, aspects, and features described above, further aspects, aspects, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description. The description of elements in each figure may refer to elements of proceeding figures. Like numbers may refer to like elements in the figures, including alternate aspects of like elements.
Some aspects of the present disclosure provide a modular suspension buffer for a vehicle. The modular suspension buffer can improve the vehicle suspension, for example, to provide soft initial contact upon impact and a non-linear spring rate so as to improve driving stability, loading capacity, off-road performance, and/or ride comfort while extending the operational lifespan of the suspension system. Some non-limiting examples of modular suspension buffers include bump stops and coil spring blocks/boosters. The modular suspension buffer can be made in various shapes, sizes, and hardness. The modular suspension buffer can be mounted in different locations of the vehicle and/or suspension to provide extra loading capacity, ride height, and/or prevent bottoming out. Bottoming out can occur when a vehicle is driven over objects and surface imperfections, and/or when the vehicle carries a heavy load reaching the load capacity of the suspension. Bottoming out can damage the vehicle suspension components, frame, and/or axle. In some aspects, the modular suspension buffer may be a bump stop that can be mounted between a vehicle frame/body and a wheel axle to absorb impact before the wheel axle comes into contact with the frame/body when the suspension is bottoming out or in full deflection. In some aspects, the modular suspension buffer may be mounted between adjacent convolutions of a coil spring to provide extra height and/or support to the suspension. The modular suspension buffer can be made of different materials to provide the desired resistance and hardness.
Referring to the figures, FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a first modular suspension buffer 100 according to some aspects of the disclosure. Three exemplary elastic elements of the modular suspension buffer 100 are shown in FIG. 1 for illustration purposes. In some examples, the modular suspension buffer 100 may have more or fewer than three elastic elements. The three elastic elements 102, 104, and 106 are connected together in a height direction 108 of the modular suspension buffer 100. In one example, the modular suspension buffer 100 may have one or more second elastic elements 104. The height direction 108 can correspond to the compression or loading direction of the buffer during operation. FIG. 2 illustrates a top view and a cross-sectional view of a first elastic element 102. FIG. 3 illustrates two perspective side views of the first elastic element 102. FIG. 4 illustrates a top view and a cross-sectional view of a second elastic element 104. FIG. 5 illustrates two perspective side views of the second elastic element 104. FIG. 6 illustrates a top view and a cross-sectional view of a third elastic element 106. FIG. 7 illustrates two perspective side views of the third elastic element 106. FIG. 8 illustrates an implementation of the third elastic element 106. FIG. 9 illustrates an implementation of the second elastic element 104. FIG. 10 illustrates an implementation of the first elastic element 102. Various aspects of the modular suspension buffer 100 will be described in more detail below.
The placement orders, sizes, shapes, and dimensions of the modular suspension buffer and elastic elements are shown in the drawings for illustration purposes, and the present invention is not limited to the particular proportions, placement orders, sizes, shapes, and dimensions shown in the drawings.
In one example, one end (top end in FIG. 1) of the first elastic element 102 is connected to one end (bottom end in FIG. 1) of the second elastic element 104, and another end (top end in FIG. 1) of the second elastic element 104 is connected to one end (bottom end in FIG. 1) of the third elastic element 106. In some aspects, an optional mounting interface (e.g., mounting plate 110) is secured on another end (top end in FIG. 1) of the third elastic element 106. In some aspects, the modular suspension buffer 100 may not include a mounting interface on one end of the modular suspension buffer. The mounting plate 110 can be used to secure or fasten the modular suspension buffer 100 to the vehicle (e.g., frame, body, chassis) or suspension. In one aspect, a fastener (e.g., screw 115 in FIG. 8) may extend from the mounting plate 110 for attaching the modular suspension buffer 100 to the vehicle or suspension. In one aspect, the mounting plate 110 may have an opening 112 for receiving the fastener (e.g., screw or bolt). The third elastic element 106 may have a corresponding opening for receiving the fastener therein. In one example, the opening 112 may have internal threads for engaging external threads of a matching screw when it is installed in the opening 112. A portion of the screw can extend outside of the opening 112 for attaching the modular suspension buffer 100 to the vehicle.
In some aspects, two elastic elements can be removably connected to each other. For example, the elastic elements can be connected together using complementary interlocking surfaces. For example, the first elastic element 102 has an interlocking surface 114 facing the second elastic element 104, and the second elastic element 104 has an interlocking surface 116 facing the first elastic element 102. The interlocking surfaces between adjacent elastic elements are complementary to each other so as to form a secure connection between the two elastic elements. In one example, the interlocking surface 114 can have a plurality of protrusions 202 (see FIGS. 2 and 3), and the interlocking surface 116 can have a plurality of protrusions 302 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The protrusions 202 and 302 are complementary such that the protrusions of one interlocking surface can fit into the spaces (e.g., grooves) formed by the protrusions of the opposite interlocking surface. Similarly, the second elastic element 104 has an interlocking surface 118 facing the third elastic element 106, and the third elastic element 106 has an interlocking surface 120 facing the second elastic element 104. In one example, the interlocking surface 118 can have a plurality of protrusions 304 (see FIGS. 4 and 5), and the interlocking surface 120 can have a plurality of protrusions 402 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). The protrusions 304 and 402 are complementary such that the protrusions of one interlocking surface can fit into the spaces (e.g., grooves) formed by the protrusions of the opposite interlocking surface.
In some aspects, the protrusions of the elastic elements can be designed such that the interlocking surfaces can be secured together by compression or fiction between the protrusions. In one example, the protrusions may include one or more circular ridges. On the same interlocking surface, two or more circular ridges may be concentric (e.g., ridges 202, 302, 304, and 402). In one example, the ridges may have a height of about 8 mm and a width of about 10 mm. In some aspects, the protrusions may have other suitable designs to provide an interlocking mechanism between elastic elements. In some aspects, the protrusions are designed to block or prevent relative motion (e.g., translational motion) between adjacent elastic elements.
In one aspect, adhesive or the like (e.g., glue, tapes) can be used to further secure the connection between two adjacent elastic elements with or without the above-described interlocking surfaces. In some aspects, adjacent elastic elements can be securely connected to each other using any suitable methods, for example, a combination of adhesive and/or fasteners.
In one example, the first elastic element 102 (e.g., identified as UB3 in FIG. 2) can have a height of about 66 mm and a width of about 103 mm. In one example, the second elastic element 104 (e.g., UB2 in FIG. 4) can have a height of about 39 mm and a width of about 103 mm. In one example, the third elastic element 106 (e.g., UB1 in FIG. 6) can have a height of about 36 mm and a width of about 103 mm. In some aspects, the modular suspension buffer 100 can include two or more elastic elements that have different heights or thicknesses. In some aspects, the modular suspension buffer 100 can include two or more elastic elements that have the same height or thickness. In some aspects, the modular suspension buffer 100 can include any number and combinations of elastic elements (e.g., elastic elements 102, 104, and/or 106) to provide the desired total height and hardness.
In some aspects, the elastic element can be made of a suitable elastic material, for example, rubber, thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), urethane, etc. In one example, the modular suspension buffer 100 may include elastic elements that are made of the same material. In one example, the modular suspension buffer 100 may include elastic elements that are made of different materials. In one example, the modular suspension buffer 100 may include elastic elements that have the same hardness. In one example, the modular suspension buffer 100 may include elastic elements that are different in hardness. In some examples, the hardness of an elastic element can be between about Shore 27 Type A to Shore 85 Type A or any desired hardness.
The modular suspension buffer 100 can be configured with a non-linear spring rate or hardness by customizing the hardness of each elastic element included in the buffer. A higher spring rate can provide more resistance to deformation or compression of the buffer. In one aspect, the modular suspension buffer 100 can include elastic elements that are different in hardness. For example, one of the first to third elastic elements 102, 104, and 106 can have a lower hardness than the other elastic elements. Therefore, when the modular suspension buffer 100 is initially compressed under a load or impact, the third elastic element 106 can provide a lower spring rate due to its lower hardness. The initial low spring rate can soften a harsh impact and provide a softer ride and comfort. When the modular suspension buffer 100 is further compressed, the first elastic element 102 and/or second elastic element 104 can be activated (i.e., compressed) to absorb the additional load and/or impact. In this case, the first elastic element 102 and/or second elastic element 104 can have a high hardness than the third elastic element 106 to provide a higher spring rate. A high spring rate can help the suspension to support more load and/or provide more ride height. When the modular suspension buffer 100 is compressed, the elastic elements with different hardness can be compressed at different rates due to their different hardness. In some examples, one or more of the elastic elements 102, 104, and 106 may have one or more groves 130 or cutout around the circumference of the elastic element. The groove may help the elastic element to provide a more consistent resistance during compression.
FIG. 11 conceptually illustrates a first cross-sectional view of a modular suspension buffer 500 for a coil spring according to some aspects of the disclosure. In one example, a coil spring can be made of an elastic material (e.g., steel wire) formed into a helical shape that has multiple convolutions or turns. The modular suspension buffer 500 includes a top elastic element 502, a bottom elastic element 504, and one or more optional middle elastic elements (one middle elastic element 506 is shown in FIG. 11). The modular suspension buffer 500 can be installed between adjacent convolutions of a coil spring (not shown) to assist the spring. Similar to the modular suspension buffer 100 described above. The respective hardness and heights of the top elastic element 502, the bottom elastic element 504, and the middle elastic element 506 (if used) can be customized to arrive at the desired resistance characteristics (e.g., spring rate) that can provide extra loading capacity, height, and/or control to the suspension of a vehicle. The modular suspension buffer 500 can be configured with a non-linear spring rate and/or hardness by customizing the hardness of each elastic element included in the buffer. The sizes, shapes, and proportions of the top elastic element 502, the bottom elastic element 504, and the middle elastic element 506 are not limited to the drawings and can be different in various implementations.
In one aspect, the modular suspension buffer 500 can include the top elastic element 502 and the bottom elastic element 504 connected together with no middle elastic element 506 as shown in FIG. 12. In one example, the top elastic element 502 can have a protrusion 508 on the bottom side. FIG. 13 conceptually illustrates a top view of the top elastic element 502. FIG. 14 conceptually illustrates a bottom view of the top elastic element 502. In one example, the protrusion 508 may form a rectangular ridge on the bottom surface of the top elastic element 502.
The bottom elastic element 504 has a groove 510 on the top side. FIG. 15 conceptually illustrates a bottom view of the bottom elastic element 504. FIG. 16 conceptually illustrates a top view of the bottom elastic element 504. The groove 510 may have a rectangular shape. The protrusion 508 and the groove 510 can form complementary interlocking surfaces respectively on the top elastic element 502 and the bottom elastic element 504. Therefore, the top elastic element 502 and the bottom elastic element 504 can be secured together by the interlocking surfaces to form the modular suspension buffer 500. In some examples, the protrusion 508 and the groove 510 can be secured together by friction or pressure. In some examples, adhesive and/or fastener may be used to secure the top elastic element 502 and the bottom elastic element 504 together.
In one aspect, the top elastic element 502 can have a cavity 516 formed on the top side. The cavity 516 can have a shape that conforms to the shape of a convolution of a coil spring. The bottom elastic element 504 can have a similar cavity 518 formed on the bottom side. The modular suspension buffer 500 can be securely placed between adjacent convolutions using the cavities 516 and 518 that can engage or catch the convolutions. The cavities can reduce the sliding or translational motion of the modular suspension buffer 500 between adjacent convolutions during operation. In one example, the cavity 516 of the top elastic element 502 may be formed as a curved space, channel, or groove (see FIG. 13) that matches the curvature of a convolution of the spring. Similarly, the cavity 518 of the bottom elastic element 504 may be formed as a curved space, channel, or groove (see FIG. 15) that matches the curvature of a convolution of the spring.
In one aspect, the modular suspension buffer 500 includes the top elastic element 502, the bottom elastic element 504, and one or more middle elastic elements 506 between the top elastic element 502 and the bottom elastic element 504 (see FIG. 17 for example). FIG. 18 conceptually illustrates a top view of the middle elastic element 506. FIG. 19 conceptually illustrates a bottom view of the middle elastic element 506. The middle elastic element 506 has a groove 512 on a top surface that is complementary to the protrusion 508 of the top elastic element 502. The middle elastic element 506 further has a protrusion 514 on a bottom surface that is complementary to the groove 510 on the top surface of the bottom elastic element 504. When the middle elastic element 506 is placed between the top elastic element 502 and the bottom elastic element 504, the top elastic element 502 and the middle elastic element 506 can be secured together by the interlocking surfaces formed by the complementary protrusion 508 and groove 512. Similarly, the bottom elastic element 504 and the middle elastic element 506 can be secured together by the interlocking surfaces formed by the complementary protrusion 514 and groove 510. When multiple middle elastic elements 506 are used, adjacent middle elastic elements 506 can be secured together by the complementary protrusion and groove respectively located on the top and bottom sides of adjacent middle elastic elements.

Additional Aspects

The examples set forth herein are provided to illustrate certain concepts of the disclosure. The apparatuses, devices, or components illustrated above may be configured to perform one or more of the methods, features, or steps described herein. Those of ordinary skill in the art will comprehend that these are merely illustrative in nature, and other examples may fall within the scope of the disclosure and the appended claims. Based on the teachings herein those skilled in the art should appreciate that an aspect disclosed herein may be implemented independently of any other aspects and that two or more of these aspects may be combined in various ways. For example, an apparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspects set forth herein. In addition, such an apparatus may be implemented or such a method may be practiced using other structure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to or other than one or more of the aspects set forth herein.
The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Likewise, the term “aspects” does not require that all aspects include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.
While the above descriptions contain many specific aspects of the invention, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as examples of specific aspects thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the aspects illustrated, but by the appended claims and their equivalents. Moreover, reference throughout this specification to “one aspect,” “an aspect,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the aspect is included in at least one aspect of the present disclosure. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one aspect,” “in an aspect,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same aspect, but mean “one or more but not all aspects” unless expressly specified otherwise.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well (i.e., one or more), unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. An enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive and/or mutually inclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” “including,” “having,” an variations thereof when used herein mean “including but not limited to” unless expressly specified otherwise. That is, these terms may specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or groups thereof. Moreover, it is understood that the word “or” has the same meaning as the Boolean operator “OR,” that is, it encompasses the possibilities of “either” and “both” and is not limited to “exclusive or” (“XOR”), unless expressly stated otherwise. It is also understood that the symbol “I” between two adjacent words has the same meaning as “or” unless expressly stated otherwise. Moreover, phrases such as “connected to,” “coupled to” or “in communication with” are not limited to direct connections unless expressly stated otherwise.
Any reference to an element herein using a designation such as “first,” “second,” and so forth does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. Rather, these designations may be used herein as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, a reference to first and second elements does not mean that only two elements may be used there or that the first element must precede the second element in some manner. Also, unless stated otherwise a set of elements may include one or more elements. In addition, terminology of the form “at least one of a, b, or c” or “a, b, c, or any combination thereof” used in the description or the claims means “a or b or c or any combination of these elements.” For example, this terminology may include a, or b, or c, or a and b, or a and c, or a and b and c, or 2a, or 2b, or 2c, or 2a and b, and so on.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A modular suspension buffer comprising:

a first elastic element having a first end and a second end positioned along a height direction of the modular suspension buffer; and

a second elastic element having a third end and a fourth end positioned along the height direction, the third end of the second elastic element configured to interlock with the second end of the first elastic element.

2. The modular suspension buffer of claim 1, wherein the first elastic element comprises a mounting interface on the first end, the mounting interface configured to secure the modular suspension buffer to the vehicle.

3. The modular suspension buffer of claim 1, wherein a hardness of the first elastic element is different from a hardness of the second elastic element.

4. The modular suspension buffer of claim 1, wherein a hardness of the first elastic element is the same as a hardness of the second elastic element.

5. The modular suspension buffer of claim 1, wherein a spring rate of the modular suspension buffer in the height direction is non-linear based on respective hardness of the first elastic element and the second elastic element.

6. The modular suspension buffer of claim 1, wherein a height of the first elastic element is different from a height of the second elastic element.

7. The modular suspension buffer of claim 1, wherein:

the first elastic element comprises a first interlocking surface on the second end; and

the second elastic element comprises a second interlocking surface, complementary to the first interlocking surface, on the third end.

8. The modular suspension buffer of claim 7, wherein:

the first interlocking surface comprises a plurality of first protrusions, and the second interlocking surface comprises a plurality of second protrusions complementary to the plurality of first protrusions; and

the plurality of first protrusions are configured to engage the plurality of second protrusions to secure the first elastic element with the second elastic element.

9. The modular suspension buffer of claim 8, wherein:

the plurality of first protrusions comprise a plurality of first concentric ridges, and the plurality of second protrusions comprise a plurality of second concentric ridges complementary to the plurality of first concentric ridges; and

the plurality of first concentric ridges are configured to engage the plurality of second concentric ridges to secure the first elastic element with the second elastic element.

10. The modular suspension buffer of claim 9, wherein the plurality of first concentric ridges and the plurality of second concentric ridges by secured together by a compression or fiction.

11. The modular suspension buffer of claim 1, further comprising:

a third elastic element having a fifth end and a sixth end along the height direction, the fifth end interlocking with the fourth end of the second elastic element.

12. The modular suspension buffer of claim 11, wherein a hardness of the third elastic element is different from a hardness of at least one of the first elastic element or the second elastic element.

13. The modular suspension buffer of claim 12, wherein:

the second elastic element comprises a third interlocking surface on the fourth end; and

the third elastic element comprises a fourth interlocking surface, complementary to the third interlocking surface, on the fifth end.

14. The modular suspension buffer of claim 13, wherein:

the third interlocking surface comprises a plurality of third protrusions, and the fourth interlocking surface comprises a plurality of fourth protrusions complementary to the plurality of third protrusions; and

the plurality of third protrusions are configured to engage the plurality of fourth protrusions to secure the second elastic element with the third elastic element.

15. The modular suspension buffer of claim 11, wherein a height of the third elastic element is different from a height of at least one of the first elastic element or the second elastic element.

16. The modular suspension buffer of claim 11, wherein an outer surface of the first elastic element forms at least one groove surrounding the outer surface.

17. The modular suspension buffer of claim 11, wherein an outer surface of the second elastic element forms at least one groove surrounding the outer surface.

18. The modular suspension buffer of claim 11, wherein an outer surface of the third elastic element forms at least one groove surrounding the outer surface.

19. The modular suspension buffer of claim 1, wherein:

a surface on the first end of the first elastic element forms a first cavity for receiving a first convolution of a spring; and

a surface on the fourth end of the second elastic element forms a second cavity for receiving a second convolution, adjacent to the first convolution, of the spring.

20. The modular suspension buffer of claim 19, wherein the first cavity forms a curved channel for receiving the first convolution, and the second cavity forms a curved channel for receiving the second convolution.

21. A modular suspension buffer comprising:

a first elastic portion having a first predetermined hardness; and

a second elastic portion having a second predetermined hardness that is different from the first predetermined hardness,

wherein the suspension buffer has a non-linear spring rate based on the first predetermined hardness and the second predetermined hardness.

22. The modular suspension buffer of claim 21, wherein the non-linear spring rate comprises a first spring rate corresponding to the first predetermined hardness when the suspension buffer is under a first load, and the non-linear spring rate comprises a second spring rate corresponding to the second predetermined hardness when the suspension buffer is under a second load that is heavier than the first load.

23. The modular suspension buffer of claim 22, the first spring rate is lower than the second spring rate.

24. The modular suspension buffer of claim 22, wherein the second predetermined hardness is higher than the first predetermined hardness.

25. The modular suspension buffer of claim 21, further comprising a third elastic portion having a third predetermined hardness that is different from at least one of the first predetermined hardness of the second predetermined hardness.

26. The modular suspension buffer of claim 25, wherein a height of the first elastic portion is different from at least one of a height of the second elastic portion or a height of the third elastic portion.

27. The modular suspension buffer of claim 21, wherein the first elastic portion is removably connected with the second elastic portion using respective interlocking surfaces on the first elastic portion and the second elastic portion.