High-adaptability fuel gas supply system, flexible support and method

Abstract

The invention discloses a flexible support of a fuel gas supply system, a plurality of long kidney-shaped holes are formed in the support, and the extending direction of the long kidney-shaped holes is set based on the direction of main stress borne by the support. According to the invention, a cooperative solution of'structural flexibility + material flexibility 'is adopted: a designed flexible bracket is combined with a high-performance nylon pipeline to form a multi-layer complementary stress dissipation system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of internal combustion engine gas supply technology, and in particular to a highly adaptable gas supply system, flexible support, and method. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of gas turbine engines, the gas supply system is responsible for the stable delivery of gas from the gas source to the engine. This system typically consists of rigid or semi-rigid piping (such as steel pipes with braided steel hoses) and supports for securing the piping. During engine operation or vehicle movement, the system is subjected to various loads, including vibration, thermal expansion and contraction, and installation deformation, resulting in alternating stress.

[0003] Current conventional technical solutions have the following main drawbacks:

[0004] 1. Insufficient support flexibility: The mounting holes of existing fixed supports are usually simple large through holes or long slotted holes of limited size, which can only provide a small amount of displacement compensation in a single direction. This design has limited effect on improving the complex and multi-dimensional stress concentration problem. Under long-term use, stress will still concentrate at the connection between the pipeline and the support, the pipeline itself, or the joint, leading to metal fatigue, cracking, or loosening of the connection.

[0005] 2. Piping Flexibility-Cost Contradiction: To improve system flexibility, a common practice is to use longer steel wire braided hoses or specially made high-flexibility hoses. However, the former has a large bending radius, occupies more space, and has limited flexibility improvement; the latter, although flexible, is expensive and difficult to popularize in cost-sensitive applications.

[0006] The above background information is provided only to aid in understanding the concept and technical solution of this invention. It does not necessarily belong to the prior art of this patent application. In the absence of clear evidence that the above information was disclosed on the filing date of this patent application, the above background information should not be used to evaluate the novelty and inventiveness of this application. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The main objective of this invention is to propose a flexible support that achieves "directional flexibility" by setting the extension direction of the elongated hole according to the stress direction. It also proposes a highly adaptable gas supply system and method including the modified flexible support.

[0008] Therefore, this invention proposes a highly adaptable gas supply system, a flexible support, and a method.

[0009] Preferably, the present invention may also have the following technical features:

[0010] A flexible support for a gas supply system, the support having a plurality of elongated holes, the extension direction of which is set based on the direction of the main stress on the support.

[0011] Furthermore, the main stress direction refers to the direction of the resultant stress or the direction in which the stress is most concentrated.

[0012] Furthermore, the main stress direction is determined by at least one of the following methods: engine vibration model, thermodynamic analysis, or actual installation space constraints.

[0013] Furthermore, the extension direction of the elongated hole is consistent with the direction of the main stress.

[0014] Furthermore, the bracket has an L-shaped structure, which includes a connecting plate and a supporting plate.

[0015] Furthermore, a three-dimensional coordinate system is established using an L-shaped plate, wherein the connecting plate is arranged longitudinally and has several first elongated holes for connecting the cylinder body, the first elongated holes being in the Y direction, Z direction, or oblique direction; the supporting plate is arranged laterally and is used to arrange second elongated holes in the X direction.

[0016] A highly adaptable gas supply system comprising the above-mentioned gas pipeline, a mixer, and an injection valve, wherein one end of the gas pipeline is connected to a gas source, the other end is connected to the inlet of the injection valve, and the outlet of the injection valve is connected to the mixer via a gas pipe; the gas pipeline is a flexible hose.

[0017] Furthermore, the gas pipeline is made of nylon.

[0018] A method based on the above-mentioned highly adaptable gas supply system includes the following steps:

[0019] (1) Identify the main stress direction of the support;

[0020] (2) Design the extension direction and length of the long waist hole of the bracket according to the main stress direction, so that the extension of the long waist hole is consistent with the main stress direction.

[0021] Furthermore, the main stress directions of the support structure in the gas supply system are represented using a three-dimensional coordinate system; the main stress directions are matched by setting a first elongated slot and a second elongated slot through the connecting plate and the support plate, including:

[0022] 1) If a certain point of the bracket mainly needs to absorb the vibration of the engine in the front-rear direction, then a long slotted hole in the X direction should be set on the bracket.

[0023] 2) If a point on the support needs to absorb both vertical vibration and thermal expansion displacement, then a long, narrow hole in the Z direction or at an angle should be provided.

[0024] The beneficial effects of this invention compared to existing technologies include: By setting the extension direction of the elongated holes according to the stress direction, "directional flexibility" is achieved, allowing for expected, limited relative displacement between the support and the vehicle frame or engine body in a specific direction. This actively releases stress in that direction, preventing stress transmission and accumulation in the pipeline. The nylon gas pipeline and the flexible support work together to achieve secondary stress dissipation. This significantly improves reliability: it fundamentally alleviates stress concentration, greatly reduces pipeline cracking, joint leaks, and other failures, and extends system lifespan; it enhances layout adaptability: the flexible design makes the pipeline layout more tolerant of installation errors, vehicle frame deformation, and engine displacement, reducing installation difficulty and precision requirements; it optimizes the balance between cost and performance: with relatively economical nylon tubing and a designed support, it achieves stress resistance performance approaching that of a high-cost fully flexible system, offering extremely high cost-effectiveness; and it reduces maintenance costs: the system failure rate decreases, directly reducing maintenance frequency and costs. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figures 1-3 These are three-dimensional views of the present invention from three different orientations.

[0026] Figure 4 This is an assembly diagram of the gas supply system of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings. It should be emphasized that the following description is merely exemplary and is not intended to limit the scope or application of the present invention.

[0028] Non-limiting and non-exclusive embodiments will be described with reference to the following figures, wherein the same reference numerals denote the same parts unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0029] like Figure 1-3 A flexible support for a gas supply system is disclosed. The support 10 is mounted on an engine cylinder block 20 and is used to fix a mixer 30 and an injection valve 40. The support has several elongated holes (11, 21) for connecting the mixer 30 and the injection valve 40. The extension direction of the elongated holes (11, 21) is set based on the direction of the main stress on the support 10. The main stress direction refers to the direction of the resultant force of the stress on the support 10 or the direction in which the stress is most concentrated. In this embodiment, the extension direction of the elongated holes (11, 21) is set according to the stress direction to achieve "directional flexibility," allowing a expected and limited relative displacement between the support 10 and the engine body in a specific direction, thereby actively releasing the stress in that direction and preventing stress transmission and accumulation in the pipeline.

[0030] Preferably, the main stress direction is determined by at least one of the following methods: engine vibration model, thermodynamic analysis, or actual installation space constraints. Furthermore, the extension direction (length direction) of the elongated bore (11, 21) is consistent with the main stress direction. The actual installation space constraints refer to the weak points of the system at the resonant frequency after assembly. During on-site assembly, when the bracket is installed on the cylinder block 20, inaccurate dimensional chain verification or accumulated part tolerances can cause stress due to interference fit. This stress transmission to the cylinder block should be reduced or avoided. If the opening of the bracket 10 is a hole with a size not significantly different from the bolt, then no matter how the assembly position is changed, the stress concentration problem cannot be resolved, and the stress will still be applied to the cylinder block 20, resulting in a completely rigid connection. Conversely, if an elongated slot (11, 21) is provided in the bracket 10, the bracket 10 can be assembled first, and then the position of the parts can be adjusted. This allows for two main advantages: 1) stress can be partially isolated from the bracket 10, preventing stress from being transferred to the cylinder block 20; 2) stress can even be released by first assembling the bracket 10 and then readjusting the parts near it. Therefore, by adding an elongated slot to the mounting hole of the bracket 10, a part mounted on the cylinder block 20, stress concentration accumulated on the bracket 10 is reduced during rigid connection assembly, further reducing the quality risks caused by stress concentration between parts.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, the bracket 10 has an L-shaped structure, including a connecting plate 1 and a support plate 2. A three-dimensional coordinate system (X, Y, Z directions) is established through the L-shaped plate. The connecting plate 1 is arranged longitudinally and has several first elongated holes 11 for connecting to the cylinder block 20. The first elongated holes 11 are in the Y direction, Z direction, or oblique direction. The support plate 2 is arranged laterally. Preferably, the support plate 2 is perpendicular to the connecting plate 1 and has several second elongated holes 21 in the X direction. Specifically, the X direction of the three-dimensional coordinate system represents the front-rear direction of the engine, i.e., the front end is the fan end and the rear end is the flywheel end; the Y direction represents the left-right direction, i.e., the intake side and exhaust side of the engine; and the Z direction represents the up-down direction, i.e., the oil pan end and cylinder head cover end of the engine. Adjustment in the Y and Z directions is achieved through the first elongated holes 11 on the connecting plate 1. The first elongated holes 11 in the Y direction are arranged horizontally on the connecting plate 1, and the first elongated holes 11 in the Z direction are arranged vertically on the connecting plate 1. Preferably, the connecting plate 1 and the support plate 2 are provided with weight reduction holes 3.

[0032] A highly adaptable gas supply system based on the aforementioned flexible support and nylon tubing further includes a gas pipeline 50, a mixer 30, and an injection valve 40. One end of the gas pipeline 50 is connected to a gas source, and the other end is connected to the inlet of the injection valve 40. The outlet of the injection valve 40 is connected to the mixer 30 via a gas pipe. The gas pipeline 50 is a flexible hose, preferably made of nylon.

[0033] Preferably, the gas pipeline 50 is made of high-performance nylon (such as PA11, PA12) material, replacing the traditional combination of "steel pipe + limited-length steel wire hose". The advantages of this embodiment include: good inherent flexibility: nylon material has a certain degree of elasticity and bending flexibility, capable of absorbing minor deformations and vibrations from all directions; strong fatigue resistance: under alternating stress, the fatigue life of nylon tubing is superior to many metal pipes; lightweight and easy to install: its weight is much lighter than metal pipes, reducing the system's self-weight, and bending processing is easier, allowing for more compact and flexible wiring; controllable cost: compared to equivalent high-flexibility special hoses, nylon pipelines have a significant cost advantage.

[0034] In the above technical solution, the nylon gas pipeline 50 and the flexible support 10 work together. When the system is subjected to vibration or deformation, the stress is first absorbed and buffered by the material flexibility of the nylon pipeline (first-stage dissipation). The remaining, more directional stress that is not completely dissipated is released through the displacement generated by the elongated holes in a specific direction on the support 10 (second-stage dissipation). This significantly improves reliability: it fundamentally alleviates stress concentration, greatly reduces pipeline cracking, joint leakage and other failures, and extends the system's service life; it enhances layout adaptability: the flexible design makes the pipeline layout more tolerant of installation errors, frame deformation and engine displacement, reducing installation difficulty and precision requirements; it optimizes the balance between cost and performance: with relatively economical nylon tubing and a designed support 10, it achieves stress resistance performance close to that of a high-cost fully flexible system, with extremely high cost-effectiveness; and it reduces maintenance costs: the system failure rate decreases, directly reducing maintenance frequency and cost.

[0035] A method for a highly adaptable gas supply system based on flexible supports and nylon tubing includes the following steps:

[0036] (1) Identify the main stress direction of the support 10;

[0037] (2) Design the extension direction and length of the long waist hole (11,12) of the bracket according to the main stress direction, so that the extension of the long waist hole (11,12) is consistent with the main stress direction.

[0038] The main stress direction of the support in the gas supply system is represented using a three-dimensional coordinate system; the direction of the first elongated hole 11 and the second elongated hole 12 are set according to the main stress direction; the first elongated hole 11 and the second elongated hole 12 are matched to the main stress direction through the connecting plate 1 and the support plate 2, for example:

[0039] 1) If a certain point of the bracket 10 mainly needs to absorb the vibration of the engine in the front and rear directions, then an elongated hole (11, 12) in the X direction is provided on the bracket 10; that is, a second elongated hole 21 in the X direction is provided on the support plate 2, and the second elongated hole 21 is arranged along the front and rear end directions of the engine.

[0040] 2) If a point on the bracket 10 needs to absorb both vertical vibration and thermal expansion displacement simultaneously, a long, narrow hole (11, 12) in the Z direction or at an angle is provided; that is, a first long, narrow hole 11 in the Z direction or at an angle is provided on the connecting plate 1. The thermal expansion displacement refers to the thermal expansion and contraction phenomenon inherent in metal after the engine heats up.

[0041] Those skilled in the art will recognize that numerous variations are possible with respect to the above description, and the embodiments and figures are merely for describing one or more specific implementations.

[0042] Although exemplary embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes and substitutions can be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, many modifications can be made to adapt specific situations to the doctrine of the invention without departing from the central concepts of the invention described herein. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but may include all embodiments and equivalents that fall within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A flexible support for a gas supply system, characterised in that: The support is provided with a plurality of long waist holes, and the extension direction of the long waist holes is set based on the main stress direction received by the support.

2. The flexible support for a gas supply system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The main stress direction refers to the resultant force direction of stress or the direction in which stress is most concentrated.

3. The flexible support for a gas supply system of claim 1, wherein: The main stress direction is determined by at least one of an engine vibration model, thermodynamic analysis or actual installation space constraints.

4. The flexible support for a gas supply system of claim 1, wherein: The extension direction of the long waist hole is consistent with the main stress direction.

5. The flexible gas supply system support of claim 1, wherein: The support is in an L-shaped structure, including a connecting plate and a supporting plate.

6. A flexible gas supply system support according to claim 5, characterised in that: A three-dimensional coordinate system is established by the L-shaped plate, wherein the connecting plate is arranged longitudinally and provided with a plurality of first long waist holes connected to the cylinder block, the first long waist hole being in the Y direction or the Z direction or oblique; and the supporting plate is arranged transversely and used for arranging a second long waist hole in the X direction.

7. A highly adaptable gas supply system comprising the flexible support of claim 6, characterized in that: The system further includes a gas pipeline, a mixer and a jet valve, wherein one end of the gas pipeline is connected to a gas source, the other end is connected to the inlet of the jet valve, the outlet of the jet valve is connected to the mixer through a gas pipe, and the gas pipeline is a hose.

8. A high adaptability gas supply system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The gas pipeline is a nylon material pipeline.

9. A method based on the highly adaptable gas supply system of claim 7, characterized by: The method includes the following steps: (1) identifying the main stress direction of the support; (2) designing the extension direction and length of the long waist hole of the support according to the main stress direction, so that the extension of the long waist hole is consistent with the main stress direction.

10. The method of a highly adaptable gas supply system of claim 9, characterized in that: The main stress direction of the support in the gas supply system is represented by a three-dimensional coordinate system; the first long waist hole and the second long waist hole are set by the connecting plate and the supporting plate to match the main stress direction, including: 1) if a certain point of the support needs to absorb the vibration in the front-rear direction of the engine, an X-direction long waist hole is arranged on the support; 2) if a certain point of the support needs to absorb both the up-down vibration and the thermal expansion displacement, a Z-direction or oblique long waist hole is arranged.

Images